Dive into the Deep Aquifer Study
At the Salinas Valley coastline, the groundwater basin in composed of a layered aquifer system. The barriers within that system, called aquitards, create unique aquifers called the 180-Foot, 400-Foot and Deep Aquifers. As seawater intruded into the upper layers — the 180-Foot and 400-Foot Aquifers — both municipal and agricultural wells were drilled into the Deep Aquifers at depths of 900 to 2,100 feet.
While the Deep Aquifers have become an important water source, groundwater levels in many wells have declined notably, leading to questions about the potential risk of seawater intrusion and reliability of recharge. This scientific study of the Deep Aquifers was prepared to better understand their conditions, geographic extent and hydrogeologic characteristics. The Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency, Monterey County Water Resources Agency, local water districts, regulated utilities and irrigated agriculture jointly funded the Deep Aquifers Study, recently completed by Montgomery & Associates.
Read the findings of the study and the impact it has on the Salinas Valley.