History and Responsibility
The San Gabriel Valley Groundwater Basin (as identified by the California Department of Water Resources in its Bulletin 118) is a large alluvial filled basin which drains through a hydrogeologic constriction named the Whittier Narrows, which is located in the vicinity of the Whittier Narrows Dam. For the purposes of clarity, Section 3 of the Long Beach Judgment provides a definition of the “Upper Area” and the “Lower Area”; in general, the area above Whittier Narrows is typically referred to as the “Upper Area”, while the area below Whittier Narrows is typically referred to as the “Lower Area”. This drainage occurs as surface water runoff mainly in the San Gabriel River and Rio Hondo, and as subsurface flow through the Whittier Narrows. This drainage supplies water to the Central Basin (Lower) area, the area located below Whittier Narrows. The surface flow and subsurface flow replenish the Central Basin alluvium and groundwater supply.
Water Rights Over 80 years ago the surface water rights in the San Gabriel River watershed were obtained by filings with the State of California by the San Gabriel Valley Protective Association. This filing was on behalf of all of the groundwater pumpers in the San Gabriel River System from the San Gabriel Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. The San Gabriel Valley Protective Association has maintained those water rights and submits the required reports to the State of California.
History of Judgment In the 1950’s the Upper Area increased development which led to a decrease in the amount of water draining through the Whittier Narrows. In 1959 the Lower Area parties filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court to resolve the issue. Both sides formed committees, and hired lawyers, engineers and geologists to resolve the problem. In 1962 the two committees agreed on a “Statement of Principles”. These principles were drafted into a Stipulated Judgment which subsequently was approved by all parties and the court, and became final on February 10, 1965 with an effective starting date of October 1, 1963 and is entitled “Board of Water Commissioners of the City of Long Beach, et al., vs. San Gabriel Valley Water Company, et al.”
Judgment Provisions The Judgment provides that the Lower Area is entitled to a long-term average of 98,415 acre-feet of water per year (AFY). This entitlement amount is increased or decreased annually depending upon both ten year running average rainfall and long-term rainfall in the San Gabriel Valley. The water entitlement delivery to the Lower Area by the Upper Area includes surface flows originating in the Upper Area that percolates into the Lower Area as groundwater recharge, subsurface flows through the Whittier Narrows, and Upper Area water exported through the Whittier Narrows via pipelines or other conduits (limited to 23,395 AFY). Excluded from the usable surface flows are Lower Area replenishment water and recycled water.
When the supply of water from Upper Area exceeds the entitlement to the Lower Area, the Upper Area receives a credit. When the supply is less than the entitlement, there is an Upper Area debit. The debit must be made up in either water or money, unless the Upper Area has an existing credit. Credits and debits are carried over and currently an Upper Area credit exists.
Parties to the Long Beach Judgment
PARTIES TO JUDGMENT
CITY OF LONG BEACH, ET AL, VS.
SAN GABRIEL VALLEY WATER CO., ET AL, CASE NO. 722647 – LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Court
Clerk of Superior Court (Case No. 722647)
Plaintiffs
Board of Water Commissioners of the City of Long Beach
Central Basin Municipal Water District
City of Compton
Defendants
San Gabriel Valley Water Company
(includes, by merger, Vallecito Water Company)
Azusa Agricultural Water Company
Azusa Valley Water Company
California-American Water Company
(successor to California Water and Telephone Company)
Covina Irrigating Company (now Covina Valley Water Company)
(includes, by merger Valencia Heights Water Company)
East Pasadena Water Company, Ltd. (sold to California-American Water
Company)
Glendora Irrigating Company (now City of Glendora)
Golden State Water Company (formerly known as Southern California
Water Company)
Suburban Water Systems
Sunny Slope Water Company
City of Alhambra
City of Arcadia
City of Azusa
City of Covina
City of El Monte
City of Glendora
City of Industry (successor to Cross Water Company)
City of Monrovia
City of Monterey Park
City of South Pasadena
San Gabriel County Water District
Valley County Water District (formerly known as Baldwin Park County Water District)
Intervenors
Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District
California Domestic Water Company
Water Replenishment District of Southern California
River Watermasters
San Gabriel River Watermaster The determinations required by the Long Beach Judgment, including Lower Area Entitlement, Usable Water received by the Lower Area, Upper Area Credits and Debits, and any Make-up Water requirements are made by a three-person Court appointed Watermaster. One is nominated to the Court by the Upper Area, one by the Lower Area and a third is jointly nominated.
