For Immediate Release
Contact: pubaffairs@wwd.ca.gov
(559) 241-6233
Westlands Water District Board Adopts
Subsidence Policy to Protect Water Reliability
and Critical Infrastructure
Board takes a proactive approach to reaffirm commitment to fighting subsidence
and need for collaboration
Fresno, California – Last week, the Westlands Water District (District) Board of Directors unanimously adopted Resolution No. 104-26, formally establishing the District’s policy on addressing land subsidence — a serious and ongoing threat to water supply reliability throughout the San Joaquin Valley and for municipal water users in Southern California who rely on deliveries from the California Aqueduct. Land subsidence threatens critical state and federal water conveyance infrastructure, including the San Luis Canal, a vital component of the Central Valley Project that serves agricultural, municipal, industrial, and disadvantaged communities across California.
The resolution reaffirms Westlands’ long-standing commitment to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and recognizes that while the District has taken extensive and proactive steps to reduce subsidence, decisions made at the state and federal level over the past several decades back including when the San Luis Canal was designed and built directly led to today’s subsidence challenges and require shared responsibility, partnerships, and public investment.
“Westlands has been a leader in groundwater sustainability and subsidence prevention, reaching SGMA sustainability goals years ahead of the statutory deadline,” said Jeff Fortune, Chair of the Westlands Water District Board of Directors. “This resolution makes clear that protecting critical water infrastructure cannot fall on one district or individual water users alone. Addressing subsidence requires collaboration, adequate water supplies, and meaningful state and federal partnership.”
Westlands’ policy emphasizes full implementation of its Department of Water Resources-approved Westside Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan, which includes strict pumping limits, comprehensive groundwater monitoring, extensive metering, and robust recharge efforts. In recent years, Westlands and its growers have recharged approximately 465,000 acre-feet of water, slowed or halted subsidence in key areas, and achieved measurable aquifer uplift near critical infrastructure.
The resolution also acknowledges that some subsidence impacts stem from historical conditions and policy decisions beyond the District’s control — including decades of surface water supply reductions that forced increased reliance on groundwater — underscoring the need for public investment to repair and protect infrastructure that serves statewide interests.
“This policy reflects both accountability and realism,” said Allison Febbo, General Manager of Westlands Water District. “Westlands and its growers have made extraordinary investments to manage groundwater responsibly, but long-term solutions require reliable surface water supplies, coordinated action among neighboring agencies, and state and federal responsibility and funding to address infrastructure damage that benefits all Californians.”
The Board’s action strengthens and formalizes ongoing efforts by the District to pursue partnerships, projects, and funding opportunities to combat subsidence. These efforts include Westlands’ 2025 Memorandum of Understanding with Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to explore groundwater enhancement opportunities that benefit both regions, as well as unified advocacy for public funding to modernize and protect California’s water conveyance system.
Resolution 104-26 directs District staff to continue advancing SGMA implementation, collaborating with public agencies and communities, and seeking reasonable and feasible funding solutions to rehabilitate aquifers and safeguard critical water infrastructure for the future.
Read the full resolution here.
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About Westlands Water District
Westlands Water District is recognized as a world leader in agricultural water conservation and has served the farmers and rural communities on the west side of Fresno and Kings counties for more than seven decades. As stewards of one of California’s most precious natural resources, Westlands continually invests in conservation and champions farmers deploying innovative irrigation methods based on the best available technology.