“Conjunctive use, conjunctive operation” means the coordinated operation of a groundwater basin and surface water supplies. One purpose in the management of the groundwater base is to allow recharge of a basin during years of above-average precipitation by relying on the use of surface sources so that groundwater can be withdrawn during years of below-average precipitation, when surface supplies are less than normal.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.

“Domestic water well” means 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.

“Exportation” means the transport of groundwater for use on property other than the parcel on which the well and/or spring, which is the source of the groundwater, is located, or on contiguous property thereto.

“Groundwater” means all water which is below the surface of the earth which is capable of being extracted and includes, but is not limited to, water occurring in a defined pool or aquifer.

“Hydraulic gradient” means the slope of the water table.

“Hydrology” means the origin, distribution, and circulation of water through precipitation, streamflow, infiltration, groundwater storage, and evaporation.

“Imported water” means water transported into a watershed from a different watershed. Native water is water naturally occurring within a watershed.

“Mining” means the extraction and exportation of groundwater by any means, including but not limited to the use of pumping or the collection of water flowing from springs, which, in contemplation of preexisting extractions of groundwater and the reasonably foreseeable beneficial uses to which groundwater from the aquifer could be made to lands overlying the aquifer within the county, exceeds the reasonably foreseeable replenishment potential of the watersheds based upon natural precipitation.

“Overdraft” means the condition of a groundwater basin where the amount of water extracted exceeds the amount of water replenishing the basin over a period of time (which for purposes of this chapter shall be an annual cycle) and includes, but is not limited to, the point at which extractions from the basin exceed its safe yield plus any temporary surplus.

“Percolation” means the movement of water through the soil.

“Permeability” means the capability of soil or other geologic formation to transmit water.

“Piezometric surface” means the surface to which the water in a confined aquifer will rise.

“Porosity” means the voids or open spaces in alluvium, other soils and/or rocks that can be filled with water.

“Recharge” means the flow of water into groundwater storage from precipitation, infiltration from streams, irrigation, spreading basins, and other sources of water.

“Safe yield” means the maximum quantity of water which can be withdrawn annually from a groundwater supply under a given set of conditions without causing overdraft or adverse water quality conditions or an undesirable result. The phrase “undesirable result” is intended to refer to a lowering of the groundwater levels resulting in, or tending to result in, the eventual depletion of or the substantial diminution of the supply of water. Specifically, “safe yield” shall include, but not be limited to, an amount of water which can be withdrawn without:

“Specific capacity” means the volume of water pumped from a well in gallons per minute per foot of drawdown.

“Spreading water” means the discharging native or imported 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 used to place water in a groundwater basin.

“Transmissivity” means the rate of flow of water through an aquifer.

“Useable storage capacity” means the quantity of groundwater of acceptable quality that can be economically withdrawn from storage.

“Water table” means the distance below the surface where groundwater is encountered in a well in an unconfined aquifer. (Ord. 865, eff. 4/16/98)