Napa sets groundwater fee

Napa County has approved a new groundwater fee for properties that pump from the Napa Valley floor, with charges starting on 2026–27 tax bills. (napacountytimes.com) The Napa County Groundwater Sustainability Agency, made up of the Board of Supervisors, adopted the rate structure on December 9, 2025. County records say the fee applies only to parcels inside the Napa Valley Subbasin, not to properties outside that mapped area. (napacounty.gov) For crop land irrigated with groundwater, the charge for fiscal year 2026–27 can reach $98.74 per acre. Napa County says that total is built from a $38.58 base charge plus a $60.16 additional charge for groundwater-irrigated acres. (napacounty.gov) Public water systems that pump groundwater inside the subbasin face a different rate: $129.87 per acre-foot in 2026–27. County guidance says systems that rely only on surface water or imported supplies do not pay the pumping fee. (napacounty.gov) The fee is tied to California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014, which requires local agencies in high-priority basins to fund and carry out groundwater plans. Napa County says the money will pay for implementation of the Napa Valley Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan approved by the California Department of Water Resources in January 2023. (napacounty.gov) County officials say they had covered groundwater work since 2019 with general fund money and state grants, but that approach was temporary. The county’s residential fee notice says a long-term local funding source is now required to keep the plan in place and stay in compliance with state law. (napacounty.gov) The structure also sets a ceiling rather than a guaranteed bill for every user. Napa County says assessor acreage data will be updated annually, municipal-water customers are exempt, and some self-supplied users may qualify for reductions or waivers under the adopted framework. (napacounty.gov) The vote split the five-member board, with Supervisors Liz Alessio and Anne Cottrell voting no. That divide captured the local argument over who should pay to manage a groundwater basin that underpins vineyards, homes, and water systems across the valley floor. (napacountytimes.com) County outreach to affected parcels is scheduled for 2026, and the first charges are set to appear in August 2026 property tax bills. After years of planning, Napa’s groundwater rules are moving from maps and meetings into annual bills. (napacounty.gov)