Title
Update on staff's participation in the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency's Advisory Committee (Staff: Shaunna Murray)
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 October 28, 2026.
The main item on this meeting agenda was a presentation from Monterey One Water (M1W) staff on their suggested refinements of the approved Integrated Implementation Strategy (IIS) Projects and Management Actions (PMAs), Portfolio 3A. The approved Portfolio 3A is described below.
Portfolio 3A Small BGRP with Direct Delivery and Injection: A smaller Brackish Groundwater Restoration Project (BGRP) with partial direct delivery to Salinas and partial injection, paired with Castroville and Eastside (C&E) recharge basins in the Eastside (100 cfs), CSIP optimization, and 10% agricultural demand management. Yield is approximately 37,700 AF/year. It addresses seawater intrusion nearly - but not fully to - the current minimum threshold and does not address Monterey Subbasin seawater intrusion, so it requires mitigation activities.
M1W proposed refinements to two of the components, BGRP and C&E, with the aim of reducing costs, operations & maintenance while...
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