Page 24 - Beaumont Basin Watermaster

BEAUMONT BASIN WATERMASTER

MEMORANDUM NO. 17-16

Date: June 7, 2017

From: Joseph Zoba, Treasurer

Subject: Approval of the Groundwater Storage Application and
Groundwater Storage Agreement in the Beaumont Basin for the
San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency in the Amount of 10,000 Acre
Feet

Recommendation: That the Watermaster adopts Resolution No. 2017-01, A
Resolution of the Beaumont Basin Watermaster to Confirm and
Adopt San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency’s Application for
Groundwater Storage Agreement, Subject to Stated Conditions.

Background

At the April 2016 Watermaster meeting, copies of SGPWA’s application for a groundwater storage
agreement in the Beaumont Basin were distributed to members of the Watermaster Committee
for their review.

At the Watermaster meeting on June 1, 2016, the Watermaster Committee reviewed Beaumont
Basin Watermaster Memorandum No. 16-10 (Attachment A) and discussed the importance of
incorporating contingencies into the approval of the storage account to protect the rights and
responsibilities of the Watermaster members to fulfill the terms of the Stipulated Judgment. An
excerpt from the minutes from the June 1, 2016 Watermaster meeting for this agenda item
provides the following issues and discussions:

C. Engineer’s Opinion on the Application by the San Gorgonio Pass Water
Agency (SGPWA) for a Groundwater Storage Agreement in the
Beaumont Basin [Memorandum No. 16-10, Page 20 of 91]

Recommendation: For Information Purposes.

Engineer Blandon gave feedback on the application for a groundwater
storage agreement submitted by the SGPWA. Member Fraser stated that
his principal concern with the application would be that since the SGPWA
is not a party to the stipulated judgment and has no replenishment
obligations in the basin, yet controls the imported water supply into the
region, retail agencies with replenishment obligations could be adversely
impacted if the SGPWA were to deliver water into its storage account
prior to delivering to those retail agencies which have basin
replenishment obligations. Member Fraser reiterated his support of the
application, with a stipulation that the utilization of the storage account