ITEM:		CONSENT CALENDAR
9.	RECEIVE AND FILE DISTRICT-WIDE ANNUAL WATER PRODUCTION SUMMARY REPORT FOR WATER YEAR 2024
Meeting Date:			April 21, 2025	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			David Stoldt,	Program/	Hydrologic Monitoring
			General Manager	Line Item No.:	N/A
Prepared By:			Monica Martinez	Cost Estimate:	N/A
General Counsel Review: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: This action does not constitute a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines section 15378.

SUMMARY: Staff has prepared a draft Water Production Summary Report of all registered production sources, i.e., wells and surface water diversions, within the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (District) for Water Year (WY) 2024. WY 2024 covers the 12-month period from October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024. Preliminary computations indicate that 13,691.9 acre-feet (AF) of groundwater were produced from registered wells in the District during WY 2024 (Exhibit 9-A). In addition, 137 AF of surface water were diverted by private users. Combined surface and groundwater production from all sources within the District in WY 2024 was calculated at 13,829 AF. This report presents comparisons of California American Water (Cal-Am) and non-Cal-Am production in WY 2024 and WY 2023 and compares production with the District’s current water allocation program limits.

RECOMMENDATION: This report is for informational purposes only. The Board should review the draft summary report and provide staff with any comments or questions. Staff will complete and file the final report, incorporating any late revisions, if this item is approved with the Consent Calendar.

BACKGROUND: District Rules and Regulations require well owners and operators to submit annual water production information to the District. Well production is calculated by either the Land Use or Water Meter reporting method and is described below.

Number of Wells – Presently, there are 1,296 registered wells in the District. Of this total, 979 wells are active, and 257 wells are inactive. A well is considered active if it has produced any water in the last reporting period, i.e., WY 2024. Information on 61 remaining registered wells is not available because reporting forms were not returned by owners of those wells prior to preparation of this report. District staff is working with the well owners to obtain the remaining meter reads and will update the reporting once they are obtained.

Data Adjustments – For certain wells, staff estimated actual production to more accurately quantify water produced during WY 2024. Data adjustments were required to estimate water production from 123 wells that had either incomplete water meter records or reported water production for a period longer than the water year. Production from metered wells with incomplete records was estimated by using generalized non-Cal-Am monthly distribution factors developed by staff. In 49 cases, production records were incomplete because reported meter readings covered a period shorter than WY 2024. Three of those records were incomplete because meters were not working or were replaced or repaired after the start of WY 2024. The application of monthly distribution factors allowed staff to reasonably account for the percentage of production that was not reported for each of these wells, which was then added to the annual total for these wells. There were 78 cases in which production was reported for a period longer than 12 months. Estimates of the amounts that were over-reported were made based on the monthly distribution factors. These amounts were then subtracted from the reported totals. There were also 4 cases where adjustments were made due to “order of magnitude issues” resulting from well owners incorrectly reading their water meters. District staff is working with these well owners to educate them on how to correctly read their meters.

District-wide Production - Preliminary production values for WY 2024 are summarized by reporting method (i.e., Water Meter or Land Use), reporting status (i.e., active, inactive, or not reporting), and source area in Exhibit 9-A. For comparison, production values for WY 2023 are presented in Exhibit 9-B. The various source areas are shown in Exhibit 9-C. The volume of water produced from each source area is shown in Exhibit 9-D. The number of active non-Cal-Am wells and the volume of water produced by each reporting method from WY 2005 through WY 2024 are shown in Exhibit 9-E.

District-wide, total water production decreased by 150.9 AF (1.4%) in WY 2024 compared to WY 2023. Specifically, groundwater withdrawals increased by 438.3 AF (3.3%), while surface diversions increased by 19 AF (16%). No surface water has been diverted within the Cal-Am main system since WY 2003 because of seismic safety and sedimentation concerns at San Clemente Dam and Reservoir. San Clemente dam was removed in 2015.

