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<br />003208 <br /> <br />two that remained, the name changed from critical g~oundwate~ area <br /> <br />to irrigation non-expansion area. The new law retains the same re- <br /> <br />strictions on irrigated acreage and requires the installation of <br /> <br />measuring devices on all wells but not the pump assessment. The <br /> <br />establishment at this time of groundwater pumpinq rights doesn't <br /> <br />apply in those two areas. <br /> <br />In the remainder of the sLale, the law <br /> <br />that existed before continues relatively unchanged. So we have <br /> <br />basically three levels of management. <br /> <br />Now, getting back to the active management areas, a person <br /> <br />within the active management area may withdraw groundwater only in <br /> <br />accordance with a grandfathered right or a new permit for non- <br /> <br />irrigation uses issued by the Department of Water Resources. All <br /> <br />persons or entities that currently pump groundwater within an active <br /> <br />management area must apply for a grandfathered right if they wish to <br /> <br />protect and establish the right to continue pumping in the future. <br /> <br />We were required by January 1 of this year to mail notices to every <br /> <br />property owner within the active management areas and I assure you <br /> <br />that turned out to be quite an exercise. Of course, most of the <br /> <br />people that received the notices that they had to file by September <br /> <br />14 if they wanted to protect their groundwater rights, weren't <br /> <br />pumping groundwater and were quite exercised about the fact that they <br /> <br />got the notice. <br /> <br />I think that we did a very good job of explaining <br /> <br />to them in the material that we sent out. with the notice that if they <br /> <br />didn't have a well and if they weren't pumping water or weren't <br /> <br />receiving water from an irrigation district and irrigating commercial <br /> <br />agriculture, that they could throw this thing away - they didn't have <br /> <br />to file. <br /> <br />But I am sure that you all have had some experience with <br /> <br />this sort of thing and that the percentage of the people that under- <br />stood what we were trying to tell them was probably around 1%. So <br /> <br />B-13 <br />