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State Water Resources Control Board details Gears reporting deadlines, fees and exclusions
Summary
At a virtual workshop, board staff explained who must use Gears to report groundwater extractions, key deadlines (first reports due May 1, 2026), fee and waiver rules, and upcoming board decisions on exemptions for some GSAs.
The State Water Resources Control Board held a virtual workshop to walk groundwater pumpers through Gears, the board’s groundwater extraction annual reporting system, and to explain who must report and when.
"The Tallery Lake and TUI subbasins were placed on probation in 2024 and first reports are due May 1st of this year," said Anthony Wlettez, senior engineering geologist in the board’s Office of Sustainable Groundwater Management. He told attendees that probationary status requires well owners in those basins to file extraction reports in Gears.
Staff outlined the required reporting periods: well owners in the Tallery Lake subbasin must file for two separate reporting periods (July 15–Sept. 30, 2024, and Oct. 1, 2024–Sept. 30, 2025), while the Tuli subbasin requires a single report covering Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2025. Wlettez said reports filed after May 1 will incur monthly late fees.
The board also explained who is exempt. De minimis pumpers who extract 2 acre-feet or less per year for domestic or household use—about 650,000 gallons—do not have to report or pay fees. "If you use water only for domestic use and aren't sure whether you pump more than two acre feet per year, there is a tool on the Gears platform that can help you estimate your groundwater extractions," Wlettez said.
Staff described pending board actions that could change reporting obligations. The board will consider a minimum-impact exclusion at its April 7, 2026 meeting that, if adopted as recommended by staff, would exempt pumpers extracting 20 acre-feet or less per year in the Tuli subbasin from creating Gears accounts, reporting, and paying fees—except for wells within two miles of the Fry Current Canal, which would still need to report. The board will also consider additional GSA exclusion requests at its April 21, 2026 meeting; staff said they were recommending against granting the new GSA exclusions but that the board could modify or adopt staff proposals.
On fees, presenters said the base filing fee is $300 per well and that total fees include volumetric and late fees when applicable. Fee waivers are available for low-income well owners, water systems serving disadvantaged communities, and public schools if a reporter submits a timely fee waiver request and the extraction report by the May 1, 2026 deadline.
Presenters urged pumpers who believe they are de minimis to use the Gears wizard to register that status so the State Water Resources Control Board does not treat them as noncompliant and send follow-up letters. Staff also pointed attendees to the Gears resources web page for guidance and announced in-person office hours in April for additional support.
