How much groundwater can be removed by the “San Miguel Ranch” development project?
SMART has requested that the County study this issue. Our agricultural areas rely on the existing ground water and the main concern is with ground water overdraft by the proposed development project and the additional diversion of thousand of gallons of ground water to the San Miguel Community Services District. The four main issues are: (1) Long term overpumping at the “San Miguel Ranch” development will exceed natural replenishment; (2) Overdrafting of ground water supply is costly and could result in increased pumping of existing wells, deepening of existing wells or drilling of new wells, reduction in ground water quality, and reduced ground water aquifer capacity; and (3) The legality of proposed groundwater appropriation and diversion between the developer and the San Miguel Community Services Distirct, with the DIstrict’s unlimited capacity of groundwater diversion for existing and future urban growth.
