Title
Receive report from EAA staff on pending compliance settlement offers to owners of limited production wells that exceed authorized withdrawals in 2018.
Body
STAFF RECOMMENDED MOTION:
This item is for discussion purposes only. No action is required.
SUMMARY
The purpose of this agenda item is for the Permits/Enforcement Committee to receive a report from EAA staff regarding pending settlements to the registered owners of a limited production well (LPW) who exceeded authorized groundwater withdrawals in 2018. Settlements will be offered consistent with new EAA General Manager Compliance and Settlement Guidelines, considered in an earlier agenda item.
Five (5) LPW owners were identified as exceeding the annual withdrawal limit of no more than 1.4 acre feet in the 2018 calendar year. Two of these owners have over-pumped in previous years and will be offered an opportunity to re-register the well as a permitted well. This re-registration will require the well owner to obtain and transfer sufficient permitted rights to authorize their 2019 groundwater withdrawals. The other three well owners are over-pumping for the first time, and if they agree to attend a workshop and implement water conservation practices provided by EAA staff, will be allowed to maintain LWP status for the well. A list of the well owners who exceeded authorized withdrawals in 2018 is attached to this item.
If the written offer to settle as described herein is not accepted by the well owner, EAA staff will present the matter to the EAA Board of Directors with a recommendation to rescind limited production well status from the well owner based on the owner’s inability to meet annual groundwater withdrawal limits.
At the March 26 committee meeting, staff will review these pending settlements and answer questions the committee may have.
STRATEGIC PLAN REFERENCE:
This agenda item does not relate to a specific goal or action step within the Strategic Plan, but supports the genera...
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