DATE: November 4, 2025
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Steven E. White, Director
Department of Public Works and Planning
SUBJECT: Delta-Mendota Subbasin Domestic Well Mitigation Policy
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and adopt the Delta-Mendota Subbasin Domestic Well Mitigation Policy.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action will adopt the Delta-Mendota Subbasin (Subbasin) Domestic Well Mitigation Policy (Policy). The purpose of the Policy is to mitigate the effects that may be felt by domestic water users whose wells have gone dry or are in imminent threat of going dry within the Subbasin. The policy also addresses mitigation for water quality for domestic well users within the boundaries of their respective Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) pursuant to the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP). This item pertains to locations in District 1.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board may determine not to approve the recommended action, however, it would likely result in increased costs and delay the GSP implementation, and any coordination obligation required by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Sufficient appropriations for cost of Fresno County Management Areas A & B (FCMAB) activities are included in the CAO's Org 2540 FY 2025-26 Adopted Budget.
DISCUSSION:
SGMA provides for the establishment of a local GSA to manage groundwater sustainability within groundwater subbasins defined by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR). SGMA was signed into law on September 16, 2014, and is codified at California Water Code sections 10720 through 10738. SGMA established a new structure for managing California's groundwater resources at a local level by local agencies. Each GSA was required to develop and implement a GSP to ensure a sustainable yield of groundwater, without causing undesirable results. Failure to implement a GS...
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