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Board approves formation of Bonita Water District; refers establishment to LAFCO
Summary
The Board of Supervisors voted to support formation of the Bonita Water District and referred the proposal to the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) for further proceedings. Petitioners say the proposed district would support recharge and coordinated surface‑water management by multigenerational family farms.
The Madera County Board of Supervisors voted Jan. 28, 2025, to approve the formation of the Bonita Water District and to refer the matter to the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) for additional proceedings. The motion passed on a 4‑0 roll call.
Staff said the district petition meets Water Code requirements: parcel owners holding a majority of title in the proposed boundary petitioned for formation, and the parcels fall within the 2‑mile proximity requirement. Community and Economic Development planning staff presented a map of the proposed boundaries extending from Avenue 18 1/2 south to Avenue 12 and east to Road 18 alongside the canal.
Brad Samuelson, a water consultant representing the petitioners, said the district proponents are the East and Deeper Sloop families — multigenerational farms in western Madera County — and described roughly 9,733 acres proposed for the district. He said the parties have implemented diversion facilities, pipelines and recharge ponds and in 2023 diverted and spread more than 21,000 acre‑feet of service water across 9,700 acres to support recharge. “By creating Bonita Water District and eventually becoming a GSA, we will continue to work together and with the other GSAs for groundwater sustainability,” Samuelson told the board.
Supervisors expressed public support for local agricultural autonomy and noted the recharge work proponents have completed. The action authorizes naming the entity “Bonita Water District” and forwarding the petition, legal descriptions and boundary materials to LAFCO for the next steps. The board’s approval does not itself finalize formation; LAFCO will conduct hearings and make the ultimate determination on district formation.
