Education Commons^™

2014 - Quarternary Geologic Map Of North-Central Salinas River Valley And Arroyo Seco

Miscellaneous Monterey and San Luis Obispo County Documents and Reports

The new mapping provides a detailed stratigraphic history of incision and deposition from the early Pleistocene to the present. Infiltration from the Salinas River and its tributaries is the source of irrigation water in this agricultural region. Irrigation water is pumped from the aquifers at depths of about 55 and 120 m. Area has become intruded by seawater, especially between cities of Castroville and Salinas.

1988 - Simulated Effects Of Groundwater Management Alternatives For The Salinas Valley, Water Resources Investigations Report 87-4066

State and Federal Documents Relating to Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties

This 1988 investigation was done by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Monterey County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. The purposes of this study were to identify and quantify the various types of flow into and out of the ground-water basin and to describe the physical processes that control them. The hydrologic analysis included development of a two-dimensional digital flow model. One of the goals of the study was to update and improve a previous digital model of the basin. The report noted that because of the proximity of Salinas Valley to the ocean, large rates of …

1978 - Water Resources Investigations - Two-Dimensional And Three-Dimensional Digital Flow Models Of The Salinas Valley Ground-Water Basin, Report 78-113

Miscellaneous Federal Documents & Reports

This 1978 report discussed a group of hydrologic models that were developed for the Salinas Valley that included the small-stream model, river model, two -dimensional ground-water model, and three dimensional ground-water model. The small-stream model simulated ground-water recharge from small streams that were tributary to the Salinas River. The river model simulated ground-water recharge from and surface-water discharge in the Salinas River. The two-dimensional and three-dimensional ground-water models simulated hydraulic head in the ground-water basin. The report noted that in addition to being an important agricultural area, Salinas Valley contained several growing urban areas that obtained water from the ground …

1988 - Simulated Effects Of Groundwater Management Alternatives For The Salinas Valley, Water Resources Investigations Report 87-4066

Miscellaneous Federal Documents & Reports

This 1988 investigation was done by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Monterey County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. The purposes of this study were to identify and quantify the various types of flow into and out of the ground-water basin and to describe the physical processes that control them. The hydrologic analysis included development of a two-dimensional digital flow model. One of the goals of the study was to update and improve a previous digital model of the basin. The report noted that because of the proximity of Salinas Valley to the ocean, large rates of …

1978 - Water Resources Investigations - Two-Dimensional And Three-Dimensional Digital Flow Models Of The Salinas Valley Ground-Water Basin, Report 78-113

State and Federal Documents Relating to Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties

This 1978 report discussed a group of hydrologic models that were developed for the Salinas Valley that included the small-stream model, river model, two -dimensional ground-water model, and three dimensional ground-water model. The small-stream model simulated ground-water recharge from small streams that were tributary to the Salinas River. The river model simulated ground-water recharge from and surface-water discharge in the Salinas River. The two-dimensional and three-dimensional ground-water models simulated hydraulic head in the ground-water basin. The report noted that in addition to being an important agricultural area, Salinas Valley contained several growing urban areas that obtained water from the ground …

1994 - Managing Water For Drought, U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers And Institute For Water Resources

Miscellaneous Federal Documents & Reports

The purpose of the report was to explain the procedure for cooperative federal-state drought preparedness studies, to indicate how the studies related to the longstanding principles and guidance for federal water resources investigations, and to indicate the means of implementing conclusions arrived at in any given region. This 1994 report, developed during a four-year National Study of Water Management, summarizes the method of improving water management during drought. The method was tested and refined in four field studies in different parts of the country, in which teams of water managers and users worked together to reduce drought impacts. In each …

1997 - Salinas Valley Integrated Ground Water And Surface Model Update - Final Report

Monterey County Water Resources Agency Water Reports

In order to fulfill Monterey County's need for a long-term water resources management plan to ensure good quality water, improve existing water quality, and to provide adequate water supplies, the county developed the Salinas River Basin Management Plan. The goal was to stop seawater intrusion, create a long-term balance between recharge and withdrawal, and to provide a sufficient water supply for Salinas Valley up to the year 2030. Due to complexities of the hydrologic process and their interaction on a basin-wide scale, sophisticated analytical methods and tools are used for better understand the nature and behavior of the hydrologic system, …

