Monterey One, Water Resources Agency detail reconciliation effort; SVRP season saved groundwater in 2024

Officials from Monterey One Water and the Monterey County Water Resources Agency updated the Water Resources Agency board on Jan. 28 about a reconciliation process for the agencies’ 2015 Amended and Restated Water Recycling Agreement. Agency leaders described a leadership group and technical working groups that have been meeting monthly and biweekly since September to resolve accounting, indirect-cost and reserve questions in advance of the 2025 fiscal year.

Agency staff said the initial reconciliation work has prioritized sections of the agreement that govern payments, accounting and reserves (sections 7'9 in the existing text) and that drafts of revisions to those sections are expected for board review before the new fiscal year. Staff said the working groups are also looking in parallel at operational and reporting improvements, including better metering and an online water-order system growers can use to request supplies by time-of-day.

Monterey One and WRA staff highlighted that the 2024 CSIP irrigation season was “another great success,” with record diversions from the Salinas River diversion facility that “accounted for about 1 third of total deliveries and the avoidance of almost 7,700 acre-feet of groundwater pumping from the 18400 aquifer,” a figure agency staff presented to the board.

Speakers said some operations work already underway reflects lessons from an electrical failure at a pump station late last year that left a site on generator power; staff said that failure underlines the long-term capital needs of facilities and the importance of a clear reserve policy. The board asked for continued monthly staff coordination and quarterly leadership-group check-ins; staff said revisions to the financial sections will be brought forward for approval prior to the start of the next fiscal year.