Go to Main Page

Salinas Valley – East Side Aquifer

Statistics

At-A-Glance

Located in California’s Central Coast hydrologic region, the Salinas Valley – East Side Aquifer subbasin is 57,474 acres in size. This High priority basin is home to an estimated 128,550 people (2010 value). It has approximately 714 wells, of which approximately 52 are water supply wells. Groundwater accounts for approximately 100 percent of the basin’s water supply.

Source: CA DWR
Source: CA DWR

Basin Notes

2003: Bulletin 118 basin description

2018: Draft prioritization comments:

  • Groundwater level decline: Longterm hydrographs show decline.  “In most of the subareas, were seeing historic lows, said MCWRA senior hydrologist Howard Franklin, adding that he expects new data to show that underground seawater intrusion into the basin, which slowed in recent years, has restarted its march down the valley. Santa Cruz Sentinel, 3/5/15
  • Seawater intrusion: This began in the Salinas Valley by the 1930s and now extends more than five miles inland. The Monterey County Flood Control and Water Conservation District built Nacimiento Dam in 1957 and an Antonio Dam in 1965 to provide flood control and to accelerate groundwater recharge to mitigate seawater intrusion. In April 1998, the Monterey County Water Recycling Projects started delivering recycled water for irrigation in lieu of groundwater pumping, effectively slowing the seawater intrusion rate (MCWRA, 2006). Central Coast Groundwater: Seawater Intrusion and other Issues, California Water Foundation, August 4, 2014. 2)The Salinas Valley Water Project is currently being implemented by the Monterey County Water Resources Agency to mitigate groundwater overdraft and seawater intrusion. The project includes mitigation measures such as construction or retrofit of recharge dams, protection of recharge areas, and injection of recycled water into the impacted aquifers.

2018: Final Basin Prioritization: Basin status remains unchanged at high priority.

2022: January 24 – Groundwater Sustainability Plan submitted to DWR

2023: April 27 –  GSP approved by DWR

GSA Information

Models