Title
Receive information on Salinas Valley Groundwater Sustainability: Overview of Feasibility Studies and Implementation Strategy and provide input on approach to addressing groundwater sustainability challenges in the Salinas Valley.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Monterey County Water Resources Agency Board of Supervisors
(Board):
Receive information on Salinas Valley Groundwater Sustainability: Overview of Feasibility Studies and Implementation Strategy and provide input on approach to addressing groundwater sustainability challenges in the Salinas Valley.
BACKGROUND:
The Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin consists of six subbasins under the jurisdiction of the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA). Currently, four of these subbasins are not meeting sustainability criteria due to two primary concerns: seawater intrusion and chronic lowering of groundwater levels.
Under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), the region must achieve sustainability by 2040/2042 and submit Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) Periodic Evaluations to the Department of Water Resources by January 2027.
This spring, in collaboration with the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA), the SVBGSA completed a series of feasibility studies and technical investigations evaluating potential projects and management actions intended to achieve the Sustainability Management Criteria established in the GSPs and is now considering the recent findings to inform decision-making about future planning efforts.
DISCUSSION:
The SVBGSA, has developed an Integrated Implementation Strategy (IIS) to evaluate combinations of projects and management actions across the basin. The IIS process translates technical work into policy-level options for consideration by the SVBGSA Board of Directors.
Six major feasibility studies have been completed:
1. Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) - Store excess surface water duri...
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