April 10, 2012
The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency is soliciting proposals to drill two (2) production wells near the Harkins Slough Project - Recharge Basin, Watsonville, CA.
Summary of Work
The purpose of this project is to construct two (2) production wells near the Harkins Slough Project -Recharge Basin. The new wells will recover water that is diverted annually from Harkins Slough, filtered and pumped to a recharge basin where it percolates into a shallow aquifer for storage underground. The water produced by the new wells will flow into the Coastal Distribution System where it will serve as a source of agricultural irrigation supply. The sites for the new wells are shown on Figure 2 of the Contract Documents.
All work under this contract shall be completed within forty-five (45) working days from the Notice-to-Proceed effective date. PVWMA shall assess liquidated damages for delays in completion of the Project, as provided in the Contract Documents.
Obtaining Contract Documents
The contract documents are entitled HARKINS SLOUGH PROJECT 2012 RECOVERY WELLS and contain all construction specification and requirements. The contract documents may be obtained by clicking here, or calling PVWMA at (831) 722-9292.
Deadline
Please be advised that all bids must be received by Wednesday, April 25, 2012, by 4:00 PM. Bids can be mailed or delivered to 36 Brennan Street, Watsonville, CA, 95076. Please send bid documents to the attention of Brian Lockwood.
Please call PVWMA with any questions at (831) 722-9292.
_______________________________________________________________________
Tentative ruling OKs Pajaro Valley water fees
November 19, 2011
Superior Court Judge Timothy Volkmann threw out most challenges to Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency fees in a tentative ruling Friday.
But a question of whether any agency board member -- a majority of whom represent the agricultural community and could benefit from water projects -- had a conflict of interest that would disqualify them from approving the fees remains unresolved, and the hearing was continued until Monday.
The decision is critical to the survival of the agency charged with shoring up a groundwater deficit. A loss would strip the agency of some or all of its funding.
General Manager Mary Bannister expressed relief at the direction of the court.
"Now I hope we can spend our money on balancing the basin because we have important work to do," she said. Friday's action came in response to two lawsuits filed in 2010, one by tax watchdog Harold Griffith and a second by a group of Pajaro Valley property owners. The lawsuits were subsequently consolidated.
The lawsuits challenged an $18 to $20 management fee imposed in 1993, an $80 charge on pumping groundwater from private wells and a second pumping fee approved in 2010.
The $80 charge, imposed in 2002, was replaced by the 2010 fee.
Volkmann applied the concept of laches, which requires plaintiffs to make timely protests, to discount claims against the management fee and the $80 pumping charge. He found procedures used to implement the 2010 fee complied with Proposition 218, a tax initiative passed by California voters in 1996.
The plaintiff's attorney, Robert Johnson, told the judge he disagreed "very strongly" with the ruling, and launched into a lengthy challenge. He said laches didn't apply because residents weren't informed a prior case didn't question the 2002 fee. He said it was an "absolute violation of due process." and he questioned whether money collected from the fees was being spent appropriately. He asked, for example, whether treated wastewater blended with well water for irrigation is really "supplemental water," which the agency is authorized to provide.
Outside the courtroom, Griffith said he wasn't surprised by Volkmann's ruling since he's lost a dozen times in Superior Courts. But he said he's had better luck with higher courts, and would appeal if the decision stood.
November 5, 2011
WATER AGENCY RECEIVES $387,493.40 TO HELP FUND LOCAL PROJECTS
Watsonville, CA –The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency (PVWMA) has received a grant check for $347,493.40 from the California Department of Water Resources to help fund a group of local water and conservation projects.
The grant money comes from bonds issued under Proposition 50, a water bond measure approved by voters several years ago. This funding is part of an Integrated Regional Water Management Grant of $25 million to cover a suite of projects in the Pajaro River watershed.
PVWMA served as the lead agency for this grant on behalf several water and conservation agencies and the funds received have been distributed to the following groups and projects:
Action Pajaro Valley Community Consensus, Santa Cruz County Levee Reconstruction, Pajaro River Flood Prevention Authority for the Soap Lake Floodplain and the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County for Erosion Control and Vegetation Treatment.
PVWMA has worked to find and distribute funds for a wide variety of water and conservation projects and often serves as the lead agency in managing these funding efforts as part of their mission is to protect and preserve the water resources within the agency’s jurisdiction, generally the greater coastal Pajaro Valley.
Ad Hoc BMP Committee Press Release, July 20, 2011:
PVWMA TO UPDATE BASIN MANAGEMENT PLAN
The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency (PVWMA) is updating the Basin Management Plan (BMP), and unlike previous planning efforts, the BMP will be developed through a community driven rather than a consultant led process. The committee is tasked with identifying the water supply alternatives that will be technically and environmentally evaluated by the engineering team for ultimate review and consideration by the committee and Board. The Agency expects this approach to result in a BMP that reflects the community’s water management priorities as well as state and local water management regulations.
