Crop-rich California region may fall under state monitoring to preserve groundwater flow

California officials are considering whether to take over monitoring groundwater use in part of the fertile San Joaquin Valley under a landmark law aimed at protecting water flow to homes and farms. The State Water Resources Control Board will meet Tuesday to decide whether to place the region under monitoring, which would mean state, not local, officials would temporarily watch over and limit how much water could be pumped from the ground. If the state takes control, it would be a first. The hearing is seen as a test of how California’s groundwater rules are working 10 years after lawmakers passed them. The limits came after years of overpumping and drought led to a host of problems.