Page 32 - Beaumont Basin Watermaster

Section 3
Water Quality Conditions

The transfer of the above amount reduced OVP Overlying rights to 1,218.46 ac-ft/yr for 2018. In
the future OVPs rights will remain at this level or adjusted down as additional rights are transferred
to YVWD. Starting in 2018, YVWD is free to use its Appropriative right by either pumping from the
basin, transfering to other Appropriators, or adding to its storage account. Copies of the letters
sent by YVWD in CY 2018 notifying the Beaumont Basin Watermaster of the above transfers are
included in Appendix E.

3.4.3 Allocation of Unused Overlying Water
Section 7.8 of the Rules and Regulations, adopted on September 9, 2008, by Watermaster,
outlines the process for distributing the volume of adjudicated water not produced by the
Overlying Parties to the Appropriators. Under this section, if an Overlying Party produces less
than five times of their share of the Safe Yield in any five-year period, the quantity of
groundwater not produced by that Overlying Party shall be made available for allocation to the
Appropriators. Transferring of unused production from Overlying Users does not diminish their
legal right to produce in subsequent years.

Since the inception of the Judgment, transfers of unused production by Overlying Users has
been made on a fiscal year basis coinciding with the preparation of the annual report.
Preparing the annual report on a calendar year basis required that the transfers of unused
production also be made on the same basis. Based on the five-year format used in the Rules
and Regulations, transfers to the Appropriator Parties for CY 2018 were based on unused
production from Overlying Users in CY 2013. 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
allocated to Appropriators for CY 2008. Table 3-7 summarizes the volume of unused Overlying
water for CY 2003 through CY 2018. While groundwater production by Overlying Users has
decreased by over 40 percent since 2004, the volume of unused overlying water has
correspondingly increased from 5,053 ac-ft/yr in CY 2006 to a maximum of 6,679 ac-ft during
CY 2011. The amount of unused production decreased starting in CY 2014 to slightly over
4,600 ac-ft/yr as a result of reduced Overlying allocations resulting from the new basin Safe
Yield of 6,700 ac-ft/yr.

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 Overlying production in CY 2013,
estimated at 6,365 ac-ft, is allocated to Appropriators during CY 2018. Unused Overlying
production during CY 2018, adjusted by reductions on OVP’s rights, is estimated at 4,299 ac-
ft. This amount would be allocated to Appropriators during CY 2023.

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

Beaumont Basin Watermaster 2018 Annual Report – DRAFT - February 2019 3-10