Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Well Mitigation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mid Kings GSA approves updated well-mitigation policy and authorizes up to $360,000 pilot for four dry domestic wells
Summary
The board approved an updated well-mitigation policy that narrows eligibility to domestic wells impacted by subsidence or water-quality issues, sets protections against property flipping, caps standard mitigation funding at $40,000 per installation, and authorized a pilot program (three replacement wells and one city connection) with a budget estimate of about $360,000.
The Mid Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency on Feb. 17 approved an updated well-mitigation policy and authorized a pilot project to address four domestic wells that Self Help Enterprises identified as dry and likely impacted by falling groundwater levels.
Amir Hussain, the engineering consultant, described the pilot as a limited test to determine implementation needs, saying the agency anticipates drilling three replacement wells and connecting one property to city water. He estimated a rough budget of about $360,000 that would include staff time, Self Help Enterprises’ support, construction, permitting, lab testing, abandonment of old wells and new pumps and electrical panels.
The board-approved updated policy includes several eligibility and anti-abuse provisions: eligibility is limited to domestic wells impacted by subsidence or water-quality problems; an applicant must have owned the property for at least one year; the dwelling must be habitable per California code; each parcel is limited to one mitigation and the replacement is recorded on the deed to prevent multiple claims; and the policy removed an attempted age cutoff after the state rejected using an age threshold.
On funding, the plan limits the standard mitigation payment to no more than $40,000 per installation; owners seeking a deeper well or higher-spec equipment can pay the difference. The policy also includes payback terms if a property is sold: repay 100% if sold within one year, 50% if sold within two years. Amir said the 40,000 cap and the two-year payback mirror language approved in the Madera Subbasin and that the board can revisit durations or amounts in future revisions.
Board member Verboone moved to approve the policy and the pilot and the clerk recorded roll-call votes in favor. The board instructed staff to return with itemized costs as the pilot progresses.
Next steps: staff will proceed with contracting Self Help Enterprises for the pilot, evaluate each of the four wells to confirm subsidence is the cause of failure, and bring back specific cost and lesson-learned reports to the board.
