1. Coordination agreement amendment remains in development. Staff from the Salinas Valley Basin GSA and Arroyo Seco GSA are working through changes to simplify their coordination agreement while retaining important safeguards. The Arroyo Seco GSA’s legal team preferred an amendment to a full replacement. Committee members emphasized that the agencies should consult before decisions involving demand management and monitoring wells, rather than update one another afterward. No amendment was approved. Staff set a goal of finishing the work in 2026 and plan to bring back further draft sections, the existing agreement and a table tracking proposed changes. During public comment, Nancy Isaacson asked for clearer language on when the Arroyo Seco GSA board must review or approve proposed actions.
2. Demand management framework is guidance, not an automatic trigger. The framework was discussed with the Forebay committee and is expected to go to the Salinas Valley Basin GSA board in October for information, not approval. Staff described it as a starting point for considering potential responses to different conditions; it would not activate measures on its own. Future measures could differ by subbasin, aquifer or user type. A public commenter questioned whether the framework would fit the existing Upper Valley and Forebay plans and the technical advisory committee’s work; staff said the framework is guidance only and does not prescribe measures. Participants urged an Arroyo Seco GSA board review of the framework before the Salinas Valley Basin GSA board takes action on it. They also discussed how the Upper Valley and Forebay technical advisory committee would contribute to the process.
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