1. Injection-only option recommended for further brackish groundwater restoration study Salinas Valley Basin GSA staff recommended focusing the Brackish Groundwater Restoration Project (BGR) feasibility study on an injection-only option: extracting brackish water, treating it and injecting it into aquifers instead of delivering it directly to users. Among seven configurations examined, staff described this option as the most effective of comparable-sized approaches and the fastest to reach the 2017 minimum-threshold contour—projected within about ten years of operation in much of the study area. None of the modeled BGR scenarios reached the Highway 1 measurable objective. Modeled seawater intrusion remains a concern near Marina, and the well configuration needs refinement. Existing users could retain their current well systems rather than connect to a new treated-water delivery system for this project. This is not a final project selection. The other scenarios will be documented in the feasibility study, but the injection-only option is the one recommended for further refinement. That work, including costs and an initial study to scope potential environmental review, is expected to conclude around February 2026.
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