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Ojai Basin agency reports falling groundwater levels, new monitoring wells and 5‑year GSP update plans
Summary
Agency staff said the Keywell static water level was about 131.82 feet below ground surface and estimated basin storage at roughly 60,000 acre‑feet; several new monitoring wells are complete or being tested. The board discussed the five‑year GSP evaluation due Jan. 2027 and possible cost and legislative relief options.
A technical briefing to the Ojai Basin Groundwater Management Agency on Aug. 28, 2025 reported lower groundwater levels this late summer and a cluster of new monitoring wells that will inform the agency’s five‑year Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) evaluation.
General comment and technical lead (presenter) reported that "as of yesterday, about a 131.82 feet below ground surface," a measurement that the presenter said corresponds to roughly "75% of basin capacity or about 60,000 acre feet in storage within the basin." The presenter compared the current recession in groundwater levels to a steep 2012 drawdown and said the basin’s response will be closely watched over the next two to three months.
The presenter described recent drilling and monitoring activity: wells at Shippee Lane, Carn Road, Orange Road, Reeves Road, Longhorn Lane and five monitoring wells at the Ojai Valley Inn. He said depth to the Sespe formation — the bedrock encountered in the drilling — ranged from about 360 to 420 feet depending on site, and that grain size and permeability varied substantially across short distances.
Board members asked technical follow‑ups on well depths and creek proximity; staff said monitoring‑well depths in creek alluvium ranged about "18 feet to 29 feet" and confirmed locations near creek banks. The presenter emphasized that new geologic cuttings and geophysical logs corroborate the depth estimates and that the data align with the GSP conceptual model.
The presentation also included surface‑water flow observations: staff reported very low surface inflow and limited outflow (Montgomery Creek and San Antonio Creek flows described in cubic feet per second), and noted NOAA seasonal outlooks that point to warmer‑than‑average and drier conditions through the fall and winter months.
The board heard that the monitoring data and well logs will be used in the agency’s periodic GSP evaluation, due January 2027. Agency staff said they will present proposals next month for work to complete the five‑year evaluation, which they described as a heavy lift that will require consultant support and model work.
The meeting adjourned after the briefing; the board scheduled follow‑up presentations and will receive proposed scopes and cost estimates for the periodic evaluation at the next meeting.
