Title
Consider a recommendation from the Monterey County Water Resources Agency’s Board of Directors to adopt the Monitoring Plan for the Deep Aquifers and authorize the General Manager to execute of a Memorandum of Understanding to memorialize coordination among agencies toward implementing the Monitoring Plan for the Deep Aquifers.
Report
It is recommended that the Monterey County Water Resources Agency’s Board of Supervisors:
Adopt the Monitoring Plan for the Deep Aquifers and authorize the General Manager to execute of a Memorandum of Understanding to memorialize coordination among agencies toward implementing the Monitoring Plan for the Deep Aquifers.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
In 2024, Montgomery & Associates completed the Deep Aquifers Study (“Study”) for the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (“SVBGSA”) and collaborative funding partners, which included Alisal Water Company, California Water Service, the Castroville Community Services District, the City of Salinas, the County of Monterey, Irrigated Agriculture, the Marina Coast Water District Groundwater Sustainability Agency (“MCWDGSA”), and the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (“MCWRA”). The Study addresses critical questions regarding the geology and hydrogeology of the Salinas Valley’s Deep Aquifers and provides a scientific basis for sustainable management.
The Study included recommendations for refining existing monitoring networks to track trends, identify changes, and enhance the understanding of groundwater conditions in the Deep Aquifers which, as defined in the Study, are present within portions of the 180/400-Foot Aquifer Subbasin, the Forebay Subbasin, the Monterey Subbasin, and the Seaside Subbasin, which spans multiple groundwater management jurisdictions within the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin.
In response to the Study recommendations related to monitoring the Deep Aquifers, the MCWRA prepared, in cooperation with other agencies, the Monitoring Plan for the ...
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