Title
Consider receiving an update on the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin Investigation.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Monterey County Board of Supervisors:
Receive an update on the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin Investigation.
SUMMARY:
As a result of 2010, Monterey County General Plan Policy PS-3.1 and as part of the settlement of litigation with the Salinas Valley Water Coalition et al, Monterey County ("County") agreed to conduct a study of Zone 2C of the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin to evaluate existing and future seawater intrusion, groundwater levels, and total water demands.
DISCUSSION:
In July 2014, the County initiated a comprehensive water resources assessment of Zone 2C of the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin: the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin Investigation ("Basin Investigation"). A primary objective of the Basin Investigation is to assess the general health of the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin with regard to its ability to provide a sustainable supply of water for land use activities projected to the year 2030.
The first phase of the Basin Investigation concluded in 2015 with delivery of the State of the Basin report from Brown & Caldwell, which provided a near-term assessment of conditions in Zone 2C. The second phase of the Basin Investigation has been conducted primarily by the U.S. Geological Survey ("USGS") and includes construction of an integrated groundwater-surface water model for use in evaluating water budgets, groundwater elevations, and seawater intrusion under both current and future conditions. In order to complete the Basin Investigation, the County retained Montgomery & Associates in February 2020 to complete a final report, which is required under the settlement agreement.
Model Development
In January 2016, the USGS began collaborating with the County to develop an integrated hydrologic model of the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin, referred to as the Salinas Valley Integrated Hydrologic Mode...
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