McAlpine Lake owner told to pay for the well water he uses at
recreational facility
Looking for a better source of water three years ago, Randy
McAlpine went drilling.
Searching deep under the soil, on Oct.15, 2007 the owner of
McAlpine Lake near San Juan Bautista drilled more than 1,000 feet
deep before he ran into a
”
gold mine
”
of water, and the water is sparkling clean. Users pay to camp
and fish at the lake.
Straight from its source, the water is clear and blue. It’s so
clean, the McAlpines don’t need to put anything in it. The water is
pure, said Randy McAlpine’s wife, Melanie.
And the difference between this new water source and the
county’s San Felipe water is dramatic.
Randy McAlpine, who developed the man-made lake in 1999, said
the county’s water had an odor and it wasn’t clean.
”
It came a time where the water wasn’t very good,
”
he said.
”
It had an odor to it and I decided to get another well.
”
McAlpine Lake owner told to pay for the well water he uses at recreational facility
Looking for a better source of water three years ago, Randy McAlpine went drilling.
Searching deep under the soil, on Oct.15, 2007 the owner of McAlpine Lake near San Juan Bautista drilled more than 1,000 feet deep before he ran into a “gold mine” of water, and the water is sparkling clean. Users pay to camp and fish at the lake.
Straight from its source, the water is clear and blue. It’s so clean, the McAlpines don’t need to put anything in it. The water is pure, said Randy McAlpine’s wife, Melanie.
And the difference between this new water source and the county’s San Felipe water is dramatic.
Randy McAlpine, who developed the man-made lake in 1999, said the county’s water had an odor and it wasn’t clean.
“It came a time where the water wasn’t very good,” he said. “It had an odor to it and I decided to get another well.”
The new well went deeper into the county’s surface than any other well in the area, he said. From that source came the sparkling water that fills the lake.
For nearly three years, the McAlpines pulled the water – the original source is unclear and the federal government called it “ancient” – with no restrictions from the county.
That changed recently when McAlpine found out he was part of District 6, where no matter the source, the county charges landowners for pulling water from the ground.
From the county’s perspective, all water in the ground of District 6 belongs to the county, said Jeff Cattaneo, the manager of San Benito County Water District.
On Tuesday, Randy McAlpine met with Cattaneo to discuss why McAlpine must pay for pulling water from a source he discovered.
“It’s not a big deal,” McAlpine said. “We are talking about a small amount of money.”
In District 6, all land owners have access to the “blue valve” San Felipe water that the water district supplies but the district’s law, which was voted on and passed, stipulates that all residents inside must pay a fee for drilling a well.
The fee is $22.50 per acre-foot for a business that is considered municipal or industrial and only $2.50 per acre-foot if the water is used for agricultural purposes.
That’s something McAlpine was unaware of when he first drilled, he said.
“I knew there would be some sort of pumping fee but certainly something different than 20-something dollars” per acre-foot, he said.
Currently, McAlpine pulls 10 to 12 acre-feet per month from the well, but that number can vary.
McAlpine has contested to the county that the water was on his property and was separate from the county’s source, he said.
The water was protected by “impenetrable” blue clay for more than a million years before he drilled into the source, he said.
The United States Geological Survey agreed the water had been protected for a long time, McAlpine said, noting how the USGS called the water “heavy and ancient.”
“I asked where is it coming from and they said I don’t know,” McAlpine said. “It could be from Canada. They didn’t know. Nobody knows.”
Part of the water could have seeped from the county’s reserves – it’s impossible to know, Cattaneo said.
“It doesn’t matter – all the water is fused together,” he said. “You can’t determine if the drops of water were already there or the drops of water came from another source.”
McAlpine said he would have no problem paying a fee for pumping the water but he thinks he shouldn’t be listed as an industrial zone.
“There is an issue in regards, if we are an industrial,” he said. “We are described as a recreational area and because of that we are listed as an industrial land.”
Cattaneo said he disagrees because the water isn’t used for any agricultural practices – instead it fills up the McAlpine Lake. No matter what, the McAlpines said they plan to avoid any bigger issues with the county.
“I support the county,” Randy McAlpine said. “I support their efforts with what they are doing. I don’t want to be the odd guy out. Whatever is right … we will do the right thing.”
