1. Injection-only groundwater restoration scenario recommended for further study
Of seven modeled Brackish Groundwater Restoration Project scenarios, the injection-only configuration performed best and was reported to meet seawater-intrusion minimum thresholds within 10 years of operation. State law sets a 2040 sustainability deadline for critically overdrafted basins, but staff said the project’s operational start remains uncertain. It would extract about 67,000 acre-feet of brackish groundwater annually from 20 coastal wells, treat it at a 42-million-gallon-per-day reverse osmosis plant, and inject about 45,000 acre-feet annually through 20 inland wells. Its estimated $955 million capital cost is not an approved construction expenditure. Staff said the agency’s board supported refining the scenario for the final feasibility study, including examining whether pumping from the 400-foot aquifer could be reduced to limit impacts on active wells.
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