… Since the summer of 2014, the California Department of Water Resources has received 337 reports of dry wells over the basin, San Luis Obispo County groundwater sustainability director Blaine Reely said. In 2024, people pumped about 25,500 acre-feet of water more than was returned to the underground reservoir, according to the most recent annual report on the basin. The California Department of Water Resources considers the basin “critically overdrafted,” and residential property owners with dry wells are some of the first casualties of a poorly managed groundwater supply. Those residents blame farms and vineyards for pumping more than their fair share of water. According to the basin’s 2024 report, agriculture used about 94% of the water pumped from the basin.

Other groundwater news:

• Record Gazette (Yucaipa, Calif.): SGPWA (San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency) breaks ground on project