CHRONOLOGY

Chronology of Major Actions in the Santa Margarita River Watershed

  • 1840’s – Grants issued for Rancho Santa Margarita (now Camp Pendleton) and four separate ranchos in Temecula area
  • 1875 – Cahuilla Reservation established
  • 1882 – Pechanga Reservation established
  • 1882 – O’Neill purchased 202,000 acre Rancho Santa Margarita
  • 1883 – Towns of Temecula and Murrieta established
  • 1891 – Ramona Reservation established
  • 1904 – Walter Vail buys 87,500 acre ranch
  • 1924 – Rancho Santa Margarita sued Vail Ranch
  • 1925 – FPUD began diversions from Santa Margarita River
  • 1940 – Stipulated Judgment entered in Rancho Santa Margarita v. Vail Ranch
  • 1942 – U.S. Navy condemned Rancho Santa Margarita to establish Camp Pendleton
  • 1948 – Imported water from MWD delivered to Fallbrook area
  • 1948 – Vail Dam completed
  • 1951 – U.S. filed complaint in US District Court to quiet title to water rights in U.S. v FPUD, et al.
  • 1962 – Colonel A.C. Bowen appointed as the first Watermaster
  • 1965 – Rancho California Water District formed
  • 1966 – Modified Final Judgment and Decree for U.S. v FPUD, et al.
    • Incorporated 44 interlocutory judgments
    • Incorporated 1940 Stipulated Decree in Rancho Santa Margarita v Vail Ranch
  • 1975 – Court incorporated into Judgment MOU for Lake Skinner
  • 1989 – James S. Jenks appointed as the second Watermaster
  • 1989 – Court established Steering Committee to assist and fund Watermaster budget
  • 1993 – Camp Pendleton and RCWD began negotiations on water resources management agreement
  • 1995 – Court incorporated into Judgment MOU for Diamond Valley Lake
  • 2002 – Court signed Order for Cooperative Water Resource Management Agreement (CWRMA) between Camp Pendleton and RCWD
  • 2006 – Charles W. Binder appointed as the third Watermaster
  • 1995 – Court incorporated into Judgment MOU for Diamond Valley Lake
  • 2002 – Court signed Order for Cooperative Water Resource Management Agreement (CWRMA) between Camp Pendleton and RCWD
  • 2006 – Charles W. Binder appointed as the third Watermaster
  • 2006 – Cahuilla and Ramona Bands filed motions to intervene in Case and quantify federal reserved water rights
  • 2006 – Pechanga Band and RCWD entered into Groundwater Management Agreement for Wolf Valley
  • 2007 – Order granted motion for Cahuilla and Ramona Bands to intervene and begin quantification process
  • 2008 – Per Court Order Cahuilla and Ramona Bands served notice on nearly 3,000 potential defendants
  • June 16, 2008 – Pechanga Band, RCWD, Cahuilla Band, and Ramona Band filed Joint Motion to Stay litigation to allow comprehensive negotiations to begin to quantify water rights for all three reservations
  • 2016 – Michael J. Preszler appointed as the fourth Watermaster
  • 2019 – Court approves Pechanga Settlement Agreement between Pechanga Band of Luiseño Mission Indians, Rancho California Water District, and the United States of America.
  • 2019 – Court approves Conjunctive Use Project (CUP) Settlement Agreement between Fallbrook Public Utility District and United States