Page 25 - Beaumont Basin Watermaster - 2015 Annual Report

Section 3
Status of the Basin and Administration of the Judgment

Annual production by well for each of the five Appropriative Parties for the CY 2003-2010 period
is summarized in Table 3-1 while monthly production for the last five years of operation (CY
2011-15) are presented in a series of tables starting with Table 3-1A for CY 2011 and continuing
on an annual basis through Table 3-1E for CY 2015. These tables also include the overall
Temporary Surplus Allocation and the amount of unused production that is eligible for storage for
each Appropriator. It should be noted that all production by Appropriators is currently being
metered; however, no information is available as to the accuracy of existing meters.

During CY 2015, Appropriators pumped a combined amount of 11,087 ac-ft of groundwater from
the Beaumont Basin representing the second lowest production year since the inception of the
Judgment. Groundwater production by Appropriators in CY 2015 was 26 percent lower than
2014 production and 24 percent lower than 2013 production.

Groundwater production for all individual agencies in CY 2015 was significantly lower than in CY
2014. The City of Banning and SMWC production dropped by 35 and 33 percent respectively.
BCVWD production was lowered by 17 percent while production by YVWD was only 10 percent
of 2014. The reduction in groundwater production may be associated with conservation
requirements as dictated by the State of California in late 2014.

3.2.2 Overlying Party Production

Overlying Parties are defined in the Judgment as persons, or their assignees, that are part of the
Judgment and who are owners of land which overlies the Beaumont Basin and have exercised
Overlying Water Rights to pump therefrom. Overlying Parties include successors in interest and
assignees. Overlying Producers were assigned a share of the Basin’s Safe Yield, estimated in
2003 at 8,650 ac-ft/yr. Individual Overlying Producers may not pump more than five times their
assigned share of the Basin’s Safe Yield in any five-year consecutive period without incurring a
replenishment obligation.

Currently, there are 17 Overlying Producers in the Basin pumping from 22 groundwater wells. All
active wells operated by the larger producers are metered. Meters were installed by individual
owners or as part of an effort initiated by Watermaster in 2013 to obtain a closer production
accounting from Overlying Parties. Production from metered wells represented close to 99
percent of the total production by Overlying Parties in CY 2015.

The remaining wells, operated by smaller producers, did not have meters for some or most of
2015 and their production is estimated using the water duty method. This method was initially
proposed by Wildermuth Environmental Inc. (WEI), during the preparation of the 2005-06 Annual
Report. After being accepted by the Watermaster, an updated water duty method was developed
by WEI and it has been used since. The estimate of unmetered production for the CY 2015
Annual Report uses the updated method developed by WEI as detailed in Appendix C.

Similar to the production reported for the Appropriators, a series of tables was developed to
report monthly and annual production from the Overlying Parties on a calendar year basis.
Starting with Table 3-2A, annual production is documented for CY 2003-10; Table 3-2B through
3-2F summarize monthly production by Overlying well for CY 2011 through CY 2015. In

Beaumont Basin Watermaster 2015 Annual Report – Final – December 2016 3-4