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2013-2014, August - Integrated Regional Water Management Plan for the Greater Monterey County Region
An Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWM Plan) developed by 18 member entities that include government agencies, nonprofit organizations, educational organizations, water service districts, private water companies, and organizations representing agricultural, environmental, and community interests. The IRWM Plan is an expansion and modification of a previous plan – the May 2006 Salinas Valley Integrated Regional Water Management Functionally Equivalent Plan developed by Monterey County Water Resources Agency. While the traditional approach to water resource management has typically involved separate and distinct agencies managing different aspects of the water system, i.e., water supply, water quality, flood management, and natural resources, integrated regional water management considers the hydrologic system as a whole. The IRWM planning process brings together water and natural resource managers, along with other community stakeholders, to collaboratively plan for and ensure the region’s continued water supply reliability, improved water quality, flood management, and healthy functioning ecosystems—allowing for creative new solutions, greater efficiencies, and an increased promise of long-term success.
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2013, August 7 – California State Water Resources Control Board ORDER WR 2013-0030-EXEC and June 2013 Settlement Agreement with Monterey County Water Resources Agency
Monterey County Water Resources Agency (formerly Monterey County Flood Control and Water Conservation District) submitted Application 13225 and 13226 (combined into Permit 11043) in response to problems of seawater intrusion in the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin examined by California Department of Public Works in Bulletin 52 published in 1946. The express intent of the application was to implement the solutions outlined in Bulletin 52 to combat sweater intrusion by diverting 400 cubic feet water per second from Salinas River for municipal and agricultural uses, not to exceed 168,538 acre-feet per year.. Phase I was successfully implemented in 2010. Phase II had yet to be implemented. A hearing on the proposed revocation of Permit 11043 was set for August 13, 2013. A settlement agreement between the California State Water Resources Control Board and the Monterey County Water Resources Agency was entered into in June 2013 that provided amendments to Permit 11043 and established milestone for the implementation of Phase II of the Salinas Valley Water Project.
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2013 - Greater Monterey County Integrated Regional Water Management - Disadvantaged Community and Tribal Needs Assessment
A 2013 Disadvantaged Community and Tribal Needs Assessment as they relate to water management in the Greater Monterey County Integrated Regional Water Management process in the planning region thus informing future project development.
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2013, November 19 - Protective Elevations to Control Sea Water Intrusion in the Salinas Valley, Geoscience for MCWRA
A report prepared in support of preventing revocation of Permit 1043 (State of California Division of Water Rights Permit for Diversion of Use of Water – Amended Permit 11043 dated 110-Jul-49) that allows for appropriation of water from the Salinas River in Monterey County California not to exceed 400 cfs with annual maximum diversion not to exceed 168,538 acre feet per year. The report addresses the potential beneficial uses of diverting water to help increase groundwater levels in the Pressure and East Side Subareas that would in turn help to control seawater intrusion.
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2014 - Quarternary Geologic Map of North-Central Salinas River Valley and Arroyo Seco
The new mapping provides a detailed stratigraphic history of incision and deposition from the early Pleistocene to the present. Infiltration from the Salinas River and its tributaries is the source of irrigation water in this agricultural region. Irrigation water is pumped from the aquifers at depths of about 55 and 120 m. Area has become intruded by seawater, especially between cities of Castroville and Salinas.
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2014 - State of the Salinas River Groundwater Basin Report, Executive Summary
An examination of the state of the Salinas River Groundwater Basin (Basin) was conducted in the last half of 2014 as part of the larger Basin Investigation. This Executive Summary of the State of the Basin Report addresses the ramifications of prolonged drought by considering likely changes in groundwater head elevations, groundwater storage, and seawater intrusion in the event that the current drought continues. In addition, some steps are presented that could be taken to help alleviate the consequences of further depleting groundwater storage.
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2015, Aug. 20 - Groundwater Recharge on East Side Soils of the Salinas Valley
Discussion of the historically low groundwater levels in the Salinas Valley, noting that the shallower wells have become unreliable. As the groundwater levels drop below sea level, the seawater intrusion in the coastal aquifers will worsen. Because of the fast-declining groundwater levels on the east side of the Salinas Valley, the potential for seawater moving inland increases. Enhancing recharge in these areas would be beneficial in reducing seawater intrusion while lowering flood risk and erosion damage. The article reviews potential strategies to increase infiltration of rainwater during winter storms thereby recharging the underlying aquifer.
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2015 - Basin Study Workshop - State of the Salinas River Groundwater Basin Report
The Salinas River Groundwater Basin report provided a snapshot of the current conditions within Zone 2C. The report also addressed the ramifications of prolonged drought by considering potential changes in:
- groundwater storage,
- groundwater head elevations, and
- seawater intrusion
The report provided technical options that could help alleviate the consequences of continued drought conditions
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2015 – Project Justification – Addressing an Urgent Water Supply Need for a Disadvantaged Community in the Greater Monterey County IRWM Region
One hundred percent of Castroville’s water supply comes from the 400-foot aquifer of the Pressure sub-basin of the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin. Groundwater levels in the aquifer dropped more than 100 feet below the seal level as of July 2015 at static conditions. Water levels dropped to more than 190 feet below the mean sea level during operation of the water well. The dramatic drop combined with the close proximity of the Pacific Ocean (less than 4 miles) and to existing seawater intrusion (less than ¼ mile) raised significant alarm that the existing water supply system to Castroville was imminently threatened with high salinity water. The water supply was likely to be contaminated within the year. The project addressed the needs by (a) drilling a new water well in the Deep Aquifer that would supply Castroville with 500 AFY of potable water, (b) installing water filtration for arsenic and other contaminants, (c) installing a 600,000-gallon water holding tank, and (d) implementing water conservation activities to reduce water consumption and raise community awareness.
