Channel Islands Beach Community Services District Residents:

You may have or will be receiving in the mail a notice from the OPV Coalition pertaining to a groundwater adjudication action (lawsuit) they have filed.  The OPV Coalition is a group of primarily agricultural property owners who are asking the court to quantify and determine rights to pump or store groundwater in the Oxnard/Pleasant Valley Groundwater Basins.  As part of the lawsuit, the OPV Coalition is required to notify all persons who might have a legal interest in the Oxnard/ Pleasant Valley Groundwater Basins of the lawsuit, so that any party wishing to assert the right to pump or store groundwater in the Basins may participate in the lawsuit.

District customers have been notified because they own property within these groundwater basins. However, ownership of property does not mean a person must participate in the lawsuit. Only parties wishing to assert the right to pump or store groundwater must participate. Generally, these include parties that have a groundwater well on their property or intend to install a groundwater well on their property in the future. District customers who rely exclusively on the District to provide domestic water service to their parcels need not participate in the lawsuit as the District will be participating in the lawsuit to ensure the District’s rights are protected and it continues to have access to groundwater for its customers. If you feel you may have a protectable interest in groundwater from the Oxnard/Pleasant Valley Groundwater Basins, you are encouraged to contact an attorney to protect such interest.

Disclaimer: The District is providing this information to its customers in an effort to be helpful, and as a matter of convenience, but the information should not be interpreted as legal advice. The District is not a legal expert and is not in a position to be providing its customers with legal advice. If a customer has questions regarding the specific nature of the OPV lawsuit, including whether the customer has or should be asserting water rights in the lawsuit, the customer is advised to consult with an attorney.