Carpinteria Basin Well Owners Still Have Time to Register Wells, Install Flowmeters before July 31 Deadline

The Carpinteria Groundwater Sustainability Agency (CGSA) has extended the deadline for well owners to register their wells and install approved flowmeters, giving property owners until July 31, 2026, to complete the process. The agency urged well owners to begin now to ensure they meet the new timeline, citing feedback from well owners and vendors about installation schedules and equipment availability.

The extension applies to all wells overlying the Carpinteria Groundwater Basin. While every well must be registered, only non-exempt wells are required to install approved flowmeters by July 31. Domestic well users must still register in order to qualify for an exemption from the metering requirement.

Once meters are installed, CGSA will connect them to its advanced metering infrastructure for data collection. That connection must be completed before September 1 to avoid higher fees and penalties.

“We want to thank the many well owners who worked hard to meet the original March deadline,” said Kelley Dyer, CGSA executive director. “At the same time, we recognize this is a significant community-wide undertaking. Extending the deadline provides the opportunity to complete installation and registration successfully.”

What changes for billing

• Currently, groundwater charges are based on estimated usage tied to crops and acreage.
• With flowmeters, charges will be based on actual metered use, allowing for more accurate and equitable billing.
• Owners who fail to install and register approved meters on time will have their water usage fees estimated at the highest crop factor per acre, equivalent to greenhouse/nursery grower usage.
• Well water usage charges and applicable fees will continue to appear on property tax bills. Rates are based on the amount of water pumped and CGSA’s adopted annual budget; the total budget is divided by total acre-feet pumped, and customers are billed for their portion based on metered usage.
• The Carpinteria Valley Water District also pays into CGSA for its groundwater wells that supply public drinking water.

Who’s affected and how to comply

• The requirements apply to well owners within the Carpinteria Groundwater Basin, including residents and ranchers in both Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
• Updated information—including FAQs, approved flowmeters, recommended vendors, and penalties for noncompliance—is available at carpgsa.org.

“Our goal is to support well owners through this transition,” Dyer added. “Accurate metering is essential for fair and equitable groundwater-use fees, and this extension helps ensure everyone has a reasonable opportunity to meet the requirements.”

About CGSA

The Carpinteria Groundwater Sustainability Agency is a public agency formed in January 2020 through a joint powers agreement among the Carpinteria Valley Water District, City of Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County Water Agency, and County of Ventura. It was established to sustainably manage the Carpinteria Basin in response to California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014, which requires local agencies to develop and implement groundwater sustainability plans.