180-400ft Aquifer Subbasin Map

Situated in the northern region of Monterey County, the 180/400-foot Aquifer Subbasin encompasses Castroville, Salinas and Gonzales. Most of the subbasin has a layered aquifer system with three aquifers separated by aquitards. The upper two aquifers have seawater intrusion, which is why the state categorized the subbasin as critically overdrafted and requires earlier implementation of SGMA.

The 180/400-Foot Aquifer Subbasin Implementation Committee meets every month on the first Thursday at 1 p.m. Get meeting information.

Key Documents:

  • The Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) was submitted to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) on January 23, 2020.
  • GSP Amendment 1 (updates original 2020 GSP) was drafted in 2022 to align with the other Salinas Valley Basin GSPs, and will be submitted in January 2025 together with 2025 Periodic Evaluation
  • GSP Amendment 1 Appendices
SVBGSA has supported partner agencies to begin improvements to the Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project to increase the use of recycled and surface water for irrigation in the seawater-intruded area. SVBGSA is also undertaking feasibility studies to assess options for addressing seawater intrusion.

SVBGSA is undertaking feasibility studies to address seawater intrusion including:

SVBGSA is also studying the Deep Aquifers.

UPDATE: Final sections have been uploaded as of Jan. 3, 2025, and the complete document can be downloaded here:

A GSP 5-Year Evaluation under California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) is a periodic review conducted by Groundwater Sustainability Agencies to assess the effectiveness and progress of their groundwater management efforts. The first 5-year evaluations for critically overdrafted basins like the 180/400-Foot Aquifer Subbasin are due to DWR on January 23, 2025, as noted in the Executive Summary. SVBGSA Board will receive the GSP 5-Year Evaluation at their meeting on January 9, 2025.
 
Key findings and the associated sections include:

Appendixes