OJAI : Farmers May Face Charge for Well Use

Most Ojai property owners would pay annual fees to a new ground-water management agency under a proposal drafted this week.

In addition, Ojai farmers would face pumping fees and other charges for drawing water from their own wells under the proposal.

Representatives from several Ojai agencies agreed Tuesday on the plan, which they call a watershed for ground-water management of the Ojai aquifer.

The group has met weekly for three months to draft a bill that they hope the state Legislature will consider this year. If passed, the bill would allow the agencies to regulate the 6,000-acre underground water basin for the first time.

In the plan, all property owners in the proposed 8,000-acre management district would pay annual fees of up to $7.50 per acre.

Basin well users would pay additional fees of up to $7.50 per acre-foot of water pumped.

An acre-foot equals 326,000 gallons of water.

Three member agencies--the city of Ojai, Casitas Municipal Water District and Southern California Water Co.--would pay a total of $50,000 in management charges to the new authority in 1992 and $25,000 in 1993.

A fourth member, the Ojai Water Conservation District, will seek grants to contribute to the authority’s expenses, district board member Tom Munzig said.

The conservation district, all farmers themselves, will meet to approve the proposal March 14. The Ojai City Council will consider it March 26 and the Casitas water board March 27, officials said.

Also on Tuesday, the conservation district called on all Ojai farmers to voluntarily meter their wells, to perform irrigation audits and to stop using ditch irrigation. The measures could be ordered next year when the new authority is in effect, directors said.

At least six of the 100 or more farmers who draw basin water still use the water-consuming method of ditch irrigation, Munzig said. The practice also allows runoff to flow into storm drains instead of recharging the aquifer, he said. Drip irrigation is a preferred alternative, Munzig said.

The Ojai basin has about 250 wells, but not all of them are considered active, officials said.