A Ventura County farmer and former local water agency board member has pleaded guilty to grand water theft.
Daniel Conklin Noman, who owns and operates Noman Family Farms in Oxnard, pumped $29,301 worth of groundwater between 2019 and 2021 without paying required fees to the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency, according to a news release from the Ventura County District Attorney.
Nauman was a longtime elected member of the United Water Conservation District board and an alternate board member of the Fox Canyon Agency. He resigned from the United District that month.
Investigators with the Ventura County Sheriff's Office discovered that diversion lanes had been installed on two commercial water pumps to irrigate Noman's crops, according to the district attorney. The funnels funnel water pumped into irrigation lines before it reaches flow meters that measure usage for billing purposes.
“Water theft is a serious crime,” the county said. Atty. Eric Nasarenko said in a written statement. “This criminal conviction holds the defendant accountable for his conduct and sends a clear message that evading fees and illegally diverting water will result in criminal consequences.”
The District Attorney's Office announced in August that it had filed charges against Noman on felony charges of grand larceny and theft of utility services.
Mark Bachowicz, the attorney representing Noman, declined to comment.
The Nomans are considered pioneers of agriculture in Ventura County. The family immigrated from Germany and settled in the Oxnard area in the late 1800s, where they grew sugar beets and lima beans before moving on to citrus farming, then cropping.
The county's agricultural industry is estimated to be worth more than $2.1 billion in 2022, according to the Agriculture Commissioner.
Nauman described the importance of water management in the region in a 2017 video posted by the United Water Conservation District on YouTube.
“You need water, and we need to get it, and use it wisely, multiple times, whether it's recycled water, desalination, or reusing irrigation water,” he said. “Everyone realizes how important this resource and asset is, and without it, our lives would change dramatically.”
Noman is scheduled to be sentenced on May 24. He was released on his own recognizance.
He is expected to be sentenced to 30 days in Ventura County Jail, ordered to pay full restitution and placed on probation for two years, according to the district attorney.
