Victor M. Ponce
The Conditional Use Permit for the Maderas Golf Club requires that the water level in two test wells
be monitored. The two test wells are the Old Coach Estates test well (OCETW) and the Lower Sycamore test well (LSTW).
If the water level in OCETW drops below 180 ft, all pumping should stop until the water level is restored to 140 ft.
If the water level in LSTW drops below 100 ft, all pumping should stop until the water level is restored to 60 ft (19090916).
The City Attorney of Poway has determined that the city has no jurisdictional authority to control groundwater use (19961217).
The city's preferred priority of use with respect to water sources is: (1) reclaimed water, (2) untreated water, (3) potable water, and (4) groundwater (19961217).
Residents to the east of the property rely exclusively upon groundwater for all their water needs.
However, development of the property will make potable water available.
Until such water is made available, City prefers that Maderas use groundwater only as last resort.
However, City does not preclude, prohibit, or limit Maderas's use of its groundwater (19970101).
Maderas' well field is comprised of 10 wells. Maderas originally installed 5 wells (1 to 5) in 1999, during golf course construction.
Wells 6 and 7 became active in 2002. Well 8 became active in 2008. Wells 9 and 10 were activated in mid April and late May 2009 (20091005).
Groundwater production at the Maderas well field has ranged from 106 ac-ft to 194 ac-ft in the seven-year period 2001-02 to 2008-09.
The average annual pumping in the seven-year period has been 151 ac-ft (20091005).
Between April 25, 2009 and September 30, 2009, groundwater levels have dropped from approximately 92 ft to 245 ft.
The drop began eight days after pumping at Well 9 began. A slight steepening of water level decline occurred on or about May 29, 2009, three days after
Well 10 was activated (20091005).
The OCETW has registered a level of 225 ft from August to November 2010 (20110501).
The Mitigated Negative Declaration states the approximately 450 ac-ft of groundwater per year would have to be pumped to irrigate the golf course (20000829).
Maderas hereby agrees that it shall not use groundwater to irrigate the Golf Course except as expressly authorized by the City Council (19991108).
In no event will groundwater use be authorized if it materially or adversely impacts residential users of groundwater
or the riparian area or oak tress in the vicinity of Golf Course property (19991108).
The CUP does not create any vested right to the use of any groundwater to irrigate the golf course (19991108).
The Golf Course may use an amount of groundwater equal to but not greater than the potable water used.
Such use of groundwater should not adversely impact residential users or riparian areas or oak trees.
Maderas shall cease operation if it fails to use at least one-half potable water for irrigation (19991108).
This agreement restricts the exercise of groundwater property rights on the Golf Course property.
Maderas agrees that the City has the power to restrict such rights (19991108).
Maderas groundwater production has been metered between August 1999 and May 2000 to be 217.7 ac-ft (20000829).
Maderas may adjust its groundwater production up to 200 ac-ft from September 1, 2000 to September 1, 2001 (20000829).
Maderas may increase its groundwater production by 20 ac-ft, each and every year for the next four years,
to 280 ac-ft, which is the maximum allowed (20000829).
If depth-to-water criteria as specified are exceeded, groundwater production will be terminated for a minimum of tow weeks, until water levels
recover to 40 ft above the designated water level criteria. Pumping will resume at 75% of the prior rate for the remainder of the year.
If the depth-to-water criteria is exceeded again, the process will be repeated (20000829).
One resident keeps daily statistics and can document that in April 2009 the water level in the test well [presumably OCETW]
was 30 ft lower than normal and by July that year it had dropped another 60 ft, and it has now virtually gone dry.
Excessive use of water from Madears wellls 8, 9, and 10 is the specific problem (20110811 -year uncertain).
The Maderas Golf Course site is approximately 160 ac with approximately 86 ac of turf (letter from Maderas to Pam Moore on 20110523 states 88 ac of turf) (20091110).
Fractured cristalline rock underlies the site.
It appears that 65 domestic wells are located within 1.5 miles of the golf course.
Rainfall is approximately 12.5 in. In 2008 rainfall was 11.83 in; 2007 6.76 in, 2006 12.05 in.
In 2008-09, water demand at Maderas was 495 ac-ft.
Groundwater withdrawal was 172.5 ac-ft. Water purchase was 164.5 ac-ft.
A total water demand of 450 ac-ft has been estimated (20000700),
Don Howard estimated the total groundwater available to Maderas to be 323 ac-ft (20091110).
In 2008-09, 158 ac-ft appears to have come from rainfall (20091110).
Total evapotranspiration for water year 2009-10 is estimated to be approximately 56.6 in.
With 86 ac of irrigated golf course, the evepotranspiration is calculated at 460 ac-ft (20101117).
REC Consultants stated that no evidence was observed to suggest that use of the wells on the Maderas Golf Course caused conditions to diminish unnaturally (20101117).
VMP: If the Maderas well are not connected to OCETW, why was the OCETW mentioned in the CUP as a test well?
A new test well that is connected would have to be set (20100416).
The golf course is underlain by granitic rock of the Southern California Peninsular Ranges Batholith (20100416).
The golf course is bounded by Old Coach Road and Old Coach Drive to the east, residential properties to the north, open space and SDSE power line easement to the west,
and Sycamore Creek to the south (20100416).
Maderas site is underlain by Cretaceous-aged Green Valley medium-grained tonalite, with minor granodiorite, gabbro, and other basic igneous rocks (USGS Escondido 7.5' geologic quadrangle) (20100416).
There is no indication that pumping of any of the wells at Maderas affects the OCETW (20100416).
SCS recommends that monitoring of the OCETW unde the CUP permit be discontinued and that restrictions on pumping at Maderas due to possible influences on OCETW be removed from the CUP (20100416).
Area is fracture-controlled aquifer. Major fracture sets are north/south and northeast/southwest (20110519).