Crop-rich California region will fall under state monitoring to preserve groundwater flow

abcnews.go.com:

California officials have voted to take over monitoring groundwater use in part of the fertile San Joaquin Valley under a landmark law aimed at protecting water flow to homes and farms

California officials voted Tuesday to step in to monitor groundwater use in part of the crop-rich San Joaquin Valley in a first-of-its-kind move that comes a decade after local communities were tasked with managing the precious but strained resource.

The State Water Resources Control Board voted unanimously to start overseeing groundwater pumping in the Tulare Lake Subbasin meaning state, not local officials, will temporarily watch how much water can be pumped from the ground.

It's the first area in California to go through this process under the state's landmark groundwater law that aims to keep water flowing sustainably after years of drought and overpumping has led to problems with groundwater quality and the sinking of land. California's law tasked local communities with forming agencies and drafting groundwater management plans to reach a sustainable use of the resource for years to come.

Groundwater accounts for nearly 40% of California’s water supply in an average year and even more in dry years, according to the state board.

The move, which came after an all-day hearing in Sacramento, was met with criticism from Kings County farmers and support from water rights advocates who said they want to protect the future of drinking water for poor, rural communities. Many farmers said the state should do more to channel rivers into water storage facilities to replenish groundwater basins rather than cutting back.

“Farmers understand if these plans move forward it will force them many of them out of business,” Lynne McBride, executive