Learn About We Need Water in California

Crestview Mutual Water Company was incorporated on March 3, 1950, and exists to provide shareholders with a dependable supply of water at a competitive cost.

Crestview sells approximately 300 million gallons of water per year to approximately 625 service connections. A majority of the water demand is for outdoor irrigation purposes. Outdoor irrigation demands account for up to 86% of water sales; daily demands can be 714% greater in July through September than during months where we get 2 inches or more of rain per month. In addition to Crestview developing and maintaining its own wells, water is imported from Metropolitan Water District, via Calleguas Municipal Water District, to meet customer demands in excess of our annual groundwater allocation. Typically, water is imported from Metropolitan from December through March.

Water independence, achieved through having an independent source of water, shields us from restrictions affecting municipal water users. This helps protect us from the increased fire danger that comes from dry and brittle landscape. Having our own water source is the insurance we need so that, when there is a fire, we will have water available to help protect our homes and families.

There are approximately 450 known underground reservoirs in a cavernous web beneath the state. Access to California’s groundwater is heavily regulated by the state. By virtue of its status as a private utility, Crestview Mutual Water Company – the company owned exclusively by its shareholders – has extraction rights, the right to pump water from underground to deliver to its owners. Should Crestview Mutual cease to need these extraction rights and start relying exclusively on imported water, those rights will in time revert to the basin to be distributed to other entities – either public or private – who need them. In other words, if Crestview isn’t using its extraction rights, it loses them. This would be a tremendous blow to our shareholders. 

What are “water rights” and why do they matter?

Crestview’s extraction allocation is 747.945 acre-feet of water per year. The value of an acre foot of water varies depending on the type of water extracted (agricultural vs. potable), and whether we are experiencing drought conditions. But water can range from $200 – $1,000 per acre foot. The value of the extraction rights owned by Crestview Mutual Water Company, however, is far greater, as these rights grant the perpetual right to extract water from California’s precious underground aqueducts, year-after-year, and is estimated to be in the millions. But the value to our homes WITH those extraction rights compared to without is almost incalculable. A home that cannot secure water probably has no value. A home with water bills running in the thousands of dollars will likely also incur a material decline in value.

We all, as shareholders in a private utility company, have a financial stake in maintaining and exercising our extraction rights. Everyone wants our water to be safe, and all shareholders must shoulder the burden of Crestview’s operations. But unreasonable and baseless objections to new wells interferes with our financial interests, as shareholders, in this valuable company.

Carle, David (2004). Introduction to Water in California. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Due to the closure of Wells #3 and #5, some people worry there is no water beneath the Las Posas Hills, especially beneath the lot at 191 Alviso currently being considered for Well #7. But that is absolutely untrue. Here is the full picture on Well #3, Well #5, and the ground water beneath us:

Las Posas Hills sits over the Grimes Canyon Aquifer. Everything from the ridge line of South Mountain, to Happy Camp in Moorpark (behind Moorpark College), underneath the entire Pleasant Valley and the Oxnard Plain, three miles out into the ocean towards Anacapa Island, comprises the Grimes Canyon Aquifer. Within that aquifer, there are little islands that create groundwater basins. We are above what’s called the Las Posas Basin, developed by the Springville Fault. This whole hilly area of Las Posas Estates was created by a fault line. 

Earthquake faults act as either a superhighway for water, or as a dam: fractured rock provides cracks for water to flow; or compression and folding of faulting action acts as a water barrier. Ours, the Springville Fault, is operating like a dam. Well 5 drilled though the Springville Fault and accessed another basin, thus it was getting water from Pleasant Valley side. The water Well #5 was accessing was not good water; it was very old, with a lot of organics. A filtration system was added but it was insufficient. Since the water could not be treated sufficiently to make it good for human use, Well #5 is set to be decommissioned. Well #3, drilled over 50 years ago in 1966, tapped into the Grimes Canyon Aquifer (the same aquifer as Well #4, and where proposed Well #7 will access water) and had plenty of water. However, Well #3 was built with an iron casing (modern wells are build with 3/8” stainless steel casing) and - like what happens to many cast iron pipes – over time the casing rusted and developed a hole in its side. Gravel (which is used to pack around the lower portion of the well) invaded the shaft and ruined the pump. This is what is on track to happen to Well #4.

