Title
Receive a presentation on the Groundwater Monitoring Program Fee Study; and provide direction to staff as appropriate.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Monterey County Water Resources Agency Board of Supervisors:
Receive a presentation on the Groundwater Monitoring Program Fee Study; and provide direction to staff as appropriate.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
Historically, the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (“Agency”) conducted groundwater monitoring across portions of the Salinas Valley in a discretionary manner as funding allowed. However, with passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (“SGMA”) in 2014 came the establishment of local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (“GSAs”) and a need for consistent, reliable collection of groundwater and well data to develop, implement, and monitor progress of Groundwater Sustainability Plans (“GSPs”). In the interest of improving operational efficiency and reducing costs, some local GSAs have chosen to leverage the data collection, analysis, management, and reporting expertise of the Agency rather than creating a separate, parallel, monitoring program. This approach was solidified through approval and adoption of Agency Ordinance No. 5426 and the Groundwater Monitoring Program Manual by the Board of Supervisors in October 2024. The Agency’s Groundwater Monitoring Program (“GMP”) comprises four data collection and monitoring programs that, collectively, produce the data necessary to meet the rigorous reporting requirements mandated by SGMA and maintain local governance and oversight of water resources.
The geographic extent of the reconceived GMP is expanding to cover areas within the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin that are within the jurisdiction of the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (“SVBGSA”) (Attachment 1). Well registration and groundwater extraction reporting requirements will for most well owners within the historically monitored area will remain l...
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