The state just laid out its plan to restrict pumping near the Friant-Kern Canal and the clock is already running.

 

Growers across the Tule Subbasin got their clearest look yet at what state groundwater intervention could mean for their operations. At a July 16 executive meeting in Visalia, the State Water Board’s Office of Sustainable Groundwater Management walked water managers through its plan for an interim groundwater plan, one that could bring real pumping restrictions to the region as soon as 2027.

Here’s what it means for your farm.

First, the backdrop: the Tule Subbasin is still on probation

The Tule Subbasin was placed on probation in 2024 under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which requires overpumped aquifers to be brought into balance by 2040. Probation is the first step toward a possible state takeover of pumping if local plans don’t fix the problems. In April 2026, the Board denied exclusion requests from eight of the subbasin’s groundwater sustainability agencies, keeping the reporting and fee requirements in place.

Why the state says an interim plan is coming

The Board pointed to three reasons: existing Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) still have unresolved deficiencies, the 2040 deadline is approaching fast, and conditions in the subbasin are not improving.

Subsidence is the real driver and it’s staggering

The most urgent issue is land subsidence. The Board reported that the highest total subsidence recorded anywhere in California since 2015, about 7.7 feet, is happening in the Lower Tule area. That sinking land has already damaged a 33-mile stretch of the Friant-Kern Canal, and the Board now estimates repair costs at roughly $797 million.

Because of this, the state is taking a phased approach, with the very first interim plan focused specifically on subsidence near the canal.

What Phase One could include (this is the part to read twice)

Growers should pay close attention to two measures the Board is weighing:

• A pumping moratorium around the Friant-Kern Canal, with exceptions for human health and safety
• A schedule for adopting pumping cutbacks in other areas

Reporting on the meeting also indicated the interim plan will likely include a fee increase from $20 to $35 per acre-foot pumped. If your wells sit near the canal, you face the most immediate exposure.

An interim plan is NOT a GSP

The Board was clear on this point. An interim plan would cover actions and timelines, monitoring and reporting, and pumping restrictions, but it does not include mitigation. And importantly, if GSAs resolve their deficiencies, they can exit probation at any time, potentially before an interim plan is ever adopted.

The proposed timeline (verify this before you plan around it)

According to the meeting materials, the first phase would run on an accelerated 2027 schedule: a draft interim plan released in January with notice to cities and counties, notice to all pumpers in the basin in February, a final draft plan and resolution in March, and a Board adoption meeting in April.

Note: press coverage of the same meeting suggested the draft may not release until summer 2027, so confirm the current schedule with your GSA before making decisions.

Either way, all pumpers in the basin will be formally noticed, so watch your mailbox closely.

Your drinking water well could also be on the list

The Board signaled future measures may include identifying drinking water wells at risk of going dry and imposing pumping restrictions where those wells are impacted.

The bottom line: local control is still on the table for now

The Board emphasized that groundwater management is meant to be accomplished locally, and the state only steps in until local management is working. Technical consultations with Board staff remain available to support local plan development. The GSAs can exit probation the moment they resolve deficiencies.

The window to shape this outcome locally is still open, but it’s narrowing fast. Growers near the Friant-Kern Canal have the most at stake. Stay engaged with your GSA, watch for official