Title
Consider approving and adopting the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-26 Groundwater Monitoring Program Regulatory Fees of $160.16 per well for Initial Well Registration, $21.86 per well for Annual Well Registration Renewal, $64.82 per well for Groundwater Extraction Reporting, $117.68 per well for Groundwater Level Monitoring, and $73.92 per well for Groundwater Quality Monitoring.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Monterey County Water Resources Agency Board of Supervisors:
Approve and adopt the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-2026 Groundwater Monitoring Program Regulatory Fees of $160.16 per well for Initial Well Registration, $21.86 per well for Annual Well Registration Renewal, $64.82 per well for Groundwater Extraction Reporting, $117.68 per well for Groundwater Level Monitoring, and $73.92 per well for Groundwater Quality Monitoring.
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 rigo...
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