Agricultural and commercial groundwater users in some northern San Luis Obispo County areas may face a new fee in the future.
Officials hosted an open house event Wednesday, covering a proposed fee that would apply to agricultural, commercial and "public water system pumpers" in the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin.
The local groundwater authority proposing the charge — Paso Robles Area Groundwater Authority — says the fee will fund the implementation of its Groundwater Sustainability Plan and help it meet state groundwater requirements mandated by law. Officials add that the rates will allow the authority to properly manage the groundwater basin and bring it into balance, according to a press release from the groundwater authority.
The authority says the fee will not apply to rural, domestic well owners using less than two acre-feet per year, which it calls "de minimis extractors."
The groundwater authority says affected groundwater pumpers have been formally notified of the proposed changes and have been provided the opportunity to protest its enactment. The notified pumpers are on 1,315 parcels of land overlying the groundwater basin, according to the county.
De minimis users are not counted in the protest process.
Written protests of the proposed charge must be filed before or at a public hearing on August 1.
If a majority of the noticed parcels protest, the management charge cannot be enacted, according to the release. If less than a majority of the parcels protest, the authority may enact the charge at the conclusion of the hearing.
The county is hosting another open house on Thursday, July 10, at the Creston Community Center at 5 p.m. There will be a virtual workshop on July 15 beginning at 6:30 p.m.
You can learn more on the Paso Robles Area Groundwater Authority website.
