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Watermaster highlights carryover, overuse and transfer problems; board to task committee for fixes
Summary
Officials told the board that about 56% of reporting units had carryover and 17% showed overuse after the first water year under the judgment; roughly 23% had incomplete reporting and staff recommended enforcement steps, transfer-process deadlines and committee review.
Agency staff and board members used a Sept. 24 meeting discussion to review how the Las Posas Valley Watermaster will implement key provisions of the adjudication judgment on carryover, overuse and allocation transfers.
Staff reported that, after the first year of reporting under the judgment, approximately 56% of WMIDs (water-management identification units) were in a carryover position and about 17% were in overuse. Crucially, staff said roughly one in four WMIDs had not filed required reports and therefore their status could not be determined. Staff described this as a major operational challenge and said outreach and repeated reminders have not produced full compliance for some accounts.
The judgment allows water-right holders to cure an overuse in the following water year by reducing use or by obtaining an allocation transfer from another holder. Transfers must be submitted jointly by both parties, must be confined to the basin, and must be approved by Watermaster; staff said the transfer request form is being revised and should be available on the Watermaster website by Oct. 1. Staff asked that transfer applications be submitted by Oct. 31 so Watermaster can close out the accounting year and apply overuse assessments where curing did not occur.
Board members expressed concern about the potential administrative burden of processing transfer requests and discussed whether a transfer-processing fee should be charged to recover staff time; staff said the idea needs PAC review and further discussion. Multiple board members urged firmer enforcement for non-reporting, including legal action for violations of the judgment if outreach fails. Counsel noted enforcement would likely require court action and that the agency must follow the judgment’s enforcement tools.
Staff said it has posted annual reports and is working to make account-level allocation and carryover information available through the online billing portal. The board agreed to direct a committee (executive/finance as appropriate) to work with staff and PAC on clarifying outreach, adding a clear timeline and deciding whether additional staff or fees are needed to administer transfers and enforcement efficiently. The board also instructed staff to add clearer calendar dates to public materials and to post updated extraction-reporting forms.
No formal action was required for the informational presentation; board members requested regular updates and asked staff to bring committee recommendations back to the board in future meetings.
