Page 29 - Beaumont Basin Watermaster

Section 3
Status of the Basin and Administration of the Judgment

production from Overlying Users in CY 2008. This required the recalculation of Overlying
Users production, back to July 2003, on a calendar year basis. Under this format, unused
production from the second half of 2003, with adjusted water rights for half of the year, was
transferred to Appropriators for CY 2008. Table 3-6 summarizes the volume of unused
Overlying water for CY 2003 through CY 2013. While groundwater production by Overlying
Users has decreased by close to 40 percent since 2004, the volume of unused overlying
water has increased from approximately 5,000 ac-ft/yr in CY 2006 to well over 6,000 ac-ft/yr
in each of the last four calendar years.

Table 3-7 presents the allocation of unused Overlying water to each Appropriator based on
their shares of the safe yield and the schedule set forth under Section 7.8 of the Rules and
Regulations. It should be noted that this schedule has been modified to reflect a calendar
year basis for allocation. Under the modified schedule, unused production in CY 2008,
estimated at 5,778 ac-ft, is allocated to Appropriators during CY 2013. Unused production
during CY 2013, estimated at 6,073 ac-ft, would be allocated to Appropriators during CY
2018.

3.5 Storage Accounting
Section 6.7 of the Watermaster Rules and Regulations indicates that Watermaster shall
calculate additions, extractions, and losses of all water stored and any losses of water
supplies or Safe Yield resulting from such water stored. This section further indicates that
Watermaster shall keep and maintain for public record an annual accounting thereof. While
additions (spreading) and extractions (pumping) are easily quantifiable, losses from storage
are more difficult to estimate. A methodology for estimating groundwater losses from the
Basin will be developed as part of the on-going groundwater model update of the Beaumont
Basin.

3.5.1 Annual Storage Consolidation

Consistent with the new reporting format to document extractions, spreading and other
groundwater activities on a calendar year basis, Table 3-8 represents the consolidation of
each Appropriator’s storage account from CY 2003 through CY 2013. This table includes
annual production by Appropriator, their share of Temporary Surplus, supplemental water
recharge in its various forms, transfers between Appropriators, potable deliveries to parcels
previously owned by Overlying Users, and transfers of unused water from Overlying Users.
At the end of 2012, an overall total of 92,968 ac-ft of water were stored in the Basin; this
amount increased by approximately 16,000 ac-ft in CY 2013 to a cumulative total of 108,813
ac-ft. It should be noted that the amount of water in storage reported in the Annual Report for
Calendar Year 2012 for the BCVWD has been revised down to account for the approximately
6,000 ac-ft that were reported as potable deliveries to parcels previously owned by Overlying
Users. This reduction may be adjusted in the future when this issue is resolved.

As of the end of CY 2013, the City of Banning has the largest share (45.4 percent of total
storage) of water in storage with 49,439 ac-ft followed by the BCVWD with 36.5 percent of
the total (39,761 ac-ft).

Beaumont Basin Watermaster 2013 Annual Report – DRAFT August 2014 3-9