Title
Update on staff’s participation in the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency’s Advisory Committee.
Report
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
Background
The Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA) has an Advisory Committee which plays a key role in shaping groundwater management in the Salinas Valley by providing input and consensus-based recommendations to the SVBGSA Board of Directors. The Advisory Committee reflects a broad range of perspectives, representing agencies and groundwater users across the region. Members collaborate to support the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act through the integrated execution of six Groundwater Sustainability Plans. The Monterey County Water Resources Agency (Agency) has a seat on the Advisory Committee and will provide periodic updates to the Agency BOD as it affects or is of interest to the Agency.
Summary
Staff participated in the Advisory Committee’s special meeting held on May 15, 2026.
The significant topics discussed at the meeting were the Demand Management Overview and the Integrated Implementation Strategy (IIS) Project and Management Action (PMA) Initial
Portfolios.
Staff gave context to Demand Management (DM) by reinforcing that projects are the primary goal, but they are not a silver bullet. Management actions, which are changes in water use behavior, are necessary to bridge the gap. DM is the only Management Action that has been proposed by the SVBGSA to address SGMA’s Sustainable Management Criteria (SMC). DM alone does not meet the Seawater Intrusion Minimum Thresholds (MTs) by 2040, but it does help in raising groundwater levels. The DM approach includes three phases. The first being the development of a Strategy, which began in 2023 and included a preliminary exploration of concepts. Then was the development of a framework structure that provides a roadmap for future decisions, which was completed in October 2025. Finally, procedures and...
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