Wednesday Top of the Scroll: Judge temporarily blocks state order to growers who depleted groundwater
A Kings County judge today issued a temporary restraining order against the state that pauses its unprecedented move to crack down on groundwater depletion in California’s agricultural heartland. The decision by Superior Court Judge Kathy Ciuffini grants Kings County growers a temporary reprieve from a state mandate to monitor and report how much water they pump from heavily over-pumped aquifers. The order will last through a hearing in August, when the judge will consider issuing a preliminary injunction. The State Water Resources Control Board in April put Kings County water managers on probation under the state’s landmark groundwater law — a first step towards wresting control of the severely depleted Tulare Lake groundwater basin in the San Joaquin Valley.
Related articles:
- SJV Water: Kings County judge rules state overstepped by requiring farmers to meter, report groundwater extractions
- Associated Press: Judge temporarily halts state plan to monitor groundwater use in crop-rich California region
- San Francisco Chronicle: Enforcement of California’s landmark groundwater law put on hold by judge
- State Water Board news release: Tulare Lake Subbasin groundwater extraction reporting suspended
- Kings County Farm Bureau news release: Judge issues temporary restraining order against State Water Resources Control Board