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 July 16, 2026.
The goal of this meeting was to have the Advisory Committee reach consensus on a Portfolio of projects to recommend for consideration at the full SVBGSA Board of Directors. There was little new information presented and more of a deliberation on all the information that had been presented over the last six months. Agenda Item 3.3 was Integrated Implementation Strategy PMA Final Portfolios. Recommendation: Recommend to the Board of Directors a preferred Integrated Implementation Strategy (IIS) portfolio of Projects and Management Actions (PMAs) selected from among Portfolio 1, Portfolio 3A, and Portfolio 4 - together with a list of considerations to guide the preferred portfolio’s refinement and implementation.
SVBGSA consultants reviewed the Portfolios by describing the activities and modeling results related to how they reached the Sustainable Management Criteria by both 2040 and beyond. The three Portfolios are described below.
Portfolio 1 - Medium BGRP, Injection Only...
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