Emma Murphy, PRESS DEMOCRAT
Sonoma County government has a two-week window to issue permits for non-emergency wells under a temporary stay granted by a Sonoma County Superior Court judge.
The county’s permitting department announced in a Friday press release that it resumed issuing permits in light of the reprieve. The department so far has issued 12 permits and have another 43 in process, said Tennis Wick, director of Permit Sonoma, the county’s planning and permitting department.
“If they’ve already submitted their application they can anticipate issuance of the well permit soon,” Wick said of applicants. “We will responsibly process new applications as we receive them.”
The temporary stay, which expires near the end of February, is the latest development in a yearslong legal fight centered on a county ordinance governing wells and groundwater use.
The county had to stop issuing permits for non-emergency wells last December after a judge determined the county violated state environmental law in its attempt to draft the controversial ordinance. The court ordered the county to halt non-emergency well-permitting until it can complete an environmental review of the ordinance in alignment with state law.
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