The Watermaster is dedicated to transparency in its activities to sustainably manage the Borrego Springs Subbasin. Parties to the Judgment and non-Parties may submit requests to receive Watermaster data and information.
The Requestor must complete and sign a Standard Release Relating to Data and Models (Release Form), which documents the Requestor’s contact information, the specific request, and the intended use of the data/information. The Release Form also describes the conditions and limitations on the use of the data/information.
A non-Party to the Judgment must reimburse the Watermaster for the cost to fulfill the request. A Party to the Judgment is not required to reimburse the Watermaster, unless the cost exceeds $500.
To Request Information:
- Download the Standard Release Relating to Data and Models (Release Form)
- Complete and sign the Release Form
- Email the completed Release Form to borregospringswm@westyost.com
Once your Release Form has been submitted, Watermaster staff will review the request. If there is a fee associated with fulfilling the data request, Watermaster staff will estimate and document the cost to fulfill the request in a form titled Agreement to Reimburse Watermaster Costs for Delivery of Data and/or Models. This form will be sent to the Requestor as an invoice which must be paid in full prior to Watermaster fulfilling the request.
Types of Data, Information, or Studies that may be Requested:
- Watermaster-prepared Reports
- Watermaster-collected data, such as: well information; groundwater-pumping data; groundwater-elevation data; surface-water data; water-quality data
- Model files and associated documentation
- Performance of studies or evaluations (e.g., performance of model runs)
Considerations:
- The Watermaster is not a public agency and the Board can exercise discretion on fulfillment of individual requests for information.
- Prior to fulfilling a request, the Board can consider the identity of the Requestor, the data and information being requested, and the intended use of the data/information before approving the request.
- When applicable, the Requestor must reimburse the Watermaster for the cost of responding to the request.
- While most data and information collected and maintained by the Watermaster will be made available to the public, well-specific and owner-specific data/information for private wells will only be provided under certain circumstances. Those circumstances include:
- If the Watermaster and private well owner have executed a confidentiality agreement that permits the release of the data/information.
- The Requestor has permission from the private well owner to obtain the data/information and provides evidence of such permission to the Watermaster.
- The Requestor is the well owner from which the data/information were collected.