Yolo County keeps ag-well moratorium, directs staff to draft meter requirement and vetted hydrogeologist list

The Yolo County Board of Supervisors on April 28 accepted staff recommendations to keep the county's moratorium on new agricultural (ag) well permits in focus areas and to direct staff to develop an ordinance requiring meters on new wells and an RFQ process to create a vetted list of qualified hydrogeologists.

County environmental health director April Menaghedi told the board the moratorium began with Urgency Ordinance 1576 and was later extended by Ordinance 1577; staff convened an Ag Well Working Group and surveyed participants, receiving 28 responses on key topics such as metering, additional hydrogeologic review and whether crop conversions should be regulated. "A majority of the respondents supported requiring meters on new ag wells," Menaghedi said, noting many responses favored making new systems "meter-ready" even if immediate metering was not required.

The recommendation to draft a metering amendment grew from the working-group feedback and related concerns about groundwater accounting. "Requiring meters is a great first step," Kristen Cicky of the Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency (YSGA) said in the presentation, while cautioning that meter data collection and maintenance remain policy questions the YSGA would likely lead on. Cicky also summarized YSGA's technical findings: 61 of 62 representative monitoring wells currently sit above the Groundwater Sustainability Plan minimum thresholds, but data gaps remain in parts of the subbasin and localized areas of concern—such as the Hungry Hollow management area—need focused projects and monitoring.

Board members pressed staff on legal authority and practical implementation. Supervisor Barajas asked whether the county could legally require meters or whether that authority rests with the YSGA; Menaghedi replied that the county could require meters as part of the well construction and permitting process while YSGA would likely lead on data maintenance and any allocation framework. Supervisors also asked staff to consider who could request meter data and how to disclose meter requirements to future property buyers.

On hydrogeologic reviews, staff recommended developing an RFQ to create a vetted list of qualified hydrogeologists and returning to the board later with a recommendation on whether the list should be recommended or required. On crop conversions, staff said a clear majority of the working group opposed direct county regulation and recommended deferring that discussion to the next general-plan update.

The Board voted to accept the staff recommendations and keep the moratorium in place through Aug. 25, 2026; staff will return with draft ordinance language on metering and the RFQ process in July, and a further update on the moratorium in late July. Supervisor Dixie Sandy moved the motion and Supervisor Frerichs seconded; the motion passed by voice vote.

Why it matters: The directives move Yolo County toward stronger groundwater accounting and make metering a central tool for long-term groundwater management in the subbasin. Staff and the YSGA emphasized the need for landowner engagement and careful legal review because metering, data use, and any future demand-management or allocation framework will reshape monitoring, funding and enforcement around agricultural groundwater use.

What's next: Staff will draft an amendment to the county's well ordinance to incorporate metering requirements, work with consultants and the YSGA on technical provisions, develop an RFQ for vetted hydrogeologists, and return with drafts and recommendations in July. The YSGA also plans a public hearing on a proposed fee study and will continue Hungry Hollow pilots and monitoring work.

Speakers quoted or referenced: April Menaghedi, Director of Environmental Health; Kristen Cicky, YSGA (presenter); Supervisor Dixie Sandy (mover); Supervisor Frerichs (seconder).