1. Demand management alone would not reach the 2040 seawater intrusion threshold. Modeling presented to the committees showed that ending all agricultural pumping across the Salinas Valley would still not return the seawater intrusion front to its minimum-threshold line by 2040. Staff said measures beyond demand management would be needed and discussed water injection, saltwater extraction, or a combination. Demand management remains under consideration. Neither committee selected a project.
2. DWR requested more detail by April 30. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) asked the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency for additional information concerning the 180/400-Ft Aquifer Subbasin. Its review covers both the five-year evaluation and Amendment 1 to the groundwater sustainability plan. DWR sought clarification on seawater intrusion actions, project schedules and benefits, groundwater storage, and water quality. Staff said the board-accepted demand-management framework would place the 180/400-Ft subbasin in Stage 4, with additional measures proposed for development next fiscal year; no new pumping limit was adopted. Staff intends to outline at least two potential scenarios addressing the 2040 deadline; their performance and implementation remain under evaluation. Feasibility studies for the Brackish Groundwater Restoration Project, a new seawater intrusion project, and Castroville and Eastside canals and alternatives are expected by the end of March 2026.
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