2004 - Final Report, Hydrostratigraphic Analysis Of The Northern Salinas Valley

Miscellaneous Monterey and San Luis Obispo County Documents and Reports

The Monterey County Water Resources Agency (Agency) is responsible for the management and planning of water resources within Monterey County The agency uses a network of wells to monitor groundwater conditions in the Salinas Valley ground water basin (Figure 1). The progressive advancement of the seawater intrusion front into groundwater zones and the understanding of the northern Salinas ground water basin hydrogeology have been documented by the Agency since the 1950s. Only since the late 1990s was there sufficient well logs, geophysical, and lithological data to support a three-dimensional (3-D) study of the inter-related ancestral fluvial and alluvial-fan depositional environments …

2006 - Monterey County Groundwater Management Plan

Miscellaneous Monterey and San Luis Obispo County Documents and Reports

Monterey County Water Resources Agency, recognizing that management of its natural water resources is critical to ensuring a long-term sustainable and reliable good quality water supply, prepared this Groundwater Management Plan (GWMP). The purpose of the GWMP was to provide a comprehensive overview of the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin and to recommend various management strategies for the basin. The document provided the framework for the management of groundwater resources in the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin (exclusive of the Seaside and Paso Robles subareas) and acted as a guidance document for future groundwater projects.

2017, October - Recommendations To Address The Expansion Of Seawater Intrusion In The Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin

Monterey County Water Resources Agency Engineering Reports

This report provides a discussion of the current knowledge and related background information surrounding seawater intrusion pathways and potential impacts thereof on the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin. The report also serves as a body of evidence to catalogue the findings used to support the six recommendations presented. Each recommendation can be implemented on its own or in concert with the others, and the relative importance of each is discussed individually in this report. However, the recommendations are conceptualized as a comprehensive solution that, along with continued operation of projects that have been constructed for the same purpose, have the strongest …

2017, October - Recommendations To Address The Expansion Of Seawater Intrusion In The Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin

Monterey County Water Resources Agency Water Reports

This report provides a discussion of the current knowledge and related background information surrounding seawater intrusion pathways and potential impacts thereof on the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin. The report also serves as a body of evidence to catalogue the findings used to support the six recommendations presented. Each recommendation can be implemented on its own or in concert with the others, and the relative importance of each is discussed individually in this report. However, the recommendations are conceptualized as a comprehensive solution that, along with continued operation of projects that have been constructed for the same purpose, have the strongest …

2015 – Project Justification – Addressing An Urgent Water Supply Need For A Disadvantaged Community In The Greater Monterey County Irwm Region

Miscellaneous Monterey and San Luis Obispo County Documents and Reports

One hundred percent of Castroville’s water supply comes from the 400-foot aquifer of the Pressure sub-basin of the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin. Groundwater levels in the aquifer dropped more than 100 feet below the seal level as of July 2015 at static conditions. Water levels dropped to more than 190 feet below the mean sea level during operation of the water well. The dramatic drop combined with the close proximity of the Pacific Ocean (less than 4 miles) and to existing seawater intrusion (less than ¼ mile) raised significant alarm that the existing water supply system to Castroville was imminently …

2015, November - Salinas River Salt Modeling Report , Tetra Tech For California Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board And Us Environmental Protection Agency, Region Ix

State and Federal Documents Relating to Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties

Report prepared by Tetra Tech on behalf of California Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and US Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX with a view of development of salt-related TMDLs and a salt and nutrient management plan for the Salinas Valley aquifers. The report provides data analysis and a literature review, development of a water and salt mass balance tool, and salt sources assessment. Recommendations regarding improved representation of cropland locations, rotations, and irrigation practices are provided.