Monterey Peninsula Water Resources System (MPWRS) – The MPWRS includes surface water in the Carmel River and its tributaries, and groundwater in the Carmel Valley alluvial aquifer, coastal subareas of the Seaside Groundwater Basin, including the Laguna Seca Subarea (LSS) of the Seaside Groundwater Basin. Overall water production within the MPWRS in WY 2024 decreased by 51.3 AF (0.4%) compared to WY 2023. Specifically, Cal-Am production in WY 2024 decreased by 150.9 AF (1.4%), and non-Cal-Am well production increased 356.8 (12.6%). Cal-Am production from Carmel Valley increased by 742.2 AF (16.1%), and Cal-Am production from the Seaside Basin decreased by 893.1 AF (15.1%). Non-Cal-Am production from Carmel Valley increased by 299.6 AF (17.7%) compared to WY 2023, and non-Cal-Am production from the Seaside Basin decreased by 199 (97.2%). In WY 2024, 105.40 AF of potable water that was produced by the City of Sand City Desalination Plant was added to Cal-Am production because it was delivered to the Cal-Am main system.

In WY 2024, 1518.54 AF was diverted from Cal-Am well sources in Carmel Valley for injection at the Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Projects in the Seaside Basin. 0 AF of recovered water was produced for Cal-Am Customer Service in WY 2024. For reference, since the District’s Seaside ASR Program began testing in WY 1998 through the end of WY 2024, a total of 14,123.54 AF has been injected into the Seaside Basin.

Water Allocation Program – With respect to the District’s Water Allocation Program limits, Cal-Am production from the MPWRS in WY 2024 was 10,384.7 AF, or 7,256.3 AF (41.1%) less than the Cal-Am production limit of 17,641 AF that was established with the adoption of Ordinance No. 87 in 1997. Non-Cal-Am production within the MPWRS in WY 2024 was 1,993.2 AF, or 1,052.8 AF (34.6%) less than the non-Cal-Am production limit of 3,046 AF established by Ordinance No. 87. Combined production from Cal-Am and non-Cal-Am sources within the MPWRS was 12,377.9 AF in WY 2024, which is 8,309 acre-feet (40.2%) less than the 20,687 acre-feet production limit set for the MPWRS as part of the District’s Water Allocation Program. Therefore, no action is necessary at this time, although staff will continue to monitor production trends within the MPWRS and District-wide. A comparison of reported water production from the MPWRS in Reporting Year 1997, WY 2007, and WY 2024 relative to the District’s Water Allocation limits is presented in Exhibit 9-F. 1997 was the last time the production limits were adjusted. Prior to 2008, the LSS was not included in the MPWRS, but was added with the adoption of Ordinance 135 on September 22, 2008. However, the production limits in the District’s Allocation Program did not change. Production from the MPWRS in RY 1997 and WY 2007 presented in Exhibit 9-F has been adjusted to include production from the LSS. Production from non-Cal-Am sources has not fluctuated a great deal, and since production from LSS is included, non-Cal-Am production has been over the production limit for several years. Historical Cal-Am production presented in Exhibit 9-F was also adjusted to include production from the LSS. Cal-Am production from the MPWRS has greatly decreased, and since Cal-Am represents such a large portion of total production, combined production from Cal-Am and non-Cal-Am sources has also decreased over the last several years.

Lastly, it should be noted that 99% of the groundwater production within the District was reported by the water meter method in WY 2024. In addition, 98% of registered well owners in the District reported annual water production or had their meters read by District staff in WY 2024.

EXHIBITS

9-A District-wide Water Production Summary for Water Year 2024

9-B District-wide Water Production Summary for Water Year 2023

9-C MPWMD Water Production Source Areas Water Year 2024

9-D Water Production by Source Area for Water Year 2024

9-E District-wide Production and Number of Wells by Reporting Method for non-Cal-Am Wells in WY 2005 through WY 2024

9-F Comparison of Reported Production to Production Limits within the MPWRS in

RY 2007, WY 2007, and WY 2024

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