Monterey County Groundwater Management Plan

In 1992, California State Legislature adopted the Groundwater Management Act (California Water Code Part 2.7, §10753), originally enacted as Assembly Bill (AB) 3030 and amended by Senate Bill (SB) 1938 in 2002. The Groundwater Management Act provided the authority to prepare groundwater management plans and encouraged local agencies to work cooperatively to manage groundwater resources within their jurisdictions and groundwater basins.

Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA), recognizing that management of its natural water resources is critical to ensuring a long-term sustainable and reliable good quality water supply, has prepared this Groundwater Management Plan (GWMP). The purpose of the GWMP is to provide a comprehensive overview of the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin and to recommend various management strategies for the basin. Specifically, this document provides the framework for the management of groundwater resources in the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin (exclusive of the Seaside and Paso Robles subareas) and acts as a guidance document for future groundwater projects.

While this edition of the GWMP focuses on the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin, MCWRA is responsible for the management of the water resources for all of Monterey County. Future GWMP versions will incorporate the additional groundwater basins in the County. This document has been prepared in accordance with existing regulations as outlined in the California Water Code (as referenced above) and was prepared in coordination with local agencies and interested residents through public outreach activities.