California considers stepping in to manage groundwater basin in farm country

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California officials are faulting communities in a stretch of the crop-rich San Joaquin Valley for failing to develop a plan to adequately protect groundwater. The state’s water resources board on Thursday set an April hearing to determine whether the Tulare Lake Subbasin should be placed on probation under a law aimed at sustaining California’s groundwater basins. It is the first time the state has made such a move. It’s also the first step in a lengthy process that could wind up requiring large farms to report groundwater use and pay fees. California enacted a law in 2014 to regulate groundwater pumping in the often drought-plagued state.