Tulare County Partnership Expands Capacity to Help Residents with Dry Wells by Mid-Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency Jun 18, 2024 Member Submitted News Following thirteen months and countless hours of coordination and planning, a first-of-its-kind partnership was solidified between three Kaweah Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) and Self-Help Enterprises (SHE) to expand assistance for rural residents in the Tulare County area who lose water due to lowering groundwater levels. The adoption of a new Mitigation Program at the June 13th joint Board Meeting of the East Kaweah, Greater Kaweah, and Mid-Kaweah GSAs formalizes a plan to invest up to $5.8 million annually to ensure well users in the GSAs’ service area whose wells go dry receive emergency water supplies and a long-term drinking water solution through SHE’s proven water support program. Private wells going dry is a critical issue in the San Joaquin Valley, especially during drought periods when the demand for groundwater increases and over-pumping causes groundwater levels to drop below shallower household wells. SHE is not new to this problem – the organization has over ten years of experience helping residents in the Valley who lose water supply due to drought or well failure through both short- and long-term solutions. Through their water support program, SHE has helped countless individuals and families by providing bottled water emergency supply, interim supply including tanks and hauled water, and long-term solutions including working with well drillers to replace failed wells. The new Mitigation Program would ensure those in the Kaweah Subbasin whose wells are impacted receive emergency bottled water within 24-hours, and tank installation and enrollment in a hauled water program within 72-hours. “Both their proven experience and proximity makes SHE the right organization to administer our new Mitigation Program,” agreed the three Kaweah Subbasin GSA managers. “The GSAs are focused on achieving groundwater sustainability in a broader sense. By partnering with SHE, who are based out of Visalia in the heart of the Kaweah Subbasin, we can be more successful at helping residents who face these issues.” The Mitigation Program is not reinventing the wheel, but rather expands SHE’s capacity to fulfill drinking water needs for residents. The Program funding increases SHE’s flexibility by providing additional cash flow and resources to respond to requests. It also expands eligibility for those who may not have qualified under SHE’s existing programs due to income limitations – households earning greater than 80% of Median Household Income that were previously ineligible will now qualify. “We are excited about what this new partnership means as far as helping SHE continue to further its mission to build and sustain healthy homes and communities,” stated Tami McVay, Program Director at SHE. “Losing water is a stressful life event. Our staff are ready and able to work with even more Valley residents to address their water needs.” The partnership between the GSAs and SHE is the first statewide, a pioneering example of how the GSAs are committed to efficiently lift a program from plans on paper to boots-on-the-ground execution. It is also an example of the Kaweah Subbasin GSAs’ integration with stakeholders, non-governmental organizations, and the communities they serve, and formalizes their verbal commitments to the human right to water. The Kaweah Subbasin GSAs are local agencies formed between 2015 – 2017 by State mandate to manage groundwater sustainably under a California law passed in 2014, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The new Mitigation Program is one major cornerstone of their full faith effort to implement SGMA for the benefit of all groundwater users they represent. Because of the GSAs scope of responsibility in implementing SGMA, the Mitigation Program covers well issues that arise due to over-pumping and subsequent groundwater level decline. Much of SHE’s support for other household water supply issues including well failure due to age or existing water quality issues not related to groundwater decline would still be provided and funded through other sources. To access these services, residents can contact SHE by phone at 559-802-1685 or email at DroughtSupport@selfhelpenterprises.org.
