Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Groundwater topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Agency update: $3.7M in DWR subgrant funding supports Castro seawater project and monitoring; larger capital projects remain conceptual
Summary
Water Resources Agency staff said local GSAs have received about $3.7 million in Department of Water Resources subgrant support for planning, feasibility and monitoring; capital projects such as Castro Seawater Intrusion Project enhancements and storage alternatives were presented but construction funding is not yet secured.
Shawna Murray presented the Water Resources Agency’s Oct. 28 update on subgrant work with local Salinas Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs). Murray said two grant agreements (one since Sept. 2022 and a second since Jan. 2025) have yielded about $3.7 million in funding to the agency to support staff participation, project planning and feasibility work.
Murray described three ‘‘buckets’’ of activity: (1) optimizations and enhancements of existing pre‑Salinas Valley projects (including Castro Seawater Intrusion Project, or CSIP), (2) conceptual new project studies, and (3) expanded data collection and monitoring. She highlighted three capital improvement concepts developed through the grant process: a loop‑pressure improvement at roughly $600,000 (60 percent design complete), a second outlet pipe to improve redundancy and pressure, and an in‑stream storage expansion estimated at $30–35 million to capture additional diversion and recycled water for irrigation demand.
Murray said an aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) study showed local constraints and that a new water right would be required for a stand‑alone ASR project, while the Castro Villalon East Side analysis indicated historical diversion averages far below the nominal water‑right quantity (staff estimated historical diversions on the order of 15,000–30,000 acre‑feet in some years versus a right of ~135,000 acre‑feet). She described ongoing data‑expansion efforts (well registration, extraction reporting) and monitoring plans to inform sustainable management criteria and future funding decisions.
Agency staff emphasized that many projects are still conceptual, that construction and permitting funding remain to be identified, and that the GSA has tight timelines to make decisions on which projects to advance. The board accepted the update and thanked Murray for the presentation.
