Title
Receive report from EAA staff on 2016 groundwater use reporting and on other well metering programs.
Body
STAFF RECOMMENDED MOTION:
None. This item is for informational purposes only.
SUMMARY:
The purpose of this agenda item is for the Permits/Enforcement Committee to receive a report from EAA staff on the status of 2016 groundwater use reporting, and on current activities regarding the Automated Meter Reading (AMR) program, the fielding of electronic meters, and the recent launch of a smartphone application used to submit meter readings to the EAA.
Annual Groundwater Use Reporting
As outlined in EAA rules, owners of permitted wells and limited production wells are required to submit meter readings at the end of the year to report their annual groundwater withdrawals. On December 16, 2016, EAA meter team staff mailed 1,097 annual groundwater use reporting forms to all permitted (municipal, industrial, and irrigation users) and limited production well owners for them to file their annual use with the EAA. These reporting forms were due to the EAA by January 31, 2017. The meter team reviews these reporting forms for accuracy and completeness, and enters the meter readings in the EAA database to allow the permitting team to review for compliance with the authorized amounts.
As of February 3, (to allow for receipt of mailed-in forms), EAA received 74% of reports that were sent out. Staff continues to work with owners to clarify meter readings, and to call non-reporting entities to solicit their reports. Generally, EAA meter staff works with delinquent well owners to obtain missing reports through the end of February, without penalty. If a report is not received after this period, the meter team seeks to obtain meter readings from the field in order to calculate a year-end meter reading. The goal is to have all meters assigned a year-end meter reading by April 1. Well owners who fail to file an annual use report, thereby requiring EAA staff to...
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