FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2022
Contact:
Donna Meyers, General Manager
Phone: (831) 471-7512 x203
Email: meyersd@svbgsa.org
$7.6M State Grant Awarded to Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency
Grant will support efforts to achieve sustainability for the 180-400-Foot Aquifer
SALINAS, Calif. — The Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA) has been awarded $7.6 million in grant funds to support the implementation of the groundwater sustainability plan for the 180/400-Foot Aquifer, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced earlier this month.
The 180/400 Foot Aquifer Subbasin is one of six that is managed by the SVBGSA and is located beneath the Salinas River, including an area from Gonzales to Moss Landing. The agency’s work is driven by mandates related to California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. The 180/400-Foot Aquifer Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) submitted by the SVBGSA was approved by DWR in June 2021.
The grant funding supports four main components of Phase 1 of the GSP implementation:
- upgrades at the Monterey One Water Recycled Water Plant
- improvements to the Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project Distribution System
- stakeholder outreach and engagement
- aquifer storage and recovery feasibility study
“Our work to achieve groundwater sustainability in the 180/400-Foot Aquifer is now underway, and this support from the state will help us make solid progress,” said Donna Meyers, general manager for the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency.
Groundwater is essential in the Salinas Valley, including the various subbasins that serve residents, businesses, farms, industries and the environment. It also plays a critical role in the health of our lakes and rivers, including the ecosystems they support. As California continues to be impacted by serious drought conditions, this work has never been more important.
California State Legislature passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in 2014 in response to a scientific understanding that groundwater in California is being used faster than it’s being replenished. The act requires designated groundwater basins to form a public agency to develop a groundwater management plan and implement actions that will help local subbasins reach groundwater sustainability. In response to SGMA, the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency was created in 2017.
The 180/400 Foot Aquifer Subbasin has been determined to be critically overdrafted, meaning that water is being pumped out of the subbasin at an unsustainable rate. SVBGSA’s state-approved plan charts a course to sustainability over the next 20 years.
About the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency
The SVBGSA was formed to develop comprehensive groundwater sustainability plans and implement the plans to achieve groundwater sustainability by 2042. The Agency’s 11-member Board is comprised of stakeholders who represent diverse interests from across the Salinas Valley. Learn more at www.svbgsa.org and on Facebook and Instagram.
For more information, visit the California Department of Water Resources SGMA website, interactive groundwater StoryMap, and view this educational groundwater video.
###