North Kings GSA Board Adopts Groundwater Sustainability Plan

November 25, 2019                                                           Contact:  Kassy Chauhan                                                                                                      kchauhan@fresnoirrigation.com

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North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency Board of Directors Unanimously Adopts Groundwater Sustainability Plan in Compliance with Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA)

Fresno – The North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency (NKGSA), of which the Fresno Irrigation District is a member, approved and adopted an ambitious and long-term Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP), to address groundwater sustainability within the NKGSA boundary.  The GSP’s adoption occurred at the NKGSA’s special Board meeting and public hearing on Thursday, November 21, 2019.  The Board’s decision to adopt the GSP came after hearing a presentation from staff on recommended changes to the draft GSP resulting from a written public comment period that lasted 60 days, ending on October 18, 2019, and comments provided from stakeholders during the public hearing portion of the meeting. 

NKGSA is only the second GSA in the Kings Subbasin to have its GSP completed and adopted in anticipation of the submittal deadline specified in SGMA of January 31, 2020, to the Department of Water Resources (DWR).  Adoption by the Board was needed to allow time for the NKGSA to finalize the document, package it with the GSPs from the six other GSAs in the Kings Subbasin, and submit to the DWR ahead of the submission deadline. 

The NKGSA’s GSP provides a roadmap for the NKGSA and its member agencies on how to achieve sustainability within the NKGSA boundaries while avoiding undesirable results such as chronic lowering of groundwater levels, adverse water quality impacts and land subsidence.  While the GSP includes management actions that could be implemented in the future, the GSP does not propose pumping restrictions or metering of all groundwater wells immediately.  As part of implementing the GSP, the initial focus will be to fill identified data gaps and ensure the representative monitoring wells for groundwater levels and water quality are serving as benchmarks of what is happening to the aquifer beneath the NKGSA boundaries.

“The NKGSA would like to extend a heartfelt thank you and sense of gratitude to all who have been dedicated in a three year process of forming the GSA, developing the GSP, and the extensive outreach efforts required to get to this important point in history.  For the first time in history, California and the NKGSA will be charged with responsibly managing the groundwater supply within our boundary.  It is great to be part of this historical moment”, stated Gary Serrato, Executive Director of the NKGSA.

The North Kings GSA consists of member agencies including the Fresno Irrigation District, the cities of Fresno, Clovis and Kerman, Fresno County, Bakman Water Company, Biola Community Services District, International Water District, Garfield Water District, and the Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District.  The NKGSA also consists of disadvantaged communities, private well owners, and landowners.  The NKGSA is one of the seven GSAs within the Kings Subbasin.

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Since 1920, the Fresno Irrigation District has proudly delivered water to agricultural and urban communities within Fresno County. Today, the District encompasses over 250,000 acres of prime farmland and municipal areas, including the cities of Fresno and Clovis. As the premier irrigation district in the Central Valley, the District is extensively involved in a host of local, state, and federal water issues.