Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Board orders staff to stop work on county regulation of commercial well extraction, citing insufficient resources
Summary
After months of discussion, supervisors voted 4–1 to halt staff work on drafting an ordinance to regulate commercial extraction and water hauling; Chair Haschak dissented and urged further study and grant pursuits.
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 25 voted 4–1 to direct staff to stop working on an ordinance that would regulate commercial extraction ("water mining") from private wells and water hauling for commercial purposes, citing insufficient county resources to implement and enforce such rules.
Supervisor Williams moved the motion to cease work on the project; the board carried the motion with Chair Haschak dissenting. The vote followed extended discussion in which county staff and multiple speakers described the complexity of the problem — drought dynamics, competing uses, potential impacts on private domestic wells and the limited capacity of county departments to operate and police a new regulatory program.
Planning and Building Director Julia Crogg told the board the item originally began as a citizen‑sponsored…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
