Proposed ag water district could aid groundwater-dependent farmers in northern Tulare County
A proposed new agricultural water district could brighten what had been shaping up as a grim future for a number of farmers in the northern part of Tulare County’s flatlands under the state’s groundwater law. Four private ditch companies are working to form the new district to cover 84,000 acres, 24,000 of which are totally groundwater dependent. Pumping restrictions under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) are expected to severely limit crop production in such groundwater reliant areas. The proposed Consolidated Water District has indicated it will use land assessment fees to buy surface water and build systems to convey surface water throughout the district. That’s significant, said Mark Larsen, General Manager of the Greater Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), which covers the area where the new district is proposed.
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