Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Groundwater Sustainability Plan

The purpose of the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) is to meet the regulatory requirements set forth in the three-bill legislative package consisting of Assembly Bill (AB) 1739 (Dickinson), Senate Bill (SB) 1168 (Pavley), and SB 1319 (Pavley), collectively known as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). SGMA defines sustainable groundwater management as the "management and use of groundwater in a manner that can be maintained during the planning and implementation horizon without causing undesirable results." Undesirable results are defined by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) as any of the following effects caused by groundwater conditions occurring throughout the basin:

• Chronic lowering of groundwater levels indicating a significant and unreasonable depletion of supply;
• Significant and unreasonable reduction of groundwater storage;
• Significant and unreasonable seawater intrusion;
• Significant and unreasonable degraded water quality;
• Significant and unreasonable land subsidence; and/or
• Depletions of interconnected surface water that have significant and unreasonable adverse impacts on beneficial uses of the surface water.

The Monterey Subbasin has been designated by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) as medium priority. The Monterey Subbasin is one of the nine subbasins in the Salinas Valley. It is located at the northwestern end of the Salinas Valley and borders the Pacific Ocean.

The GSP has been co-developed by the Marina Coast Water District Groundwater Sustainability Agency (MCWD GSA) and the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA) to meet SGMA regulatory requirements by the January 31, 2022, deadline for medium and high priority basins while reflecting local needs and preserving local control over water resources. The GSP provides a path to achieve and document sustainable groundwater management within 20 years following Plan adoption and preserves the long-term sustainability of locally-managed groundwater resources now and into the future.

Public Review: Draft GSP Amendment 1

We welcome your feedback on the draft update to the Monterey Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) and its supporting appendices. Please review the documents below, then use the feedback form to share your comments.

• Draft GSP Amendment 1
  This draft updates the plan for managing groundwater in the Monterey Subbasin. It describes groundwater conditions, sets goals for protecting water supplies, and outlines monitoring, projects, and actions to reach sustainability by 2042.
  View Draft GSP Amendment 1 (PDF, opens in a new browser tab)
• Draft GSP Appendices
  The appendices provide supporting details for the draft plan, including water budget tables, monitoring information, and maps and charts showing groundwater conditions and management targets.
  View Draft GSP Appendices (PDF, opens in a new browser tab)

Share Your Comments

Your feedback can help shape how groundwater is managed in our community. You may comment on either document or both. When possible, include the document name and the page or section your comment refers to.

Submit Comments (form opens in a new browser tab)

GSP Annual Reports

The following are in PDF format and will open in a new window or tab.

Additional Documents

MCWD Stakeholder Committee Meetings