The inevitable next question is, “Why not redrill the same well shaft in the same location?” The answer to this has to do with ground stability. The pilot hole for wells is typically 12” in diameter, but the hole then is enlarged to 28” in diameter, and a 16” casing is installed, surrounded in part with concrete and gravel. Unfortunately, the lower parts of the casing cannot be removed. And although the shaft is filled in, it is understandably less stable because of its history. Crestview, which has an excellent record of safety and is conservative in its assessments, will not drill unless the new well bore is a minimum 40 feet away. 

Should we fail to continue to extract water from wells to serve our needs, not only will our valuable water rights be in jeopardy, but we will have to import water from another source. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE ANOTHER SOURCE WILL BE AVAILABLE. Water shortages are plaguing virtually every community in the western United States. We may – or may not – be able to get water from another provider. But if we do, be prepared for water rates to increase dramatically. Well #7 was originally projected to be completed in 2019. The current rates, which assume 4,000 gallons per share, are as a result of not completing Well#7 as originally projected. If Well #7 is completed, the average water bill will decrease $1,400 per year, and future water rate increases will be much smaller.

The value of having our own water source, in drought-plagued California, is hard to overestimate. We need to get serious about getting a new well.

• False!  There’s plenty of water less than 600 feet away! 

There is water beneath Las Posas Hills. It is hundreds of feet below us, approximately 580 below. But it is definitely available. In 2018, this area was mapped by the Ventura County Watershed Protection District for Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency, the agency responsible for allocating water to users in our area.

There is water beneath the Las Posas Hills, over a hundred feet below sea level.

Las Posas Hills sits over the Grimes Canyon Aquifer. Everything from the ridge line of South Mountain, to Happy Camp in Moorpark (behind Moorpark College), underneath the entire Pleasant Valley and the Oxnard Plain, three miles out into the ocean towards Anacapa Island, comprises the Grimes Canyon Aquifer. Within that aquifer, there are little islands that create groundwater basins. We are above what’s called the Las Posas Basin, developed by the Springville Fault. This whole hilly area of Las Posas Estates was created by a fault line.

Earthquake faults act as either a superhighway for water, or as a dam. Ours is operating like a dam. Well 5 drilled though the Springville Fault and accessed another basin, thus it was getting water from the Pleasant Valley side of the fault. The water Well 5 was accessing was not good quality water; it contained a lot of organics. A filtration system was added, but since the water could not be treated sufficiently to make it good for human use, Well 5 is set to be decommissioned. 

Well 3, drilled in 1966 down off of Avocado, tapped into the Grimes Canyon Aquifer (the same aquifer as Well 4, and where new Wells 7 & 8 will access) and had plenty of water. However, that well was built with a 5/16” carbon steel casing (modern wells are built with 3/8” stainless steel casing) and - like what happens to many steel pipes - the casing rusted and developed multiple holes in its side. Gravel (which is used to pack around the lower portion of the well) breached the well shaft and ruined the pump. 

The inevitable next question is, “Why not redrill the same well shaft in the same location?” The answer to this question has to do with ground stability. The pilot hole for wells is 12” in diameter, but the hole then is enlarged to 28” in diameter, and a 16” casing is installed, surrounded in part with concrete and gravel. Unfortunately, the lower parts of the casing cannot be removed. Crestview, which has an excellent record of safety and is conservative in its assessments, will not drill a new well bore within 40 feet of an old well.

• False! 

The well will be drilled very deep and encased in cement!  No contaminants can get into the system.  Plus after just 10 feet of flow through the earth, all contaminants are inert.

Here’s the shortest and best explanation for why water contamination from septic systems is not a concern, using Well 7 as an example:

Proposed Well 7 will be 1450 deep and will have a 900 foot annular seal. It will be drilled approximately 150’ from the nearest septic system. Its annular seal will be 4” thick cement with a rubber casing wrapping the shaft on all sides, continuously, down 900 feet. For horizontal contamination to occur, microbiological contaminants would have to travel – at a minimum - over 140 feet through compact clay soil, then burrow through the 4” cement and rubber annular seal, then pierce the 3/8” thick stainless steel sheath before coming into contact with water. 

