Emma Murphy, PRESS DEMOCRAT
Sonoma County has an extra few weeks to issue permits for nonemergency wells under a recent court order.
A judge ordered the county stop issuing nonemergency permits in December after ruling that the county had failed to follow state environmental requirements.
A second judge lifted the order temporarily, allowing permit applications through the end of February. He has now extended that window to March 27.
Well permitting is critical in county rural areas, which depend on groundwater for agriculture, residential use and new development.
Under the temporary reprieve, the county has issued 69 well permits, since Feb. 6, and there are an additional 24 in process, Tennis Wick, the director of the county permitting department confirmed Tuesday.
Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sonoma-county-well-permits-groundwater-court-case/