The proposed fee applies to groundwater users within the Agency's fee area, which includes the Tule East Groundwater Sustainability Agency Joint Powers Authority (JPA) area and the City of Porterville service area within the Tule Subbasin.

If your property receives water from a public water system, you are not billed directly. Instead, the public water system is billed at the system level.

If you are unsure whether your property is within the fee area, please contact the Agency and we will be happy to assist you.

No, it's a regulatory fee, not a tax. A tax raises general revenue that can be spent on many things. This fee can only fund TEGSA's groundwater sustainability program, cannot collect more than that program costs, and is charged to those who extract groundwater in proportion to how much they use.

The Tule Subbasin is currently subject to State intervention under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).

A locally administered fee provides funding for groundwater sustainability activities within the basin and helps support continued local management rather than having fees collected directly by the State.

If adopted, the fee would fund activities necessary to implement and administer the Groundwater Sustainability Plan, including:

• Groundwater monitoring

• Basin planning and coordination

• Regulatory compliance

• Scientific and technical studies

• Professional and administrative services

• Other activities necessary to achieve long-term groundwater sustainability

The proposed fee applies a single, uniform rate to each acre-foot of groundwater consumed. Consumptive groundwater use is estimated differently for each class of user:

• Agricultural parcels are based on satellite-measured evapotranspiration (ET), which measures the groundwater actually consumed by crops within the basin.

• Public water systems are based on each system's metered groundwater production and return flow. For the City of Porterville, for example, this is drawn from the City's own water-budget data.

• Self-supplied domestic users — recognized as de minimis extractors and charged a flat amount, reflecting the estimated outdoor (consumptive) portion of typical household use, since indoor use returns to the aquifer through septic systems.

Yes. Pumpers within TEGSA and Tule Subbasin are required to register their wells submit groundwater extraction reports to the State Water Resources Control Board. TEGSA can provide guidance on how to meet this requirement.

Most groundwater use in the Subbasin is not directly metered, so the Agency estimates each property's consumptive use, the water actually removed from the aquifer, using the best available, consistent method for each type of property:

• Agricultural properties: use is estimated from satellite-based evapotranspiration data, which measures the water consumed by crops (net of rainfall), rather than from a meter on your well.

• Properties served by a public water system: use is based on that system's own production and return-flow records.

• Self-supplied homes on private wells: because these use relatively little groundwater and are not individually metered, each is charged a flat amount based on the estimated outdoor water use of a typical household.

• If you believe your property's estimate does not reflect its actual use, you may request a review by contacting the Agency.

Public water systems, including the City of Porterville, are billed once at the system level rather than parcel by parcel. Individual customers receiving water from these systems are not billed directly by the Agency.

Most self-supplied domestic groundwater use is considered de minimis under California law. Because the Agency has elected to regulate these users as part of its groundwater program, each self-supplied domestic parcel is charged a flat amount that reflects the estimated water use of a typical household.

TEGSA has also adopted a well registration policy. Requiring all wells to be registered.

The proposed rate will be finalized after the Agency completes its groundwater use analysis and the Board considers adoption of the fee.

Any rates shown in the fee study before adoption are preliminary and provided for public review.

Property owners will have an opportunity to request a review if they believe the information used to calculate their charge is inaccurate. Additional information about the review and appeal process will be provided if the fee is adopted.

The Board is tentatively scheduled to hold a public hearing on September 2, 2026. The proposed fee study and supporting information will be posted on this website for public review before the hearing. If the Board adopts the fee, invoices are anticipated to be issued shortly thereafter.

If you have questions about the proposed fee, your property's status, or the public hearing process, please contact the Tule East Groundwater Sustainability Agency using the contact information provided on this website or by using the contact us page.