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Madera GSA adopts $59 per enrolled-acre domestic well mitigation fee after contested public comment
Summary
The Madera Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agency established a $59 per enrolled-acre domestic well mitigation fee; action approved 4-0 after extensive public testimony and debate about fee level, billed vs. collected revenue and transparency.
The Madera County Board of Supervisors, acting as the Board of Directors for the Madera County Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), adopted a domestic well mitigation fee on July 15 that sets the annual rate at $59 per enrolled acre.
Stephanie Angeson, director of Water and Natural Resources, and Kevin Kostick, the GSA's rate consultant, presented the fee and described recent revisions to the fee language following committee and board reviews. Angeson said the revised rate "represents the annual cost of service and does not include the collection of cost of providing services for the domestic well mitigation program" and added that the fee will be reviewed annually.
Nut graf: The fee is intended to fund replacement or mitigation for domestic wells that go dry as the basin moves toward sustainable groundwater management. The board's vote follows several weeks of committee work and was taken after nearly two hours of public comment on July 15, when farmers, residents and water stakeholders voiced concerns about affordability, transparency and whether penalty revenues should be treated as billed amounts or only when collected.
Public commenters pressed the board to consider a lower initial fee or a phased approach. "If we can put the fees around $30, you know, to start, see how it works out," said Devin Aviles, representing an agricultural cooperative. Multiple growers described financial pressure from low commodity prices and previous unpaid tax bills; Vicky Basra said she had missed recent tax payments and could not afford additional fees. Noah Lopez of the Madera Ag Water Association urged support for a funded mitigation program, saying the association had reviewed data and "we think that that's just a successful example of feedback being listened to, being incorporated."
The board discussed concerns about timing, the program backlog (staff noted an existing backlog of roughly 250 dry-well cases), and whether penalty revenue should be calculated on billed or collected amounts. Supervisors said staff would explore whether the county could establish a mechanism to treat billed penalties as available (for example, short-term internal funding) and bring further options back to the board.
After discussion the board voted 4-0 to adopt the resolution establishing the $59 per enrolled-acre rate. The resolution, staff said, includes language allowing the board to apply monies from groundwater allocation exceedance penalties toward the rate during the annual review. Angeson and the consultant said local driller capacity and Self-Help Enterprises experience informed the outreach and feasibility analysis.
Ending: The fee is effective for the current fiscal cycle and will be subject to annual review. Supervisors and staff emphasized the program's intent: fund mitigation actions, avoid state intervention and respond to the GSP (Groundwater Sustainability Plan) requirements for the Madera Subbasin.