2012, May - San Luis Obispo County Master Water Report, Volume Iii Of Iii

San Luis Obispo Public Works Water Reports

A compilation of current and future water resource management activities with in San Luis Obispo County that are organized by Water Planning Areas. The report explores how the activities interrelate, analyzes current and future supplies and demands, and identifies future water management strategies and ways to optimize existing strategies

1999 - Salinas River Watershed Management Action Plan, Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board

Miscellaneous Monterey and San Luis Obispo County Documents and Reports

To more effectively protect and improve water resources, the Action Plan attempts to develop local solutions to local problems. Many significant identified water quality impacts in the Salinas River Watershed, such as erosion and sedimentation, nitrates in the groundwater and surface water, and older, discontinued pesticides in sediments and animal tissues, are primarily associated with nonpoint pollution sources. Also, widespread groundwater pumping contributes significantly to seawater intrusion into the coastal aquifers. The Action Plan approach includes: 1. devoting additional Regional Board resources to watershed activities, 2. increasing the Regional Board presence by developing partnerships with landowners, local governments, resource agencies …

1999 - Water Resources And Land Use Change In Salinas Valley, Watershed Institute Report No. Wi-1999-01

Miscellaneous Monterey and San Luis Obispo County Documents and Reports

The 1999 report prepared by Fred Watson, Lars Pierce, Mel Mulitsch, Wendi Newman, Adrian Rocha, Mark Fain and Jodiah Nelson of the Watershed Institute, describes the progress made toward the use of computer modeling to provide both understanding and predictive capability. The Salinas River watershed of over 11,000 square kilometers supports large areas of intensive agriculture production, including large areas of intensive crop production, and extensive cattle ranches supporting annual grasslands. Mainly a dry climate with limited surface water resources, the valley has a finite groundwater system. Agriculture accounts for 93.5% of the groundwater extractions that exceed recharge by 40,000-50,000 …

2015, Aug. 20 - Groundwater Recharge On East Side Soils Of The Salinas Valley

Miscellaneous Monterey and San Luis Obispo County Documents and Reports

Discussion of the historically low groundwater levels in the Salinas Valley, noting that the shallower wells have become unreliable. As the groundwater levels drop below sea level, the seawater intrusion in the coastal aquifers will worsen. Because of the fast-declining groundwater levels on the east side of the Salinas Valley, the potential for seawater moving inland increases. Enhancing recharge in these areas would be beneficial in reducing seawater intrusion while lowering flood risk and erosion damage. The article reviews potential strategies to increase infiltration of rainwater during winter storms thereby recharging the underlying aquifer.

2015, January 16 - State Of The Salinas River Groundwater Basin - Hydrology Report

Monterey County Water Resources Agency Water Reports

A study conducted for Monterey County under County Professional Agreement 14-714, in response to Referral No. 2014.01. Prepared by Brown and Caldwell under the oversight of Monterey County Water Resources Agency, this report addresses the effects of prolonged drought by considering likely changes in groundwater head elevations, groundwater storage, and seawater intrusion. Some steps are offered that might help alleviate the consequences of further depleting groundwater storage. They study area is MCWRA Benefit Zone 2C which largely straddles the Salinas River in Monterey County. Zone 2C consists of 7 subareas: Above Dam, Below Dam, Upper Valley, Arroyo Seco, Forebay, East …

2013-2014, August - Integrated Regional Water Management Plan For The Greater Monterey County Region

Miscellaneous Monterey and San Luis Obispo County Documents and Reports

An Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWM Plan) developed by 18 member entities that include government agencies, nonprofit organizations, educational organizations, water service districts, private water companies, and organizations representing agricultural, environmental, and community interests. The IRWM Plan is an expansion and modification of a previous plan – the May 2006 Salinas Valley Integrated Regional Water Management Functionally Equivalent Plan developed by Monterey County Water Resources Agency. While the traditional approach to water resource management has typically involved separate and distinct agencies managing different aspects of the water system, i.e., water supply, water quality, flood management, and natural resources, integrated …

2003, April – Land Use History And Mapping In California’S Central Coast Region; Report No. Wi-2003-03; Newman, W. B, Watson, F.G.R,

Miscellaneous Monterey and San Luis Obispo County Documents and Reports

Land use change has a long history in the region, which once held the State Capitol at Monterey. The region been transformed several times, following the introduction of Europeans and their grain crops in the 1800s, the development of groundwater-based irrigation in the late 1920s, and the expansion of vineyards and urban areas in more recent years.

