The Lyons Park Basin Project modifications will provide an additional 135 acre-feet of annual recharge to benefit DAC residents within the City of Kerman and those in the surrounding area.
The groundwater recharge projects will move the North Kings GSA closer to achieving sustainability by SGMA’s 2040 deadline while securing water supply for growers and community residents relying on wells for fresh water. This is especially important as we enter a critically dry year. Developing infrastructure now helps prepare for future wet years when there is extra rain and snowmelt to capture and sink into the aquifer. This groundwater recharge creates a buffer water supply for use during drier years without sacrificing progress made on achieving a sustainable supply.
The Kings Subbasin grant application included two additional projects as part of the total $4.8 million award, one each in the Kings River East and South Kings GSAs. The SGMA Implementation Grant is funded by Proposition 68 and administered by DWR. This first round awarded $26 million to six subbasins to cover project costs associated with implementing the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in critically overdrafted basins. Another $77 million will be available in a second round for medium- and high-priority (including critically overdrafted) basins. The North Kings GSA is considered under SGMA to be critically overdrafted.
