Private Well Owners (PWOs) includes water users that rely upon groundwater wells operated independently of any large public water agency to supply water for drinking, or domestic uses, or commercial/industrial/institutional/recreational uses, or agricultural irrigation. PWOs include various types of uses/users, including:
- Private wells serving up to four households for domestic use
- Small water systems and their customers
- Well users for commercial, industrial, recreational, or institutional uses
- Agricultural irrigation wells
PWOs were engaged in the development of the Basin GSP and continue to be involved in the GSP implementation. A sustainably managed groundwater Basin benefits all users.
Solicitation for Private Well Owner Directors (October, 2025)
The Agency is seeking volunteers to fill two openings for the Private Well Owner Directors on the Agency Board. Applications are due by 4 P.M. on October 29, 2025. Additional information is provided in the application form.
| Date | Description |
| October 1 | Application period opens |
|
October 16 7 p.m. |
Information Session: Attendance is optional. The purpose is too share information and answer questions from potential applicants about the MGA, the Mid-County Groundwater Basin, Board roles and responsibilities, an drelated topics. Attendees may join in-person or attend remotely online In-person meeting location: 7807 Soquel Drive, Aptos hosted at the Community Foundation Santa Cruz County Remote meeting via Zoom: A Zoom meeting link will be posted on the MGA website in advance. |
|
October 23 10 a.m. to noon |
Drop-in Hours: Attendance is optional. Two current MGA Private Well Owner representatives will answer questions from potential applicants |
|
October 29 4 p.m. |
Application deadline: application period closes |
|
November 17, 18, 19 subject to change |
Interviews: top ranking applicants will be interviewed. Interviews will be approximately 30 minutes.
|
| December 11 | Nominating Committee will present its recommendations to the Board at the MGA Board Meeting. Board will consider/approve two PWO Directors. |
Wondering if you live in the Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Basin?
Follow this link to the SGMA interactive map.
Private Well Owners in the Basin are encouraged to:
1) Sign up to the MGA electronic newsletter. We use the email list to distribute quarterly e-news updates on MGA news and events;
2) Attend MGA meetings to learn more about Basin groundwater management and share your ideas.
Typical Domestic Well Users
The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) defines a “de minimis” user as “a person who extracts, for domestic purposes, two acre-feet or less of groundwater per year.” Most private users with a domestic well use less than two acre-feet of water per year. The average household uses approximately one-third of an acre-foot per year. If your household relies on a single domestic well and you are not watering crops or large areas of landscape, it is likely that you are a de minimis user.
Board Representation
To ensure that the concerns and interests of PWOs are represented within the Mid-County Groundwater Agency (MGA), the Board of Directors includes three Directors and one Alternate Director who represent the interests of the private well owners in the Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Basin. To be eligible to serve as a Director, a PWO representative must:
- Own, manage, or be served by a private or shared domestic well within the Basin; or
- Manage or be served by a small water system that uses groundwater within the Baisn; or
- Utilize an irrigation well for commercial, industrial, institutional, recreationhal, or agricultural purposes within the Basin.
Metering for Larger (non de minimis) Users
Under SGMA, the MGA has the authority to require registration, installation of meters, and reporting by larger, non-de minimis wells (users extracting more than 2 acre-feet per year). In June 2024, the MGA Board of Directors adopted a policy requiring well registration, metering, and reporting for certain non- de minimis groundwater users. All private wells used for commercial or agricultural purposes that pump more than 5 acre-feet per year are required to install meters and report groundwater extraction. Similarly, wells in priority areas, defined as along the coast and within 1,000 feet of interconnected surface waters that pump more than 2 acre-feet per year are also required to install meters and report groundwater extraction.
The well registration, metering, and reporting requirements policy requires well registration by December 31, 2024 and meter installation by September 30, 2025. For more information visit Metering Program.
Free Residential Well Water Quality Testing
The County of Santa Cruz offers a free water quality testing program in Santa Cruz County for residents who rely on a household water well. Testing services are available in both English and Spanish. To schedule a free testing, call (844) 613-5152 or visit www.centralcoastwelltesting.org.
The free residential well testing initiative aims to provide vital information on potential health risks associated with harmful substances in drinking water. Participating residents will receive comprehensive testing results and guidance to protect their wells from contamination. High levels of contaminants in drinking water can have serious health effects, particularly for vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and young children. All residents are encouraged to take advantage of this complimentary, non-regulatory testing service.
Questions
If you have questions, please direct them to MGA Basin Point of Contact at basinpoc@midcountygroundwater.org.