Land management must be aware of the history of the land, and of its current spatial state. The early chapters of this report review the major land use systems of the region and their history. The latter chapter presents a new remotely sensed …

2012, May - San Luis Obispo County Master Water Report, Volume I Of Iii

San Luis Obispo Public Works Water Reports

A compilation of current and future water resource management activities with in San Luis Obispo County that are organized by Water Planning Areas. The report explores how the activities interrelate, analyzes current and future supplies and demands, and identifies future water management strategies and ways to optimize existing strategies.

2012, May - San Luis Obispo County Master Water Report, Volume Ii Of Iii

San Luis Obispo Public Works Water Reports

A compilation of current and future water resource management activities with in San Luis Obispo County that are organized by Water Planning Areas. The report explores how the activities interrelate, analyzes current and future supplies and demands, and identifies future water management strategies and ways to optimize existing strategies.

1949 Salinas Basin Investigation, Basic Data Used In Bulletins 52, 52-A And 52-B

State and Federal Documents Relating to Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties

The 1949 Salinas Basin Investigation - Basic Data publication presented the previously unpublished basic data supporting the analyses and conclusions in Bulletins 52, 52-A and 52-B. The documents includes well descriptions in Salinas Valley, water levels at wells, quality of water, water levels at wells, quality of water, well logs, and maps depicting lands irrigated in Salinas Valley in 1945.

1950 Salinas Basin Investigation - Basic Data (1948-1950)

State and Federal Documents Relating to Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties

This supplemental report contains basic data collected between September 1948 and April 1950 on measurements of water levels at wells and quality of water checks as it related to the saline intrusion into groundwater located in the lower Salinas Basin, previously presented in Bulletins 52, 52-A and 52-B.

1946 Salinas Basin Investigation Summary Report, Bulletin No. 52-B

State and Federal Documents Relating to Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties

This joint 1946 18-month investigation of the Salinas Basin by the State Department of Water Resources and the County of Monterey deals with conditions in the lower Salinas River Basin near Monterey Bay due to saline water intrusion into the groundwater supply that was utilized for irrigation, domestic and industrial purposes. The report discusses the history of the basin, a description of the Salinas Valley, sub-basins, inflow and outflow, crops, wells, percolation, underground hydrology, quality of water, evaluation of water problem, methods of conservation, proposed solution and legal considerations.

1996 Monterey County Water Resources Agency Groundwater Extraction Summary Report

Monterey County Water Resources Agency Water Reports

Annual report required by Monterey County Ordinances No. 3663 and 3717 in order to provide the Monterey County Water Resources Agency the most accurate water use information possible in order to manage water resources. Groundwater extraction data are presented by measurement in acre-feet equal to 325,851 gallons.

2003 Monterey County Water Resources Agency Groundwater Extraction Summary Report

Monterey County Water Resources Agency Water Reports

Annual report required by Monterey County Ordinances No. 3663 and 3717 in order to provide the Monterey County Water Resources Agency the most accurate water use information possible in order to manage water resources. Groundwater extraction data are presented by measurement in acre-feet equal to 325,851 gallons.

2002 Monterey County Water Resources Agency Groundwater Extraction Summary Report

Monterey County Water Resources Agency Water Reports

Annual report required by Monterey County Ordinances No. 3663 and 3717 in order to provide the Monterey County Water Resources Agency the most accurate water use information possible in order to manage water resources. Groundwater extraction data are presented by measurement in acre-feet equal to 325,851 gallons.

2013 Monterey County Water Resources Agency Groundwater Extraction Summary Report

Monterey County Water Resources Agency Water Reports

Annual report required by Monterey County Ordinances No. 3663 and 3717 in order to provide the Monterey County Water Resources Agency the most accurate water use information possible in order to manage water resources. Groundwater extraction data are presented by measurement in acre-feet equal to 325,851 gallons.

2008 Monterey County Water Resources Agency Groundwater Extraction Summary Report

Monterey County Water Resources Agency Water Reports

Annual report required by Monterey County Ordinances No. 3663 and 3717 in order to provide the Monterey County Water Resources Agency the most accurate water use information possible in order to manage water resources. Groundwater extraction data are presented by measurement in acre-feet equal to 325,851 gallons.