The GSA anticipates funding for the program through groundwater pumping and land assessment fees. A $1.5 million reserve fund will be set aside for the program.

The GSA board approved the program at its March 19 meeting. However, not all damaged wells may qualify for the program.

“The purpose of this well mitigation policy is to provide emergency water supply and implement long-term solutions for households that have lost access to drinking water as a result of groundwater levels decreasing,” consulting engineer Amer Hussain told the board.

Help for People if Wells Run Dry

The program is similar to the well program passed by neighboring Mid-Kings River GSA.

It will have two tracks: one for domestic well owners and the other for municipal, industrial and community wells.

Well owners must register wells with the GSA to qualify for the program.

If wells go dry, owners will receive emergency drinking water within 24 hours and interim drinking water, such as a water tank or water bottles, within 72 hours of notifying the GSA.

To qualify for assistance, owners must show proof that the well was damaged or suffered water quality harm due lowered groundwater levels.

Those impacts must have begun after Jan. 1, 2015, the beginning of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which aims to have local entities bring aquifers into balance by 2040.

Electrical or mechanical damage will not be covered by the program.

Funding for Drilling a New Well

Domestic well owners may be reimbursed up to $40,000 for the cost of drilling a new well or connecting to a public water system. Water quality treatment will be offered up to $10,000.

If a well owner seeks help from the GSA and sells the property within one year of repairs, the landowner will have to repay the GSA. If the property is sold within two years, 50% of the costs will have to be repaid.

South Fork Chair Joe Neves asked if the program could include a clause to calculate the depreciation of a well to determine the cost the GSA would pay compared to the landowner.

“The state made it very clear to Tule (subbasin) and others who are ahead of us that that was a non-starter and they would not approve a plan that had that language in it,” Hussain said.

For municipal, industrial and community wells, the program will cover up to $30,000 for technical assistance. Technical assistance could include help with grant applications, designing a well or conducting feasibility studies.

About the Reporter

Monserrat Solis covers Kings County water issues for SJV Water through the California Local News Fellowship Initiative.

About SJV Water

SJV Water is an independent, nonprofit news site covering water in the San Joaquin Valley, www.sjvwater.org. Email us at sjvwater@sjvwater.org