Monterey County Water Resources Agency*

Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin as would Agricultural Water Conservation methods Agree - continued Agricultural Water Conservation efforts need to be Agricultural Water Conservation p. championed and incentivized for additional participation As with other legislation that impacts those with divergent interests, legal maneuvering F15 and delaying tactics can, in the case of SGMA, Agree cause the loss of local controls over groundwater planning and management. As with other legislation that impacts those with divergent interests, legal maneuvering and delaying tactics can, in the case of SGMA, F16 Agree cause already critical groundwater conditions in Monterey County to get much worse, to the detriment of all concerned. Rec

groundwater for both its agricultural and Agree urban water demands. Groundwater is critically important to

Agree Monterey County's economy. Several groundwater basin aquifers in

Agree Monterey County are now in overdraft. Partially disagree – Although the Pressure Subarea has been designated a critically- Overdrafting has resulted in seawater overdrafted basin, the driving force of

intrusion into the 180 and 400 Foot aquifers in seawater intrusion in the Pressure the northern Salinas Valley Basin. Subarea has been pumping along the coast, coupled with a lack of Salinas River recharge to the Pressure Subarea Seawater intrusion results in localized salt-

contaminated groundwater that is unsuitable Agree for both urban and agricultural uses. If no Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) is formed by June 30, 2017 for the Salinas

Agree Valley Basin, the County of Monterey could then choose to become the GSA for the basin. If the County of Monterey chose to become the GSA for the Salinas Valley Basin that choice would prevent the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) from

Agree intervening in the local Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) planning process except for overseeing and insuring GSP compliance. Prior to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), local groundwater

management plans lacked sufficient Agree enforcement authority to fully manage groundwater sustainability. SGMA confers on GSAs stronger enforcement authority than had existed under previous

Agree groundwater management enactments or local plans. The non-adjudicated Salinas Valley Marina Area and the Salinas Valley Corral de Tierra Agree – if the GMP referenced actually

Area should be included under the authority means the Groundwater Sustainability of the Salinas Valley Basin GSA and part of the Plan to be developed by the GSA GSA's Groundwater Management Plan (GMP). 2 m Monterey County Water Resources Agency Response to Monterey County Civil Grand Jury Report "Striving for Sustainability" Consensus Builders, Inc. has been retained by the City of Salinas, on behalf of itself and others, in an attempt to integrate competing

Agree Salinas Valley groundwater interest's in order to arrive at a consensus GSA before June 30, 2017. Many local individuals and entities have for several years been vitally interested in

preserving, enhancing, and sustaining both Agree groundwater and surface water availability in the Monterey Peninsula-Salinas Valley areas. As a result of past efforts, there are several existing and planned projects that could logically be included in any GSPs adopted

Agree within the Monterey Peninsula-Salinas Valley areas, since each such project impacts groundwater sustainability. See respective answers for each project Some of the existing and planned projects for

logical inclusion in a local GSP include: or program below... The Salinas Valley Reclamation Plant (SVRP) and the Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project Agree – existing infrastructure a. (CSIP) Distribution System The Pure Water Monterey Groundwater Agree - when project comes on-line b. Replenishment Project The Soledad Water Recycling / Reclamation Agree – when project comes on-line c. Project The Salinas Valley Water Project Agree - existing infrastructure d. The Seaside Aquifer Storage & Recovery Agree – existing infrastructure e. Project The California Statewide Groundwater f. Agree Elevation Monitoring Program The Groundwater Extractions Monitoring Agree – existing program, needs g. expansion System Agree - existing program, need to retain The Salinas River Arundo Removal Project h. and maintain permits i. The Interlake Tunnel Project Agree - when project comes on-line Agree – Depends which Desalination The Cal-Am Monterey Peninsula Water Supply project is built, or if there are multiple j. Project projects Agree - Depends which Desalination The DeepWater Desal Desalination/Data project is built, or if there are multiple k. Center Project projects Agree - Depends which Desalination The Marina Coast Water District Desalination ١. project is built, or if there are multiple Project projects anto 19 " Monterey County Water Resources Agency Response to Monterey County Civil Grand Jury Report "Striving for Sustainability" Agree - Depends which Desalination The People's Moss Landing Water Desalination project is built, or if there are multiple m. Project projects Agree - existing infrastructure The Sand City Water Supply Project n. Agree - all conservation is important, though reducing the urban component of 10% used in the Salinas Valley by 20% will not provide the largest effect on the Urban Water Conservation 0. Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin as would Agricultural Water Conservation methods Agree - continued Agricultural Water Conservation efforts need to be Agricultural Water Conservation p. championed and incentivized for additional participation As with other legislation that impacts those with divergent interests, legal maneuvering

and delaying tactics can, in the case of SGMA, Agree cause the loss of local controls over groundwater planning and management. As with other legislation that impacts those with divergent interests, legal maneuvering and delaying tactics can, in the case of SGMA,

Agree cause already critical groundwater conditions in Monterey County to get much worse, to the detriment of all concerned. Rec