Numerous projects and programs have already been submitted by the community for consideration in the BMP, ranging from demand reduction programs to seawater desalination projects. The current list of projects already under consideration can be found at www.pvwater.org. The Agency is asking the community to submit new project and program concepts that they would like considered in the BMP. The submittal should include as much detail as available but can be as simple as a brief description of the concept. What is most important is that all reasonable ideas be considered in the BMP. The project and program concepts should be submitted to PVWMA by August 4.
The BMP will include an evaluation of various water supply alternatives including landowner developed demand management strategies and projects evaluated in prior management plans including College Lake. The BMP and EIR process is expected to take two years to complete and the Agency will be inviting the community to participate in the process.
The PVWMA is a public agency whose mission is to protect and preserve the water resources within the agency’s jurisdiction, generally the greater coastal Pajaro Valley.
For more information on the Ad Hoc BMP Committee, and to see the list of potential projects, visit the Ad Hoc BMP Committee web page by clicking here.
OLD NEWS
Information about the Rate Re-Establishment Effort
A new web page dedicated to information about the Agency's Rate Re-Establishment Effort has been created. This page contains up-to-date news and information, including the final draft of the Proposition 218 Service Charge Report that was released on February 1, 2010.
Information from Public Meetings
The most recent in a series of three public meetings was held on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at the community room in the new Watsonville City Hall. Following an overview of hydrologic conditions within the Valley, the majority of the meeting was spent discussing three Rate Alternatives that were presented by PVWMA Director David Kegebein.
The Rate Alternatives can be viewed by clicking on links below:
Comments on the rate alternatives are encouraged. Please send your comments to by mail to Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, 36 Brennan Street, Watsonville, CA 95076, or by email to info@pvwma.dst.ca.us
AUGMENTATION CHARGE REFUND INFORMATION
REFUND DEADLINE EXTENDED
FROM APRIL 22, 2009 TO MAY 22, 2009
PVWMA has elected to extend the deadline for submitting augmentation charge refund claim forms. The deadline of April 22, 2009, as set by the court ruling, has been extended one month to May 22, 2009.
City ratepayers will receive their refund from the City of Watsonville
If you paid augmentation charges to PVWMA between July 2003 and June 2007, you may be due a refund. The refund is for the amount paid over $80 per acre-foot (af).
PRESS RELEASE
March 31 , 2009
Editorial by Mary Bannister, General Manager
With the drought looming and the state’s water crisis in the news almost daily, we have some good news to report from the Pajaro Valley! Beginning last Friday, the Watsonville Area Water Recycling Facility began delivering tertiary treated, disinfected recycled water through the Coastal Distribution System. Before now, this water had been treated and then discharged into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, losing the opportunity to reuse this water for irrigation. Expected to produce 4,000 acre feet of new water for Pajaro Valley agriculture this year, this project succeeded after decades of planning and significant State and Federal grant funding. The success of this well tested green technology demonstrates what can be accomplished when neighbors commit to doing the hard work, and roll up their sleeves to make it happen. This was accomplished by a partnership between Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency (PVWMA) and the City of Watsonville, with support from all quarters, from farmers to Surfriders.
The PVWMA is faced with another challenge – and again needs the support of our neighbors and constituents. After losing in litigation regarding our rates, we have begun a refund process to return the over-collected fees to our rate-payers. Refund claims must be submitted to PVWMA by April 22, 2009. Refund claim forms can be downloaded on the PVWMA web site (pvwma.dst.ca.us), or picked up at the PVWMA office at 36 Brennan Street, Watsonville. City ratepayers will receive their refund from the City of Watsonville.
Beyond getting the refunds out, the Agency needs to find an acceptable funding mechanism in order to continue our mission, which is to solve the ground water overdraft in the Pajaro Valley, balance the basin, and stop seawater intrusion. We are committed to this monumental task and with the support of community, know that we will be successful.
The Pajaro Valley relies on ground water for nearly all of its water supply. Agriculture uses about 85% of the resource (about 50,000 acre feet per year) and residential and commercial users consume the rest. Ground water levels in the Pajaro Valley are below sea level much of the year. This causes seawater to contaminate the aquifer by filling the space previously occupied by fresh ground water. Seawater intrusion extends as much as 2 miles inland in some areas of the coast. To preserve the Pajaro Valley as we know it, this crisis must be addressed. We look to the community to participate in the vital decisions that need to be made over now, and into our future.
For more information call PVWMA – 831.722.9292
PRESS RELEASE
DECEMBER 1, 2008
Subject: PVWMA Refunding Over collected Fees
Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency (PVWMA) has begun refunding over collected fees. The process began with calculating the amount due to each ratepayer. PVWMA has prepared Automated Refund Claim Forms and itemized Claim Detail for Augmentation Refunds for each known ratepayer to simplify and streamline the refund claim process. These calculations and forms have been prepared and most ratepayers will be receiving them over the next two weeks.
Refund Details
What?
PVWMA will refund augmentation fees that were collected during the period from June 2003 through June 2007.
Who?
Ratepayers who paid augmentation fees directly to PVWMA are eligible for refund. City of Watsonville water users will be refunded through their City water bill. Other water service providers within the PVWMA service area may choose to implement a refund process.