This, in an area where pathogens are estimated to be able to travel no more than 10 feet in two years before dying; in an area where we have safely pumped water from the ground from wells within 50 feet of nearby septic systems (Well #4) for years; with wells having an annular seal on the well a fraction of the length (35 feet); built to far less stringent specifications; and with groundwater table over 580 feet below the surface of the well, and more than 500 feet beneath the deepest seepage pit in the area.

Assuming these pathogens could somehow travel these distances and penetrated the annular seal and the stainless steel well shaft, those pathogens would still have to withstand the chlorine treatment all water goes through before being delivered to homes. 

In short, contamination is not just next to improbable in this area, it is impossible in this area.

Nonetheless, if shareholders are concerned about “theoretical possibilities,” a more details explanation should put even those concerns to rest. Here’s why:

There are two types of contamination theoretically possible whenever wells and septic systems are both operating: horizontal contamination, where septic systems are too close to the well shaft and opening and microbiological agents enter the shaft; and vertical contamination, where seepage pits are contaminating groundwater too close to where we are extracting water. Neither is a concern with either Well 7 or Well 8.

Horizontal Setback Recommendations For Public Water Wells

A majority of the homes in the Las Posas Hills area are all on septic systems. But we have had wells in close proximity to septic systems for decades in this area. In fact, both wells and septic systems are quite common. We have over 2,000 wells in Ventura County, and approximately 13,000-15,000 septic systems.  

The California Well Standards Bulletin, relied upon by the California Department of Water Resources, provides guidelines for all aspects of well construction and charts out recommended setback requirements from various sources of possible contamination. Not surprisingly, California has one of the most conservative recommendations for public water wells, and – although a private well may be installed just 50 feet away from a septic system – the Well Standards recommend public water wells have a 150-foot horizontal separation from nearby septic systems. 

This recommended distance, though, is by no means absolute: "Lesser distances than those listed above may be acceptable where physical conditions preclude compliance with the specified minimum separation distances and where special means of protection are provided.”  The Well Standards go on to state, "Where, in the opinion of the enforcing agency adverse conditions exist, the above separation distance shall be increased or special means of protection, particularly in the construction of the well, shall be provided, such as increasing the length of the annular seal.” California recommends, generally, a “50 foot” annular seal for a community water supply that is not near a septic, longer if a septic is near.  Thus the 900’ annular seals proposed for Well 7 far exceeds even the most conservative recommendations. Even for wells within 150 feet of a septic system, annular seals provide a robust barrier that line the well shaft and prevent intrusion of contaminants. They routinely, and safely, insulate a public water from potential pathogens. 

The Ventura County Planning Department had this to say about the safety of Well 7’s proposed construction in its 2021 review of the project: “County staff also investigated whether the proximity of replacement Well No. 7 to existing homes would interfere with nearby septic systems and/or provide water of substandard quality. Since an approximately 900-foot cement grout sanitary seal is proposed as part of Well No. 7, the State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, determined that the separation between the proposed well and nearby septic systems would be sufficient (see Attachment 2). As such, the well is expected to provide safe potable water and existing septic systems on adjacent properties would not be adversely affected.”  

Vertical contamination of groundwater from septic systems up to 600’away from the wellhead has also been raised as a concern, which has manifest itself as a claim that homeowners with septic systems within 600’ of the well will be burdened with expensive modifications should a well be built. Read on for an explanation of why this, too, is not a concern.

• False! 

While no costs are anticipated, if there are any costs they will be absorbed by Crestview Mutual, not the homeowner.

Breathless and histrionic claims have been made that, if either Well 7 or 8 are built, homeowners within 600’ of the wells will have to install “advanced treatment units” to their septic systems, burdening those homeowners with tens of thousands of dollars of immediate expenses and thousands of dollars of annual upkeep. This claim is a gross distortion of reality that has done a great disservice to shareholders in need of water. 

