Pajaro Valley Groundwater Overdraft Concerns
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 established in 1984 in order to manage groundwater issues in the Pajaro Valley in the region.
Laws, policies, & regulations
...What laws, policies, and/or regulations are involved?...
- Groundwater management is centered around local issues.
- Monterey County has ordinance in place for groundwater management, Santa Cruz County has no such ordinance in place.
- Currently in California, landowners possess the ability to pump as much groundwater as they can beneficially use.
- Assembly Bill 3030 enables designated local agencies to form groundwater management plans.
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
California Department of Water Resources. 2010. Groundwater Information Center [30 January 2011] Available from: http://www.water.ca.gov/groundwater/index.cfm
Stephens T. November 18, 2007. UCSC hydrologist provides expert advice on Pajaro Valley's water supply. UCSC News [Internet]. [cited 2011 January 31]. Available from: http://news.ucsc.edu/2007/11/1759.html
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.
