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Mid Kings River GSA reports more than half of parcels registered in Watermark, GEARS reporting deadline remains May 1
Summary
Staff told the Mid Kings River GSA that the Watermark well‑registration system has captured just over 50% of parcels since launching and urged landowners to complete GEARS and Watermark submissions as state staff continue outreach; verification processes are being developed.
GSA staff reported at the May 12 meeting that the Watermark well‑registration system went live April 24 and that, when including city boundaries, just over 50% of parcels had been registered as of the update.
Staff described how to enter surface‑water usage within Watermark and said a verification process will be established to guard against inaccurate entries. The GSA has conducted two well‑attended workshops and several office hours to help landowners register; staff said roughly 85 people attended one in‑person workshop and 60–65 attended an online session.
On GEARS reporting, Amir repeated that the May 1 GEARS deadline remained in place. He said state staff had signaled they would continue to work with late filers and would not immediately start automatic penalties on May 1, but he cautioned there was no defined suspension of penalties and urged landowners to submit by Friday (the near‑term date he recommended).
Staff also said notices about fee waivers (which must be applied for and are not automatic) had been sent to schools and community service districts inside the GSA to make them aware and to assist with the application process.
Next steps: staff will continue outreach, host office hours and post Watermark and interactive mapping on the GSA website to help landowners confirm registration and usage reports.