At most, should a septic system within 600’ of a new well be repaired or replaced, Crestview will need to test the groundwater we drink (which Crestview already does) and provide an analysis of the soils for potential pathogen transport (which Crestview has already done, and has pledged to do again as often as necessary) before that homeowner’s permit will be issued. This is a minimal cost, that should and will be absorbed completely by Crestview.

This claim of “burden to nearby homeowners” stems from a partial sentence of a 2012 California policy on septic systems that has been blown way out of proportion. Here is the history:

The 2012 OWTS Policy

In 2012, due to concerns about septic systems contaminating groundwater supplies in various parts of the state (not in Camarillo, and certainly not anywhere near Las Posas Hills), California adopted a new OWTS (Onsite Wastewater Treatment System) Policy for the millions of septic systems in use around the entire state. Ventura County adopted the policy into its building codes in 2018.

The full OWTS Policy is available here: 

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/owts/docs/owts_policy.pdf. 

Ventura County Building Code is available here: https://docs.vcrma.org/images/pdf/bs/2019-VCBC.pdf.

As you can tell from its title, the OWTS Policy is all about septic systems. How they are to be built, how they are maintained and repaired, and what to do if they pose a problem to the environment are all covered in the policy. The policy applies to everyone in the county. Any new system installed or any existing septic system that is repaired or replaced in the county is subject to the policy’s provisions. To modify any septic system, a permit is required.

Within the OWTS Policy, one section addresses what to do when septic systems are repaired or replaced near public water wells, and the policy provides setback distances depending on the depth of the OWTS dispersal system (seepage pit). In short, if a seepage pit is less than 10 feet deep, it should be 150 feet from a public water well; if it exceeds 10 feet in depth (which all systems in this area do), the pit should be installed at least 200 feet from a public water well. If a seepage pit is more than 20 feet deep, which many of the pits in this area are, then – prior to its repair or replacement – any such system within a 600’ radius of a public well must have a professional evaluate the “two-year” travel time for microbiological contaminants in the area:

9.4.10 Except as provided for in sections 9.4.11 and 9.4.12, new or replacement OWTS with minimum horizontal setbacks less than any of the following:

150 feet from a public water well where the depth of the effluent dispersal system does not exceed 10 feet in depth.

200 feet from a public water well where the depth of the effluent dispersal system exceeds 10 feet in depth.

Where the effluent dispersal system is within 600 feet of a public water well and exceeds 20 feet in depth the horizontal setback required to achieve a two-year travel time for microbiological contaminants shall be evaluated. A qualified professional shall conduct this evaluation. However in no case shall the setback be less than 200 feet.

As the above code instructs, though, before the provisions of 9.4.10 even apply, the policy requires consideration of section 9.4.11 (which is an “exception” to the set back requirements). And, what 9.4.11 says is, just like the California Well Standards, the setback provisions given above are not absolute. Here is Section 9.4.11: 

“For replacement OWTS that do not meet the above horizontal separation requirements, the replacement OWTS shall meet the horizontal separation to the greatest extent practicable. In such case, the replacement OWTS shall utilize supplemental treatment and other mitigation measures, unless the permitting authority finds that there is no indication that the previous system is adversely affecting the public water source, and there is limited potential that the replacement system could impact the water source based on topography, soil depth, soil texture, and groundwater separation.” 

This is where the fear of installing an advanced treatment unit comes from: 9.4.11’s instruction to “utilize supplemental treatment and other mitigation measures….” But the last clause warrants emphasis. While “supplemental treatment and other mitigation measures” are generally needed within the setback zone, they are NOT required when there is no indication that the previous system is adversely affecting the public water source, and there is limited potential that it could. 

Crestview regularly tests our water. In the 70 years Crestview has operated wells, with wells and septic systems built to far lesser standards than what is proposed, and with water tables far higher than they are now, and more moisture in the soil to contribute to pathogen transport, there has never been a contamination from a septic system in the Las Posas Basin. Shareholders must remember that the OWTS policy was drafted to cover the whole state of California, where water tables are sometimes just beneath the surface, or where seepage pits connect to a river. For instance, the policy talks about OTWS installation with groundwater levels “three feet” below effluent dispersal systems (see section 10.10.2). 

