Yolo County extends moratorium on new agricultural wells in focus areas for up to 10 months

The Yolo County Board of Supervisors voted to extend a temporary moratorium on approval of new agricultural-well permits in YSGA-designated focus areas for up to an additional 10 months and 15 days, with staff directed to provide regular updates and convene a working group to study permit rules and related land-use issues.

County environmental health director April Meneghetti told the board the moratorium — first adopted as a 45-day urgency ordinance in August — was intended to allow time for staff to review whether changes to county well-permitting and land-use rules are warranted in parts of the Yolo Subbasin where groundwater declines and dry wells have been reported. Meneghetti said staff recommend narrowing any extended moratorium so it applies only to wells physically located inside the focus-area boundaries the YSGA established through its public process.

The board’s action follows weeks of public comment from farmers, farming advocates and nearby residents and a multi-hour staff presentation describing the current environmental-health and YSGA review process for new agricultural wells. Meneghetti said the moratorium would not block continued processing of applications — environmental health and YSGA said they will continue technical reviews so permits are ready to proceed if the moratorium is lifted — but final issuance would be on hold unless a hardship exemption is granted.

Why it…