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Monterey County approves response to grand jury report, urges regional coordination on seawater intrusion
Summary
County staff told the Board the Civil Grand Jury’s findings on seawater intrusion and groundwater sustainability are well sourced but warned against duplicative county-led projects; the board approved a response emphasizing collaboration with the Selenus Valley Basin GSA and expanded public study on funding and priorities.
The Monterey County Board of Supervisors on June 23 approved a staff-drafted response to the 2025–26 Civil Grand Jury report titled “Seawater Intrusion, a shared problem in Monterey County,” endorsing the report’s intent while urging cooperative, regional approaches rather than independent county projects.
The grand jury urged governing boards — including the Selenus Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) and the Monterey County Board of Supervisors — to establish clear implementation timelines, identify sustainable funding mechanisms and advance specific mitigation projects to construction. County Water Resources Agency staff presented a reply that agreed with the findings but cautioned that unilateral county efforts could create duplication, confusion over roles and higher costs.
Ara (Water Resources Agency) told the board the agency supports the recommendations’ intent but noted the Selenus Valley Basin GSA is responsible for groundwater management and is actively developing a portfolio of projects and feasibility studies. He said the GSA is aiming to identify a portfolio by August and update groundwater sustainability plans for submittal to the Department of Water Resources in January 2027. Ara added that an independent county-led effort at this stage “could lead to duplicative efforts or worse yet competing proposals” and harm affordability.
Board members emphasized the economic stakes and the need for a regional strategy. Supervisor Daniels described modeling presented earlier showing a potential large economic impact if groundwater demand reductions are imposed without integrated regional planning. Board discussion repeatedly returned to the trade-offs between regulatory action, economic consequences, and the risk of state intervention if local plans are found insufficient.
Public commenters and technical speakers urged urgency. The Civil Grand Jury’s chair and local water experts appeared and answered questions about basin definitions, DWR (Department of Water Resources) bulletin definitions and the risk of state action if plans do not meet statutory goals.
The board voted to file the county’s response with the presiding judge of the superior court and asked staff to expand the planned public study session to cover a broader set of regional water-management challenges and funding options so that communities could better understand trade-offs and prioritization.
What’s next: The County will file the approved response with the superior court and continue technical coordination with the Selenus Valley Basin GSA as those agencies further refine feasibility studies and the GSA’s portfolio for potential projects. The board requested ongoing public briefings to clarify funding options and economic impacts tied to different management scenarios.
