We are sharing the highlights from the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency’s March 2026 newsletter below. Check out their useful links and subscribe to the SVBGSA newsletter here.
The presentation also outlined possible solutions, including the development of an “extraction barrier,” or a line of coastal wells that intercepts saline water as it moves inland.
March 25: Community meeting on Sustainable Groundwater Management in the Salinas Valley
The next Sustainable Groundwater Management Update community meeting is from 6-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25 at the Rodeo Room at the Salinas Sports Complex, 1034 North Main St. in Salinas.
This meeting will provide a clear update on groundwater policy and how it will impact small family farms.
To attend this meeting, please RSVP here.
March 31: Well registration deadline approaching soon!
Register your Salinas Valley well before the end of this month and you can help our local water agencies collect accurate data and manage water resources efficiently.
The well registration program is a collaboration between the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency and the Monterey County Water Resources Agency. A recording of the virtual workshops offered by these agencies is available here.
Complete your well registration TODAY either online or via a paper form, which can be submitted by email to [email protected] or by mail to MCWRA, PO Box 930, Salinas, CA 93902.
Environmental seat vacancy on SVBGSA Board – applications due April 17
The Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA) is accepting applications for an upcoming Environmental Seat vacancy on its Board of Directors. This position is a three-year term beginning in July 2026. The 11-member SVBGSA Board of Directors govern the agency and provide direction to the agency’s staff.
Submitted applications will be reviewed by a nominating group comprised of environmentally focused nonprofits and organizations. This group will make a nomination to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, which will appoint a primary and an alternate to the seat.
Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 17. For a full list of qualifications and more information about the position, click here.
Latest Research and Presentations from SVBGSA
The plain truth about seawater intrusion
A recent presentation to the Monterey County Water Resource Agency‘s Board of Directors provided an in-depth description of the seawater intrusion issue to provide a “foundational understanding of seawater intrusion [which] provides context for future Board decisions.”
Addressing seawater intrusion means facing two large obstacles: time and scale. Seawater intrusion must be stopped and reversed by 2040, with a plan that can extend for about 11 miles (more information on a potential solution below).
For more information on this topic, SVBGSA maintains a Seawater Intrusion Library where you can find a huge collection of information on this topic, dating back to the 1940s.
SVBGSA studies innovative supplemental supply project
The Brackish Groundwater Restoration Project (BGRP) may be the solution to halt and reverse seawater intrusion. SVBGSA is analyzing this project and alternative ideas that may help reduce costs.
According to the SVBGSA’s latest newsletter, BGRP consists of three major components:
- A line of wells that extract brackish water near the coast
- A brackish water treatment plant, and
- A system to distribute the treated water for injection or direct delivery to end users
“Combined, these three components protect the Salinas Valley from seawater intrusion and provide a drought-proof water supply to northern portions of the Salinas Valley,” said the SVBGSA.
Learn more about this innovative solution here.
Demand Management Framework — learn more!
Curious about SVBGSA’s Demand Planning/Demand Management Framework? Get up to speed with this recording of a recent presentation from Piret Harmon, general manager of Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability. Harmon presented at the University of California Cooperative Extension’s Annual Irrigation and Nutrient Management Meeting in February.
Upcoming SVBGSA Meetings
All meetings are a hybrid in-person/online setting and members of the public are encouraged to attend in person or remotely.
- Budget & Finance Committee – 9 a.m. – Thursday, April 2
- 180/400 and Eastside Committees – 1 p.m. – Thursday, April 2
- SMC TAC – 9 a.m. – Thursday, April 9
- Board of Directors – 2 p.m. – Thursday, April 9
- SVBGSA & MCWDGSA Steering Committee – 11 a.m. – Thursday, April 9
- Advisory Committee – 2 p.m. – Thursday, April 16
- Executive Committee – 10 a.m. – Thursday, April 23
- Forebay and Upper Valley Committees – 1 p.m. – Monday, April 27
- Monterey Committee – 12 p.m. – Wednesday, April 29
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