Monterey County details new water-allocation policy as limited MPWMD supplies become available

Monterey County presented details about a newly implemented water-allocation policy on Wednesday as county staff outlined who may request allocations, how the county will prioritize limited supplies and the procedural steps applicants must follow.

"The policy itself does not lift that cease and desist order," said Sarah Wickel of the County Housing and Community Development Department, referring to the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District's existing restrictions. Wickel said the county recently received 72 acre-feet from MPWMD in early 2025 and combined that with about 10 acre-feet the county previously had, creating a total of roughly 82 acre-feet to allocate now.

Wickel said the board of supervisors adopted the water-allocation policy in June. About 19 acre-feet are earmarked for previously approved projects on the county's wait list, she said, with other buckets devoted to planned housing growth, a first-come, first-served category and a small strategic reserve that can be allocated at board discretion.

Under the policy, higher-density housing projects must meet several criteria to qualify under planned housing growth: be located on a housing-element opportunity site or affordable-housing overlay identified in the 2010 general plan, meet minimum affordability requirements and satisfy a minimum density threshold. Wickel said accessory dwelling units (ADUs) or junior dwelling units (JDUs) may qualify when they need about 12 fixture units (roughly allowing for two bathrooms), and single-family dwellings on vacant lots may request up to 25 fixture units that count indoor fixtures and some exterior landscaping demand.

Wickel also described procedural changes intended to give applicants more certainty earlier in the entitlement process. Applicants now submit a water allocation request checklist and a planning or construction permit application to the county permit center; staff will perform a completeness review and can reserve water at that stage. "The water is formally given to the project when we issue a construction permit," Wickel said.

County staff said they will post the board-adopted approved-project wait list to the county website and that four projects currently on the list include a single-family project with a 1997 planning permit, a 12-lot subdivision with PLNs spanning roughly 2002— 2018, a project approved in 2021, and a lot in Carmel Valley the board added on June 10. Elizabeth Gonzales, permit center supervisor, encouraged interested residents and developers to call the county permit center for guidance while staff transition content to a new landing page and checklist.

Wickel said the county will review how the policy performs over time and may revisit allocations as MPWMD continues projects such as the Pure Water Monterey expansion that could free additional supplies in the future.