But here in the Las Posas Hills, the groundwater is 580 feet below the surface. Water is so far beneath us that none of the septic systems in this area pose a risk to the water that would be drawn from either Well 7 or 8. Out of an abundance of caution, Crestview has already conducted a pathogen study to see the distance microbiological contaminants could travel in two years. The two-year travel time for pathogens in this area? Ten feet.  (Link to Pathogen Study)

What does this mean in practical terms?

Let’s translate this into the real world: Should an owner want to rebuild a septic system within the 600’ radius of a public well, he will need to apply for a permit (like all homeowners). Before that permit will be issued, the homeowner will have to show there has been no prior contamination of the groundwater from his septic system, nor is there likely to be in the future because of the topography around his septic and the depth of the groundwater. Crestview already does, and has pledged to provide in the future, the testing and costs for this proof. If there is no prior contamination of the water source from that system (which there never has been in the 70 years Crestview has operated wells in this area), and if there is limited potential for future contamination based on soil depth, texture, and separation from groundwater (which is next to impossible given the clay-like soil here and the fact that the groundwater is more than 500 feet below the deepest seepage pits), nothing further needs to be done, and the owner’s permit will be issued so he can repair or replace the seepage pit.

There are 48 septic systems within 600’ of the proposed wells that would fall under the testing requirement outlined in the policy (19 within 600’ of Well 7, and 29 within 600’ of Well 8). Is there a possibility that any of those septic systems, all over 500 feet above the groundwater basin in this area? Absent some phenomenon that is unlikely to ever happen in the 30-year lifetime of these wells, the answer is a resounding NO. 

The policy included 9.4.11 exactly for this reason: to provide exceptions to the setback requirement where the groundwater in a particular area of the state is so low, and the soil so impermeable, that contamination just won’t happen. And Crestivew shareholders can, and should, indemnify against the infinitesimally small risk that this could occur. A far greater and more realistic concern is losing all of our homes to fire, when lack of access to our own water source subjects us to extreme drought restriction measures, turning the Las Posas hillside into a tinderbox.

The actual drilling of the well will take approximately ten to fourteen days, working 24 hours a day.   Then the work site will be shut down for approximately three to four weeks, then another ten days of working 24 hours a day.  During overnight work, County regulations require sound levels not to exceed 45 dB at the property line.  Crestview is required by county standards and their construction permit conditions to meet that standard.  Crestview will have on site real time monitoring and recording to ensure compliance.   

During daylight, the noise is allowed up to 65 dB.   See the link below to understand sound levels and what 45 dB equal is to.

https://www.soundstop.co.uk/decibel-scale

Additionally, Crestview has offered to pay up to $500 per day for cost incurred for any impacted shareholders that want to relocate during the overnight construction times.

Noise during ongoing operations is significantly easier to control versus construction noise.  Again, per county regulations, all noise must be below 45 dB at the property line during night time and not to exceed 65 dB during daylight hours.  Crestview does not operate wells during nighttime, normal operational hours for our wells is 8:00a.m. to 4:00p,m., seven days per week.   See the link below to understand sound levels and what is 45 dB equal to.

https://www.soundstop.co.uk/decibel-scale

There are many options to control operational noise.   A well at 191 Alviso would  have various types and layers of insulation for a turbine well.   Anyone that is concerned with operational noise is encouraged to tour Well #4 with Crestview staff and experience first-hand any operational noise while the well is online.  Shareholders have done this and found the wells to be incredibly quiet.

CC&R’s are restrictions.  Meaning if something is not prohibited, it is generally permitted. One of the objections to the well claimed by the HOA  is a “no drilling” provision. But clearly not all drilling is precluded.  We are all allowed to drill to install a septic tank, for instance, or drill to run electrical/gas lines. We are allowed to drill for necessary utilities. What is precluded is turning lots into mining operations for minerals or oil.  The language is important.  Section 12 actually reads:  "No oil drilling, operation, oil refining, quarrying, or mining operations of any kind shall be permitted upon any Lot or Common Area, nor shall oil wells, tanks, tunnels or mineral excavations or shafts be permitted upon the surface of any Lot or within five hundred (500) feet below the surface thereof.” “Oil drilling,” “quarrying,” and “mining” are specific terms that have nothing to do with water.  

