(NVR) - Napa County should require major groundwater users to report how much water they pump from their wells, the county grand jury recommends.

The grand jury’s new report focuses on groundwater and recycled water. It asks the question “Is Napa in good hands?” and finds much to praise, along with more to do.

Groundwater is Napa County’s underground reservoir and is extracted by wells for farms, wineries, rural businesses and rural homes. The grand jury’s goal is sustaining groundwater for generations to come.

Napa Valley appears to have sufficient groundwater, though there is evidence the aquifers may not be fully recharging amid the drought, the report said. Groundwater is less plentiful in the hills.

The grand jury recommended that major water users be required by June 30, 2016, to meter their wells. They would file a water use report with the county every three months to ensure they are not pumping too much groundwater. The grand jury report doesn’t define “major users.”

Also, the grand jury recommended that the county encourage non-major groundwater users to meter and monitor their wells.

Napa County presently requires well metering only in the Milliken-Sarco-Tulocay basin in the rural area east of the city of Napa, where the aquifer is depleted, the grand jury report said.

Whether the county would want to undertake such a program elsewhere remains to be seen. Public Works Director Steven Lederer said the county doesn’t comment on grand jury reports until presenting responses to the county Board of Supervisors.

The idea of forcing farmers to meter wells and file reports has proven controversial in some parts of California. There are indications such a proposal could meet resistance in Napa County as well.