1. Basin Near Full Capacity — Groundwater Levels at ~95% and Rising As of February 25, 2026, the Ojai Valley Groundwater Basin is at approximately 95% capacity (~76,000 acre-feet) with a depth to water of 50.38 feet at the key monitoring well. Basin consultant Jordan Mason noted the basin is on the verge of being "supercharged," meaning it may soon reach a point where it physically cannot accept additional recharge. At least one well (the Hartman Tree Farm well) and a correlative aquifer at the south Fulton Street depth-discrete monitoring well are already flowing artesian, and others closer to the foothills are expected to begin soon. For growers, this means current water availability is strong, but rejected recharge (water the basin can't absorb) is increasing.
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