What is Ordinance 97?

Last month I talked about the Court's ruling on the wells drilled by Dr. Robert Ellis. This spurred a request for more information on Ordinance 97.


This ordinance was adopted under authority of state law AB3030 to manage and protect the District's ground water. It adopts rules and regulations to implement and enforce Joshua Basin Water District's Ground Water Management Plan and includes the following major provisions:

1)      Regulates the construction, abandonment, and destruction of wells

a.    Requires permits for all well construction and destruction.

b.    Prohibits new wells over 25gpm* capacity within ¼ mile of an existing well without a hydrology report. That report must demonstrate that the new well will not have an adverse effect upon any existing  wells within the ¼ mile, or on a recharge area.

c.    Requires a well completion report after construction or destruction of a well.

d.    Requires operator to permit the District to install, operate, access and maintain, at District expense, a water flow meter on each well.

2)      Identifies recharge protection and wellhead protection areas

3)     Regulates contaminated ground water migration (through regulation of well demolition)

4)     Mitigates overdraft by prohibiting water exportation or transfer to another parcel other than where the well is located without approval of JBWD

5)     Monitors ground water levels, storage, and quality

*Gallons per minute