Page 26 - Beaumont Basin Watermaster - DRAFT 2016 Annual Report

Section 3
Status of the Basin and Administration of the Judgment

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 2003-11; Table 3-2B through
3-2F summarize monthly production by Overlying well for CY 2012 through CY 2016. In
addition, these tables show their share of the safe yield and the amount of unused water for each
Overlying Party is shown. It should be noted that these tables have been revised to reflect
updated production records from Sharondale Mesa Owner Association since 2011.

During CY 2016, Overlying Producers produced an estimated 1,683 ac-ft; this level of production
is approximately 7.7 percent lower than in 2015 and the lowest on record since accounting
began in 2003. Part of the reason is related to revisions made to production totals by Oak Valley
Partners in CY 2015. Production by this Overlying Party has been reported in the past at
approximately 310 ac-ft per year under the assumption that a significant amount of water has
been produced for agricultural purposes. A field visit to the property conducted in early April
2015 revealed that agricultural production has not taken place in that area since 2008. In
addition, two of the four wells have been abandoned and the other two produce minimally;
annual production has been conservatively estimated at 2.5 ac-ft/yr. Production quantities from
this Overlying Producer were revised for CY 2008 through 2016.

3.2.3 2003-2015 Annual Production Summary

Annual production for all Appropriators and Overlying Parties since 2003 is summarized in Table
3-3 on a calendar year basis. Production from 2003 only includes production for the second half
of the year. Since July 2003, a total of 211,999 ac-ft have been pumped from the Beaumont
Basin; an estimated 83 percent of this total has been pumped by Appropriators. The percentage
of groundwater production from Appropriators has steadily increased since the Judgment
inception from a low of 74.3 percent registered in CY 2003 to a high of 89 percent recorded in CY
2014 and has averaged 87.2 percent over the last five calendar years.

Groundwater production peaked in CY 2007 when close to 20,000 ac-ft were pumped from the
basin; since, it declined steadily through 2010 to approximately 13,600 ac-ft; however, production
during the 2011-14 period increased by 23.6 percent. Total groundwater production from the
basin in CY 2016 was only 13,673 ac-ft; the fourth lowest recorded since the inception of the
judgment. Of this amount, 11,989.7 ac-ft were pumped by Appropriators representing close to
88 percent of total production. Annual production for each of the Appropriators and for the
Overlying Producers combined is depicted in Figure 3-4.

3.3 Groundwater Recharge

The Watermaster is responsible for maintaining an annual account of all water artificially
recharged in the Beaumont Basin and any losses of water supplies or Safe Yield resulting
from such recharge water. Sources of groundwater recharge include imported water from the
State Water Project (SWP), recycled water, and new yield sources developed in the basin
since the Judgment inception in July 2003. The Watermaster has maintained the accounting
of groundwater recharge; however, losses from the basin, if any, have not been estimated.
Table 3-4 presents a summary of the annual groundwater recharge in the Beaumont Basin
since 2003 on a calendar year basis.

Beaumont Basin Watermaster 2016 Annual Report – DRAFT – August 2017 3-5