Difference between revisions of "Pajaro Valley Groundwater Overdraft Concerns"
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| − | .. | + | Groundwater overdraft in a coastal region increases the risk of seawater intrusion. As the groundwater level diminishes, saline water will fill the void left by the overdraft, rendering the ground useless for agriculture and contaminating the freshwater aquifer. If the groundwater overdraft in the Pajaro Valley is not mitigated, parts of Monterey and Santa Cruz counties within the Pajaro Valley could experience an agricultural collapse and a freshwater shortage that would require complicated and costly drinking water delivery schemes. |
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Revision as of 18:02, 30 January 2011
Pajaro Valley Groundwater Overdraft Concerns examined by the ENVS 560/L Watershed Systems class at CSUMB.
Contents
Summary
Groundwater overdraft occurs when pumping rate exceeds the recharge rate over an extended period of time. Recent development, population rise, and agricultural demands have made groundwater overdraft a concern in the Pajaro Valley. As a result of groundwater overdraft, seawater intrusion into the aquifer could impair future use in the valley.
Location
The Pajaro Valley lies in Central California and straddles the County Line between Northern Monterey County and Southern Santa Cruz County.
Resources at stake
Groundwater overdraft in a coastal region increases the risk of seawater intrusion. As the groundwater level diminishes, saline water will fill the void left by the overdraft, rendering the ground useless for agriculture and contaminating the freshwater aquifer. If the groundwater overdraft in the Pajaro Valley is not mitigated, parts of Monterey and Santa Cruz counties within the Pajaro Valley could experience an agricultural collapse and a freshwater shortage that would require complicated and costly drinking water delivery schemes.
Stakeholders
- The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency [PVWMA]: was promulgated in 1984 looking to control groundwater management in the region.
Laws, policies, & regulations
...What laws, policies, and/or regulations are involved?...
Systems
... What elements of the biophysical system are/were involved?...
Science
...What scientific studies are or would be relevant / already completed?...
Tools
...What analytical (e.g. modeling) tools were or could be used?...
Future research
...What knowledge gaps remain?...
...Suggest a CWSP MS thesis topic that could contribute to the issue...
...Suggest a topic for a hypothetical study that had unlimited resources...
References
[PVWMA] Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency. 2006. Basin management plan documents. [30 January 2011]. Available from: http://www.pvwma.dst.ca.us/basin_management_plan/bmp_documents.shtml#bmpdocuments
Disclaimer
This page may contain student work completed as part of assigned coursework. It may not be accurate. It does not necessary reflect the opinion or policy of CSUMB, its staff, or students.