The only thing that mentions water at all is the next sentence: "No derrick or other structure designed for use in boring for water, oil, or natural gas shall be erected, maintained or permitted upon any Lot or Common Area.”… but not all drilling operations require a derrick. The CC&Rs implicitly allow boring for water, as they only limit derrick or similar structures to be erected for that activity. It defies common sense that the CC&Rs preclude boring for water, or wells, in an area that is not connected to any other water source. Moreover, we already have a pump and well on a lot, (Well #4) so the CC&Rs have allowed them before.

• False! 

Our water company knew that we would need new wells and began “digging a new well” long before our existing wells would go dry.

In 2012, realizing Wells #4 and #5 would not last forever, Crestview began to look for a new location for a well. An analysis of a cross-view of sections of former Well #3, and then-existing Well #4 and #5, was performed to determine the best chance of tapping into water in the aquifer.

The Crestview Board was then presented with a map of the best location to look for a new well. Crestview staff and Board of Directors determined that, based on the known aquifers in the water basin beneath the Las Posas area, the optimal location capable of delivering water to all zones served by Crestview was in between decommissioned Well #3 (on Avocado Dr.) and Well #4 (on Alviso Dr., near the corner of Valley Vista).

Further consideration was given to the varying pressure zones that needed to be served, which are largely determined by altitude. The optimal location was at the edge of Pressure Zone 3, ideally near the intersection of Alviso Drive and La Patera, where existing infrastructure was already in place.

Very close to that location was the vacant, undeveloped lot at 191 Alviso Dr. 

In 2015, because of its optimal location for water access, its similar situation within the area in which Well #4 had so successfully served the Crestview shareholders, its proximity to existing infrastructure, its relatively large size and flat terrain compared to other locations, and its reasonable price, Crestview Mutual Water Company purchased the lot at 191 Alviso Dr. for $505,000, and began plans for Well #7 to be built.

Some shareholders later criticized Crestview for its decision to purchase 191 Alviso Dr. and proceed with plans based on its internal study and assessment of the fitness of the parcel for a new well. However, many shareholders view the decision as reasonable and prudent, especially given the proximity of existing infrastructure that would minimize capital outlay, the relatively low building structure planned that – unlike a large home – would not interfere with neighbors’ views, and the successful use of Well #4 right up the street.

No decision is ever perfect, and developing a parcel that people have grown used to seeing vacant can provoke an emotional reaction. But we need water, and we need a new well. The Board’s, and Crestview’s, foresight in trying to anticipate our needs and plan accordingly by buying 191 Alviso Dr. for Well 7 was – to many of us – reasonable and prudent, reflecting good stewardship of our company.

Well #7 will provide a safe, beautiful way for our shareholders to get water:

Well 7 Intersection View Well 7 West View 

• False. 

Several other sites have been studied but 191 Alviso Drive checks all the boxes for water availability, efficiency and the greater good of ALL shareholders.

Identifying the best location for a public water well is no easy task. Myriad factors must be considered, all of which are a trade-off. Some sites are cost prohibitive.

Crestview has always been, and continues to be, open to consider other sites for new wells. Shareholders need to understand the complexity of finding a location, though, that has access to the preferred water basin, provides roughly 10,000 square feet of usable space to get the drilling rig into place, does not have a steep slope, connects to our existing infrastructure (installing piping increases costs dramatically), has a discharge location for well development water, is not too close to agriculture (where nitrate runoff from fertilizing can – and does – permeate soil into groundwater), and can deliver water to all zones (including upper elevations).

In 2021, because of objections to the location of Well 7 on Alviso, Crestview commissioned a siting study to see if four suggested alternatives were practical. All had significant drawbacks to the lot at 191 Alviso.

Should other options arise, Crestview can and will consider them. But the frivolous objections that have been made to Crestview’s plans in the past have put all of us in jeopardy; endless delay is not an option.

Vibration impacts have been calculated using industry standard procedures and are far below the threshold for damage to structures. It is a widespread practice to drill water wells near structures, especially in rural areas that do not have a local water supplier.

Vibration Impact Assessment