Agency: August 2024 survey shows modest groundwater rises; seawater intrusion largely stable with small advances near Salinas

Monterey County Water Resources Agency hydrologists presented the agency ugust 2024 groundwater elevation contours and seawater intrusion maps at the board meeting, reporting modest gains in groundwater elevations in many areas and limited expansion of chloride indicators near the city of Salinas.

The presentation described the August survey as a single‑day snapshot of the basin when aquifers are typically most stressed. "The August survey is done to create the groundwater elevation contours and it's done in a single day in August," said Guillermo Diaz, hydrologist with the agency. He said the effort samples roughly 135 wells across the coast to Chualar to map groundwater surfaces.

The board was told that for the 180‑foot and east‑side shallow aquifers the red 10‑foot increment contours show near‑coast increases of about 1 to 3 feet compared with 2023, and that a…