Permits for wells in Sonoma County are on hold indefinitely, except for emergencies, after the county this week received a court order that found that it violated the California Environmental Quality Act or CEQA, and the state’s Public Trust Doctrine in its 2023 well permitting plan.
The court order followed a lawsuit filed by two nonprofit organizations — Russian Riverkeeper and California Coastkeeper Alliance — in May 2023 aiming to block wells from draining groundwater, threatening streams and the Coho salmon that spawn in them.
“We hope the court’s decision will be a wake-up call for counties statewide to evaluate their own groundwater pumping standards and ensure they leave enough water flowing for our rivers and wildlife,” California Coastkeeper Executive Director Sean Bothwell said in a press release after the ruling was handed down in August.
“This victory helps set in stone what we already know — that water underground and water on the surface are connected, and must be managed accordingly,” Bothwell said.
The county said in a press release that it disagreed with the basis for the ruling and was requesting a new trial but would follow with the court’s direction in the meantime.
“The county will comply fully with the court order and minimize impacts wherever possible,” Tennis Wick, director of Permit Sonoma, the county’s land use planning and development agency, said in a press release.
The county also said it was considering asking another court to issue a stay on the judge’s ruling so it could resume issuing well permits.
Sonoma County has about 40,000 private wells, the most per population of any county in the state, according to Permit Sonoma.
It could potentially take years to craft a new well-permitting ordinance, according to the county.
The county Board of Supervisors tried to satisfy the legal challenges after the 2021 ordinance was voided by amending it to include new water conservation limits and requiring the installation of water meters, along with more reviews for potential negative impacts for wells in sensitive areas.
But Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Bradford DeMeo said the changes weren’t adequate and granted the nonprofit groups’ petition arguing that the county’s process hadn’t fully considered impacts to the environment and natural resources.
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