Napa County’s new groundwater fees to take effect July 1

Napa County’s new groundwater sustainability fees, an upcoming annual charge to groundwater users in the Napa Valley subbasin to help fund the county’s state-mandated groundwater agency, are set to kick in starting July 1.

And Napa County is currently pushing forward with efforts to make sure affected property owners understand the fee and whether or not it applies to their properties. That effort includes sending postcards to all groundwater users in the subbasin — which include information specific to their groundwater user categories and directs them to a frequently asked questions web page, according to a county news release. The county is also planning two virtual community meetings, set for June 17 and July 1, to provide information and answer questions.

The fees, approved by the Napa County Board of Supervisors in December, vary in structure based on the type of groundwater user — including agricultural users, self-supplied users and public water systems. The fee structures include:

• Agricultural users will be charged up to $98.74 per planted acre irrigated with groundwater. That includes a baseline rate of $38.58 for all planted acres, and $60.16 for each acre reliant on groundwater. (Farmers who dry farm or largely use other water sources won’t pay the irrigation surcharge.)
• Public water systems will be charged up to $129.87 per acre-foot of groundwater used.
• Self-supplied groundwater users, a category that includes most domestic well owners, will pay up to $62.58 per parcel.

Proceeds are intended to help fund the groundwater agency, which was created in 2019 and works to carry out “groundwater monitoring, reporting, planning, administration and compliance activities required under the law,” according to the news release, as well as implementing the county’s groundwater sustainability plan.

The county has previously funded groundwater sustainability efforts in Napa County with general fund dollars and state grants. Though the county is set to continue contributing $500,000 annually and pursue grants for that work — estimated by county staff to cost about $2.5 million annually — the fees will serve as a long-term and locally controlled source of funding.

Fee waivers are available for those who earn below 80% of the area median income — about $128,150 for a family of four, or $89,750 for one person, according to the 2025 income limits set by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — and those interested are encouraged to contact the county by July 10, the release says.

“We want to ensure that property owners have clear information about the fee, understand whether it applies to them, and know where to go with questions,” said Jamison Crosby, Napa County Natural Resources and Conservation Manager, in the news release.

You can reach Staff Writer Edward Booth at 707-521-5281 or edward.booth@pressdemocrat.com.