On November 12, 1965, the initial three-member Watermaster was appointed by the Court, namely Thomas M. Stetson representing the Upper Area, Max Bookman representing the Lower Area, and M. E. Salsbury representing both areas. In 2011, Stephen B. Johnson was appointed to replace Mr. Stetson for the Upper Area. In 1986, Richard A. Rhone was appointed to replace Mr. Bookman for the Lower Area, and in 2025 Theodore A. Johnson was appointed to replace Mr. Rhone. In 1985, Howard H. Haile was appointed to replace Mr. Salsbury for both areas. In 2002, Glenn A. Brown was appointed to replace Mr. Haile, and in 2016 Robert P. Ghirelli was appointed to replace Mr. Brown.
The Watermaster is funded equally by the intervenors Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District and the Water Replenishment District of Southern California based on a submitted and approved annual budget.
Activities of the Watermaster
Surface Flow
The Watermaster relies, to the extent practical, on data and information collected by others. This includes surface flow measurements made by the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works and the United States Geological Survey on behalf of the Corps of Engineers. Circumstances have made it advisable to make monthly measurements of surface flow in the Rio Hondo and Mission Creek at about San Gabriel Boulevard. Data on imported water is obtained from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and reclaimed water data is obtained from the County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County. The Watermaster supplements these measurements as needed.
Export of Groundwater
Local water purveyors provide information to the River Watermaster of transport of water in their pipelines from the Upper Area to the Lower Area.
Subsurface Flow
Subsurface flow is determined by preparing a contour map of the groundwater surface elevations (during the Spring and Fall of each year) through the Whittier Narrows.This requires the measurement of static water levels in wells several times a year. Data is collected by the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works and by the Cross-Connection Laboratory of USC on behalf of the San Gabriel Valley Protective Association. The River Watermaster coordinates with USC and makes quarterly water level measurements at several wells above and below the narrowest section of the Whittier Narrows. When necessary, the Watermaster has installed permitted monitoring wells for this purpose.
Annual Report
The Judgment requires the River Watermaster to prepare an Annual Report within 5 months of the end of the water year (end of February). Certain data is required in that Report with the major items being the amount of annual entitlement, the amount of water received and the accumulated water credit or debit in supply.
Watermasters Bios
Steve Johnson
Upper Area Watermaster
Stephen (“Steve”) Johnson, President and a Principal of Stetson Engineers Inc., is the supervising engineer in charge of the Covina office and has 48 years of experience. Mr. Johnson supervises, directs, or performs in a wide variety of projects. Mr. Johnson has been involved in a multitude of studies and projects, maintains close contact with all active clients, and attends meetings regularly for public clients. He has been involved in the design and construction management of water system infrastructure (pipelines, wells, pump stations, treatment facilities, etc.), groundwater management studies, groundwater remediation projects, water quality reports, water system master plans, water system analyses, water rights quantification and analysis, supplemental water requirement studies, alternative water supply studies, annual reports, and project feasibility studies. Mr. Johnson has extensive experience with municipal and water district level issues in southern California, having been working directly as Consulting Engineer for the Main San Gabriel Basin Watermaster and District Engineer for several water agencies in Southern California on such matters as water system infrastructure, water supply, water quality, management, and financing.
Ted Johnson
Lower Area Watermaster
Theodore (“Ted”) Johnson serves as the Lower Area Watermaster under the Long Beach Judgment. He is a retired hydrogeologist with more than 35 years of experience in groundwater management, including 25 years with the Water Replenishment District of Southern California, where he served as Chief Hydrogeologist, Administrative Body Watermaster for the Central Basin and West Coast Basin adjudications, and Assistant General Manager. Mr. Johnson is a California Professional Geologist and Certified Hydrogeologist and has authored or co-authored more than 80 technical publications and presentations on groundwater and environmental topics.
Bob Ghirelli
Upper Area/Lower Area Watermaster
Robert (“Bob”) Ghirelli serves as the Upper Area/Lower Area Watermaster for the San Gabriel River Watermaster. He is retired with more than 40 years of experience in water quality, water resources and utility management, retiring in 2018 as Assistant General Manager with the Orange County Sanitation District, after serving for 13 years as ExecutiveOfficer of the Los Angeles/Ventura Regional Water Quality Control Board. He is a graduate of UCLA with an undergraduate degree in bacteriology and a doctorate in environmental science and engineering, and holds a master’s degree in environmental health science from California State University Northridge.