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OB GMA: Groundwater levels falling; new well logs show variable quality
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Summary
OB GMA staff reported declining groundwater depths in June and limited surface flows; recent drilling produced new e-logs showing mixed water quality and several monitoring wells permitted inside OB GMA jurisdiction but outside the alluvium.
Jordan, the agency’s basin specialist, presented the OB GMA’s June assessment, telling the board the Key Well measured about 114.19 feet below ground surface, which the agency said corresponds to roughly 78% of basin capacity (about 62,400 acre-feet). He said the basin is continuing a seasonal decline and that an estimated 1,600 acre-feet of recharge reached this part of the basin in the 2024–25 water year.
The presentation included spot surface-flow measurements: sites such as Ladera Bridal were nearly dry (about 0.01 cubic feet per second), while San Antonio Creek recorded about 2.57 CFS at the time of measurement. Jordan noted hour-to-hour variability in summer readings and that many sites show substantially reduced flows compared with winter peaks.
Board members and staff discussed drilling activity in 2025 across the OB GMA jurisdiction. Jordan showed recent e-logs: one borehole on Orange Road reached about 520 feet and showed poor-quality water in its lower 100 feet (clay/cemented material and low-yield zones). Another site (reported near Reeves Road) encountered the edge of a perched aquifer and alluvium that transitioned to older, cemented deposits at depth; a different well was roughly 700 feet deep. Jordan said the OB GMA permitted those wells and will retain e-logs for the agency record.
Jordan emphasized jurisdictional distinctions: OB GMA’s authority is defined by the enabling legislation and the OB GMA boundary (shown on county maps), which is not identical to the Ojai Basin alluvium delineated in DWR Bulletin 118. He warned that wells may be inside OB GMA jurisdiction but outside the alluvial portion used in some technical maps; that distinction matters for monitoring and regulatory steps the agency applies.
On outlook and context, Jordan said the NOAA seasonal forecast shows an even chance of near-normal precipitation and warmer-than-average temperatures for July–September, which the agency characterized as “not a strong expectation of rain.” He closed by urging continued monitoring and noting that new borehole data improve the agency’s understanding of aquifer geometry, quality and perched layers.
The board did not take regulatory action on the basin report; it accepted the presentation and moved to other agenda items.
