Title
Consider recommending that staff release the 2023 groundwater extraction data to the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency or Marina Coast Water District Groundwater Sustainability Agency, upon request and consistent with existing Non-Disclosure Agreements, prior to publication of the Agency's 2023 Groundwater Extraction Annual Summary Report.(Staff Presenting: Amy Woodrow)
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Monterey County Water Resources Agency Board of Directors:
Recommend that staff release the 2023 groundwater extraction data to the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency or Marina Coast Water District Groundwater Sustainability Agency, upon request and consistent with existing Non-Disclosure Agreements, prior to publication of the Agency's 2023 Groundwater Extraction Annual Summary Report.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
Each year, since 1993, the Monterey County Water Resources Agency ("Agency") has collected groundwater extraction data from wells that are in Agency Zones 2, 2A, or 2B, and which have a discharge pipe with an inside diameter of at least three inches, using its Groundwater Extraction Management System ("GEMS"). Groundwater extraction data from agricultural users are submitted on a "reporting year" basis, which is a period from November 1 through October 31, while data from urban users are submitted on a calendar year basis (January 1 through December 31). All data are due to the Agency by February 15 following the end of the "reporting year." The requirements that define these and other aspects of the groundwater extraction reporting program are described in Agency Ordinances No. 3717 and 3718.
Following the February 15 due date each year, Agency staff engages in an outreach period to coordinate with well owners or operators who have not submitted data. This is followed by 2-3 months of data review, quality control procedures, and data processing. Finally, the Agency produces a Groundwater Extra...
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