How Much?
The amount collected over $80 per acre foot will be refunded. The Automated Refund Claim Form includes the calculated refund amount and simplifies the refund claim process.
When?
PVWMA has mailed over 1,600 Automated Refund Claim Forms and staff expects to mail the remaining claim forms over the next two weeks.
What do I do next?
Watch for your claim form in the mail. Your calculated refund will be provided. If you agree with the calculated refund amount, please sign and return the form to PVWMA. If you do not agree with the refund amount or anything else on the claim form, you must submit a manual claim form. The form is available at the PVWMA office, or click here for a copy of the Refund Claim Form. If you don’t receive a claim form, you will need to file a manual claim and provide receipts or copies of cancelled checks as proof of payment.
The PVWMA Board of Directors is meeting on December 10, 2008 at 7:00 at the Old Watsonville City Council Chambers at 250 Main Street in Watsonville to discuss additional details regarding the strategy for issuing the refunds. The public is invited to attend and provided comments or ask questions about the process. Ratepayers are urged to voice any concerns they might have to the Board of Directors.
Legal Disclosure
All refund claims will be processed in accordance with the California Tort Claims Act (Cal. Govt. Code Section 900, et
seq.) and PVWMA Ordinance No. 2008-01. To be considered valid, all claims must be received by the Agency on or
before April 22, 2009. Claims submitted after that date may be rejected. By submitting a refund claim, the claimant is
acknowledging that he or she: (1) has reviewed and accept the claim process as established by PVWMA; (2) states
under the penalty of perjury that he or she is legally authorized to receive a refund; (3) agrees to indemnify and hold
harmless the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, its officers, employees and agents, against any claim brought by
another party claiming entitlement to said refund; (4) releases the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, its officers,
employees and agents, from any and all claims, demands, obligations or liability arising out of or relating to any prior
augmentation charge payments.
For more information contact the office directly 831.722.9292.
Click here for a copy of the Refund Claim Form
For information regarding the refund claim ordinance, click here: refund claim ordinance
For information on the settlement agreement between the Agency and the litigants, click here: settlement agreement.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE PVWMA REFUND PROCESS
PRESS RELEASE
December 16, 2008
Refund checks will be sent beginning the end of December. Rural Residential customers will receive a full refund ($156 maximum over the refund time period). All other claimants will receive refunds in six semi-annual payments over a 3 year period, in accordance with the terms of the court-ordered Stipulated Settlement Agreement.
2. Will I be paid interest?
No – the Stipulated Settlement excluded interest from refunds.
3.Can I fax my form in?
No – we must have an original signature on the form.
4. Why haven’t I received an automated claim form yet?
Claim forms are being sent in batches, as they are compiled and reconciled. Mailings will be completed by the end of December- if you do not receive an automated claim form, you should fill out a manual claim form (available at the Agency office or on the web site at pvwma.dst.ca.us)
5. The form I received does not show all of my accounts, why not?
Every attempt was made to group all accounts of each payer onto one claim form. This was not always possible, if you do not feel all accounts have been shown you should fill out a manual claim form.
6. When will the next batch of claim forms be mailed out?
All automated claim forms will be mailed out by the end of December.
7. Will you deduct my outstanding balance from my refund amount?
Outstanding balances will not be deducted from the first round of checks, nor from the Rural Residential refunds. You are responsible to make your account current.
8. I’m missing a credit on my claim form – what do I do?
If you do not agree with the refund amount on the claim form, you should complete a manual form and provide your supporting documentation (cancelled checks, receipts, etc.)
9. I don’t agree with PVWMA claim form – what do I do?
If you do not agree with the refund amount on the claim form, you should complete a manual form and provide your supporting documentation (cancelled checks, receipts, etc.)
10. I paid my water bill to the landowner and he paid PVWMA. Can I claim a refund?
Refunds are due to the person who paid on the account. In this instance you should speak to your landowner.
11. I’m served by the City of Watsonville – do I get a refund?
The City of Watsonville is responsible for refunding their customers.
12/16/08
Notice of Public Hearing - Proposed Refund Claims Ordinance 2008-01
On February 20, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. at the Watsonville City Council Chambers, 250 Main Street, Watsonville, California, the Board of Directors of PVWMA will hold a public hearing to consider adoption of Ordinance 2008-01, Establishing Procedures and Limitations Period for Filing Refund Claims.
Tentative Settlement Agreement Reached in Validation Action
PVWMA has reached a tentative settlement agreement with all parties in
the validation action. The matter will be presented to the judge at the Superior Court of Santa Cruz County on February 22, 2008
for final approval.
None at this time
PVWMA Public Meeting #2 was held on Wednesday, June 10, 2009
The second of three planned public meetings to solicit input from the public about management of our precious ground water resource.
PVWMA Public Meeting #1 was held on Monday, April 13, 2009
The first of three planned public meetings to solicit input from the public about management of our precious ground water resource
[If you have water related events, contact us and we will post it to our site!]