Seawater Intrusion - A Shared Problem in Monterey County

The jury examines seawater intrusion in coastal Salinas Valley aquifers and the movement of proposed basin-scale projects from study to implementation. Four findings and four recommendations address project schedules, infrastructure options, funding and cost allocation. Existing recycled-water and river-diversion projects are acknowledged; the report does not say that no mitigation infrastructure exists. Its discussion of the 2040 sustainability deadline and possible State intervention is not a finding that Monterey is already under State probation or pumping restrictions. Formal citations use the 34-page English court copy; Spanish and agency-index variants remain unchanged. A June 23, 2026 Board order authorized filing, but the supplied proposed joint response remains draft context: independently verified final text and filing are not supplied.