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San Joaquin Valley Tulare Lake Subbasin

  January 2026 Updates for Tulare Lake Pumpers

Basin Status – January 2026

The preliminary injunction which prevented the Board from taking "any action" in the Tulare Lake subbasin has been reversed by the Fifth District Court of Appeal and is no longer in effect. The responses at the links below address common questions and concerns to help provide information as the Board resumes working with groundwater sustainability agencies and others in the subbasin.

Frequently Asked Questions (English)  Preguntas frecuentes (español)

The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) designated the Tulare Lake Subbasin as probationary at a public hearing on April 16, 2024. Groundwater pumpers are required to submit their first groundwater extraction reports by May 1, 2026, unless they are excluded from the reporting requirement. To learn more about these requirements, open the "Reporting and Fees" and "Important Dates" menus below.

Reporting and Fees Exclusions

  1. Small domestic (household) well users who extract a total of two acre-feet or less of groundwater per year for domestic purposes only, are de minimis users and are excluded from reporting and paying fees.
  2. Potential Exclusion: On April 7, 2026 the Board will consider an exclusion from the reporting requirement for pumpers in the Tulare Lake Subbasin who extract no more than 20 acre-feet of groundwater per year; see the notice in the yellow box above for more details.

Reporting deadlines are as follows:

  • By May 1, 2026, pumpers must submit annual groundwater extraction reports for the period of July 15, 2024 – September 30, 2025.
  • For every subsequent water year (October 1 – September 30) that the basin is probationary, pumpers must submit extraction reports by February 1 of the following year.

Fee requirements are as follows:

  • Pumpers are required to pay fees as shown in the table below.
Tulare Lake Subbasin Groundwater Extraction Fees
Fee Category Fee Amount Applicable Parties
Annual Base Filing Fee $300 per well All pumpers required to report (excludes de minimis pumpers).
Volumetric Rate $20 per AF Pumpers in probationary basins (excludes de minimis pumpers).
Automatic Late Fee 25% per month Pumpers that do not file reports by the due date.

AF = acre-foot
An acre-foot is enough water to cover one acre of land with one foot of water.

More information about measuring extraction volumes, reporting, and paying fees can be found in the fact sheet below and on our Reporting and Fees webpage.

In early June 2024, the State Water Board mailed a notice letter, linked below, to well-owners in the Tulare Lake Subbasin who may need to measure and report their groundwater extractions to notify them of this requirement. The letter included a unique Correspondence ID that the well owner needs to file their extraction report.

Since well location and county parcel information are sometimes incomplete, it is possible not all those required to report extractions received a letter from the Board. Pumpers who are subject to these reporting requirements but did not receive a letter from the Board still must record their groundwater extractions, submit reports, and pay fees. These pumpers should contact the State Water Board by email at sgma@waterboards.ca.gov or by phone at (916) 322-6508 to get set up for reporting and avoid future enforcement action.

Special Requirements for Large Pumpers: Per State Water Board Resolution 2024-0012, if any person extracts more than 500 acre-feet of groundwater per year from the Tulare Lake Subbasin and already has flow meters installed on their wells, they must use the meters to track their groundwater extractions. Any person who extracts more than 500 acre-feet of groundwater per year, and does not already have flow meters installed on their wells, was required to install flow meters by July 15, 2024, or as soon as they began extracting groundwater from a given well, whichever is later, except as described below. See California Code of Regulations, title 23, section 1042 for the requirements flow meters must meet.

Proposing an alternative to flow meters: persons who extract more than 500 acre-feet per year from the subbasin and do not already have meters installed may propose an alternative approach to measure or estimate extractions for the State Water Board’s consideration. In assessing alternative approaches, the Board will consider the reliability and accuracy of these alternative approaches and whether they rely on readily verifiable information (e.g., publicly available evapotranspiration models). Specific considerations include but are not limited to whether:

  1. groundwater is extracted for uses not captured by evapotranspiration,
  2. sufficient details about crop irrigation and irrigation efficiency are provided, and
  3. contributions of precipitation and other sources to consumptive use are known and accounted for.

Pumpers subject to the metering requirement should contact sgma@waterboards.ca.gov as soon as possible to ensure adequate time for evaluation of proposed alternative approaches in advance of the meter installation deadline. Submitting a proposal for an alternative approach does not guarantee that the alternative will be approved or change the deadlines above for tracking and reporting extractions or measuring extractions. GSAs may submit proposals for alternative compliance mechanisms that will be applicable throughout their respective GSA boundaries.

Date Action
July 15, 2024 All non-exempt pumpers need to begin measuring their groundwater extractions on a monthly basis
July 15, 2024 Those who cumulatively extract more than 500 acre-feet of groundwater per year from the subbasin need to begin measuring their extractions with a certified flow meter or an alternate method as specified in the State Water Board's resolution
September 30, 2025 End of first reporting period (July 15, 2024 – September 30, 2025)
May 1, 2026 Groundwater extraction monthly volumes for the period between July 15, 2024, and September 30, 2025, must be reported to the State Water Board via the State Water Board's Groundwater Extraction Annual Reporting System (GEARS) reporting system. Invoices for extraction fees will follow (see below).
30 days after invoice is issued Extraction fees are due to the State Water Board

Monday, July 15, 2024

This is the statutory date for pumpers to begin measuring and recording their monthly groundwater extractions. This applies as long as the subbasin is designated as probationary pursuant to California Water Code, Division 6, Part 2.74, Chapter 11 (State Intervention). For the Tulare Lake Subbasin, measuring and recording begins 90 days after the Board declared the subbasin probationary, which is July 15, 2024, and extends until the State Water Board determines the GSA or GSAs are on track to manage the subbasin sustainably. This requirement generally does not apply to “de minimis” groundwater pumpers. Visit the Groundwater Extraction Annual Reporting System (GEARS) to determine if you are a de minimis groundwater pumper who is excluded from reporting and paying fees, may qualify for another exclusion, or if you are required to measure and report your groundwater extraction volumes. Read the State Water Board's Options for Measuring Extraction Volumes (PDF) | Opciones para medir los volúmenes de extracción de aguas subterráneas (PDF) to learn more about ways to measure your groundwater extractions volumes.

Friday, May 1, 2026

This is the deadline for pumpers to report their monthly groundwater extraction volumes to the GEARS database for the period between July 15, 2024 and September 30, 2025. If groundwater extraction volumes are not reported by May 1, an additional charge of 25% of the annual fees can be assessed for each 30-day period after May 1. In no case will the additional charge exceed three times the required annual fees. In addition, if reports are not submitted on time, the Board may investigate and determine, at your expense, your groundwater extractions and other information required to be reported. You will receive 60 days' notice and an opportunity to report without penalty before the investigation begins.

Invoices will be sent to non-excluded pumpers after the reporting deadline. Extraction fees are due 30 days after the invoice date.

Probationary Hearing - April 16, 2024

The probationary hearing for the Tulare Lake Subbasin was held on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. At this hearing the State Water Board designated the Tulare Lake Subbasin as probationary.

See the workshop flyer for more information:

Contact Us

If you have questions, please contact us at 916-322-6508 or email at SGMA@waterboards.ca.gov.

San Joaquin Valley Tulare Lake Subbasin Map
San Joaquin Valley Tulare Lake Subbasin Map

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