The following definitions apply to this article.
ADMINISTRATOR. The person to whom authority and responsibility for implementing and enforcing this article is delegated by the enforcing agency. The Administrator shall have the power to hold hearings, certify environmental review documents, issue, condition, revise and revoke permits and to designate deputies to assist in carrying out these duties.
CONJUNCTIVE USE or CONJUNCTIVE OPERATION. The coordinated operation of a groundwater basin and surface water supplies to artificially recharge a basin during rainy seasons or years of above-average precipitation so that groundwater can be withdrawn during dry seasons or years of below-average precipitation when surface supplies are less than normal. CONJUNCTIVE OPERATION also refers to meeting the needs of an area within the county through the coordinated use of groundwater during years when surface water is not available.
CULTURE or LAND USE. The use or land cover existing under natural conditions or as modified by humans.
DOMESTIC WATER SERVICE. A water distribution system for the provision of water exclusively to residential, commercial and related land uses, including, but not limited to, water used within a residence or commercial building and irrigation of landscaping, water distribution system used for the irrigation of non-commercial agriculture crops or a water distribution system providing water intended for use within the area of a subdivision with an approved tentative or final map.
DOMESTIC WATER WELL. A well devoted exclusively to the residential and related yard, garden and barnyard uses within the curtilage of a dwelling located on the same parcel of land as the served dwelling house or upon another parcel of land respecting which the owner of the served dwelling has a legally cognizable interest in the nature of real property. Such uses as recognized in this section do not include the growing of crops, or production of other agricultural commodities for commercial purposes.
ENFORCING AGENCY. San Benito County Water District, which is hereby appointed to be and shall be the enforcing agency, as that term is used in this article, and is delegated the authority of the county in implementing and enforcing this article. The ENFORCING AGENCY may appoint an Administrator, and the authority of the enforcing agency shall be exercised by its duly appointed Administrator, except as to such actions as are required to be taken by the Board of the enforcing agency, such as the hearing of appeals from the actions of the Administrator.
EXTRACT. To withdraw by physical process.
GROUNDWATER AQUIFER, CONFINED. A body of groundwater overlain by material sufficiently impervious to sever free hydraulic connection with overlying groundwater except at the intake.
GROUNDWATER, CONFINED. Water in the zone of saturation. GROUNDWATER is presumed to be percolating, although it may also occur in known and definite channels.
GROUNDWATER, FREE (UNCONFINED). Groundwater found in the zone of saturation whenever the upper surface of the zone forms a water table under atmospheric pressure, free to rise and fall with changes in volume of stored water.
HYDRAULIC GRADIENT. The slope of the groundwater table.
HYDROLOGY. The origin, distribution and circulation of water through precipitation, streamflow, infiltration, groundwater storage and evaporation.
IMPORTED WATER. Water transported into a watershed from a different watershed. Native water is water naturally within a watershed that is available to recharge the groundwater basin absent man-made improvements and projects.
INJECT. To place, put, force, or introduce into the underground by means of a well.
LEGAL LOT. Any legal lot recognized under the Subdivision Map Act as a valid parcel.
MINING. Extracting groundwater by any means, including pumping and the use of artesian wells, from any aquifer within the County of San Benito which, in contemplation of existing extractions of groundwater used beneficially upon lands overlying the aquifer within the county exceeds the reasonably foreseeable replenishment potential of the watershed’s native water.
OVERDRAFT. The condition of a groundwater basin where the amount of water withdrawn exceeds the amount of water replenishing the basin over a period of years that encompasses both dry and wet years. OVERDRAFT occurs at the point at which extractions from the basin exceed its safe yield plus any temporary surplus.
PERCOLATION. The movement of water through the soil to the groundwater table.
PERMEABILITY. The capability of soil or other geologic formation to transmit water.
PERSON. Any entity whether the entity is a natural person, a partnership of any form, a corporation, an unincorporated association or a governmental agency.
PIEZOMETRIC SURFACE. The surface to which the water in a confined aquifer will rise under atmospheric pressure.
POROSITY. The voids or open spaces in alluvium, other soils and rocks that can be filled with water.
POTABLE WATER. Water which meets the minimum drinking water standards, primary and secondary, as specified in Cal. Code of Regulations Title 22, Division 4, Chapter 15.
PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM. A water system operated to serve more than five domestic connections, including water systems operated by public agencies, including, without limitation, public utilities, county service areas, community services districts, municipalities and water districts.
RADIUS OF INFLUENCE. The radial distance from the center of a well bore to the point where there is no lowering of the water table or potentiometric surface (the edge of the well’s cone of depression).
RECHARGE. The flow to groundwater storage from precipitation, infiltration from streams, irrigation, spreading basins, and other sources of water.
SAFE YIELD. The maximum quantity of water which can be withdrawn annually from a groundwater supply under a given set of conditions without causing an undesirable result. The phrase “undesirable result” is intended to include water quality degradation, land subsidence and/or gradual lowering of the groundwater levels resulting in, or tending to result in, the eventual depletion of or the substantial diminution of the supply of available groundwater or its quality.
SALT WATER INTRUSION. The movement of salt water into fresh water aquifers.
SPECIFIC CAPACITY. The volume of water that can be pumped from a well in gallons per minute per foot of drawdown.
SPREADING WATER. The discharge of water to a permeable area for the purpose of allowing it to percolate to the zone of saturation. Spreading, artificial recharge and replenishment all refer to operations use to place water in a groundwater basin.
TRANSMISSIVITY. The rate of flow of water through an aquifer.
USEABLE STORAGE. The quantity of groundwater of acceptable quality that can be economically withdrawn from storage.
VALID TENTATIVE MAP. Any parcel or tentative map which has not expired, which has been processed in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act and the Subdivision Map Act and which has been approved by the appropriate decision-making body of the County of San Benito.
VALID USE PERMIT. Any discretionary land use permit which has not expired, which has been processed in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act and which has been reviewed and approved by the appropriate decision- making body of the County of San Benito.
WATER TABLE. The surface where groundwater is encountered in a well in an unconfined aquifer.
ZONE OF SATURATION. The area below the water table in which the soil is completely saturated with groundwater.
(1966 Code, § 7C-1.10) (Ord. 664, § 1(part); Ord. 778, § 1(part))