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2015 - Salinas River Watershed Area Salt Modeling Assessment Prepared for California Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX
A November 2015 report prepared by Tetra Tech for California Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX. The purpose was for the informed development of salt-related TMDLs by the CCRWQCB and a salt and nutrient management plan for the Salinas Valley aquifers. Three reaches reported 2010 303(d) listings for salt-related impairments in these watersheds including impairments due to chloride, sodium, electrical conductivity, and total dissolved solids – Lower Salinas River, Santa Rita Creek, and Alisal Creek. This report provides data analysis and a literature review (Sections 1 through 5), development of a water and salt mass balance tool (Sections 6 through 8), and salt source assessment (Section 9). The results of the analysis would provide a strong foundation for assessing salt sources and understanding salt mass balance in the study area, but can be improved with refined representation of cropland locations, rotations, and irrigation practices.
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2016 - Memorandum of Understanding for Integrated Regional Water Management in the Greater Monterey County Region with Amendments through December 2016
An Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWM Plan) developed by 18 member entities that include government agencies, nonprofit organizations, educational organizations, water service districts, private water companies, and organizations representing agricultural, environmental, and community interests. The IRWM Plan is an expansion and modification of a previous plan – the May 2006 Salinas Valley Integrated Regional Water Management Functionally Equivalent Plan developed by Monterey County Water Resources Agency. This MOU recognizes the joint commitment of the undersigned parties to develop an IRWM Plan for the Greater Monterey County Region. The MOU does not impose any further commitments or obligations upon any signatory party other than to participate in this process of IRWM Plan development. The resulting IRWM Plan will enable agencies and organizations in the Greater Monterey County Region to apply for Proposition 84 and Proposition 1E grant funds to support water resource management projects in the Region. The Plan may also serve as a basis for obtaining grant funds through other sources.
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2017 - Salinas and Carmel Rivers Basin Study - Plan of Study
The purpose of the Salinas and Carmel Rivers Basin Study (Basin Study) is to inform and guide future courses of action in response to existing and potential future imbalances between water supplies and demands in the Salinas and Carmel Rivers Basin. This Basin Study is a collaborative effort between four local partner agencies, and is supported by two Federal agencies. It will identify existing water supplies and demands, model future water supplies and demands, accounting for uncertainties in future climate conditions, population growth, and other socioeconomic trends.
The Basin Study will be developed in coordination with the Monterey Peninsula Drought Contingency Plan (DCP), which is being managed by the MPWMD. Developed together and sharing hydrology, climate data and other common elements, these two studies will provide a robust view of how potential future climate conditions may impact water supplies and demands. Ultimately, these studies will be used to represent how imbalances between future water supplies and demands may be mitigated or reduced by implementing various actions and adaptation strategies.
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2018 - Integrated Regional Water Management Plan of the Greater Monterey County Region – Updated
Integrated regional water management (IRWM) is an approach to water resource management in California that is being strongly promoted by the State as a way to increase regional self-sufficiency. IRWM offers an approach for managing the uncertainties that lie ahead, particularly in light of climate change. The IRWM planning process brings together water and natural resource managers, along with other community stakeholders, to collaboratively plan for and ensure the region’s continued water supply reliability, improved water quality, flood management, and healthy functioning ecosystems—allowing for creative new solutions and greater efficiencies. This IRWM Plan has been developed for the Greater Monterey County IRWM region to fulfill the goals of IRWM planning in this region and to provide eligibility for State IRWM grant funds.
The Greater Monterey County IRWM Plan, first developed in 2012-2013 according to Proposition 84 2012 IRWM Grant Program Guidelines, was updated in 2017-2018 to comply with Proposition 1 2016 IRWM program standards. The authors used the former Salinas Valley IRWM FEP as the foundation for developing the Greater Monterey County IRWM Plan, expanding the FEP’s scope in terms of geography, Regional Water Management Group (RWMG) representation, and stakeholder representation. The Greater Monterey County RWMG would like to recognize and thank RMC and the Salinas Valley Water Management Group for its early work in developing the Salinas Valley IRWM FEP.
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2018 - Status and Understanding of Groundwater Quality in the Monterey-Salinas Shallow Aquifer Study Unit, 2012-13 - California GAMA Priority Basin Project
The study was designed to provide a statistically robust assessment of untreated-groundwater quality in the shallow aquifer systems. The assessment was based on water-quality samples collected by the U.S. Geological Survey from 100 groundwater sites and 70 household tap sites, along with ancillary data such as land use and well-construction information. The shallow aquifer systems were defined by the depth interval of wells associated with domestic supply. The Monterey-Salinas Shallow Aquifer study unit consisted of four study areas—Santa Cruz (210 km2), Pajaro Valley (360 km2), Salinas Valley (2,000 km2), and Highlands (5,250 km2).
The first primary component of this study—the status assessment—assessed the quality of the groundwater resource indicated by data from samples analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pesticides, and naturally present inorganic constituents, such as major ions and trace elements. The second component of this study—the understanding assessment—identified the natural and human factors that potentially affect groundwater quality by evaluating land-use characteristics, measures of location, geologic factors, groundwater age, and geochemical conditions of the shallow aquifer. An additional component of this study was a comparison of the Monterey-Salinas Shallow Aquifer water-quality results to those of the GAMA Monterey Bay and Salinas Valley Groundwater Basins study unit.
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