The unintended consequences of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) continue to reverberate across the Central Valley. On Tuesday, August 20, 2024 there was a court hearing at the Kings County Superior Court that further tested the reach of state regulatory agencies.

In November, 2023 the State Water Resources Control Board members and staff held a meeting in Hanford to discuss the possibility of placing the Tulare Lake Subbasin on probation for not producing an adequate Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP). In an April 2024 meeting in Sacramento the State Board placed the Subbasin on probation.

On July 15, 2024 a coalition of farmers and the Kings County Farm Bureau petitioned the court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the State Board preventing it from charging local landowners extraction fees for pumping groundwater and collecting pumping data, which would force the installation of meters on wells. The petitioners also asked Judge Kathy Ciuffinito issue a preliminary injunction (PI) against the State Board’s decision to place the Subbasin on probation.

On Tuesday, August 20, 2024 Judge Ciuffini heard arguments for and against issuing the PI from the plaintiffs and from the state. Ciuffini didn’t rule on the PI but did extend the TRO until Friday, September 13, 2024 when the matter is scheduled to be heard again. However, it is possible Ciuffini could issue a written ruling before then.