Page 27 - Beaumont Basin Watermaster

Section 3
Status of the Basin and Administration of the Judgment

It should be noted that beginning in 2014, the Temporary Surplus is no longer available to the
Appropriators as it officially ended after 10 years during Fiscal Year 2013.

Annual production by well for each of the five Appropriative Parties for the CY 2003-2012 period
is summarized in Table 3-1A; this table also includes the Temporary Surplus Allocation and the
amount of unused production that is eligible for storage for each Appropriator. Monthly
production for the last five years of operation (CY 2013-17) are presented in a series of tables
starting with Table 3-1B for CY 2013 and continuing on an annual basis through Table 3-1F for
CY 2017. Table 3-1B for CY 2013 also includes the Temporary Surplus Allocation for each of the
Appropriators based on half of the 16,000 ac-ft/yr since this temporary allocation ended at the
end of Fiscal Year 2013 in June of that year. 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 2017, Appropriators pumped a combined amount of 13,462.40 ac-ft of groundwater
from the Beaumont Basin. Production for the year was approximately 12 percent higher than in
CY 2016 and 20 percent higher than in CY 2015; however, it was less than two percent higher
than the 5-year average of 13,228 ac-ft.

Compared to groundwater production totals for CY 2016, production for individual agencies in
CY 2017 was mixed. The City of Banning production dropped by two percent; however,
production by BCVWD and SMWC increased by 15 percent and four percent respectively.
Production by YVWD was rather minimal as less than one ac-ft was pumped during the year. A
comparison of production against a five-yr running average, the City of Banning underproduced
by over 22 percent while the BCVWD pumped 11 percent higher. Production by SMWC was
only one percent higher than the average while no comparison could be established for the
YVWD due to minimal production.

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 20 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 2017.

The remaining wells, operated by smaller producers, did not have meters for some or most of
2017 and their production is estimated using the water duty method. This method was initially

Beaumont Basin Watermaster 2017 Annual Report – DRAFT – February 2018 3-4