Department of Water Resources Approves Incomplete Plans That Leave Drinking Water Users At Risk in the Salinas Valley
For Immediate Release
May 3, 2023
Contact:
Kelsey Hinton, Community Water Center, kelsey.hinton@communitywatercenter.org, (765) 729-1674
Department of Water Resources Approves Incomplete Plans That Leave Drinking Water Users At Risk in the Salinas Valley
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Last week, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) approved 12 groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs) for basins located across California including: Big Valley, Shasta Valley, Scott River Valley, San Jacinto, Upper Ventura River, San Luis Obispo Valley, Santa Margarita, and in the Salinas Valley: East Side Aquifer, Forebay Aquifer, Langley Area, Monterey, and Upper Valley Aquifer.
While DWR’s approvals came with recommendations to improve each plan in the next five years, these GSPs currently fail to protect drinking water users — a primary focus of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
One example is East Side Aquifer’s approved plan which puts vulnerable communities in Northeastern Monterey County, such as the City of Salinas, City of Gonzales, and San Jerardo Cooperative, at risk of losing access to their primary water source. As a housing community built by and for farmworkers, the San Jerardo Cooperative has faced decades of unaffordable water rates and nitrate contamination.
Only 10% of domestic wells covered by the East Side Aquifer were considered when creating this plan, leaving out the majority of families who rely on groundwater. To protect human health and safety, DWR should have required a more robust well review before approval.
Additionally, East Side Aquifer found that seven contaminants exceeded their legal drinking water limits last year and failed to recognize their role in addressing this health risk which includes birth defects, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. DWR reiterated that the agency is responsible for groundwater quality impacts related to any projects and management actions as well groundwater pumping practices in the subbasin. Now, DWR must ensure substantial progress is made on implementing this recommendation by next year.
“When reviewing the plans, DWR provided critical recommendations on groundwater levels, water quality, and climate change impacts that will help protect drinking water users. The problem is these plans should have already had these protections. DWR must enforce these recommendations in line with their drinking water guidance with urgency,” says Tien Tran, Policy Advocate for Community Water Center.
While agencies have five years to include DWR’s recommendations in their plans, progress must be shown annually. We’re calling on DWR to review these annual reports with an eye towards protecting drinking water for vulnerable communities proactively. If significant progress fails to be seen, DWR’s responsibility under SGMA is to hold local agencies accountable and designate these plans as inadequate in order for the state to intervene and protect groundwater in the region. The future of drinking water for California’s rural communities of color depends on the state protecting the Human Right to Water.
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Community Water Center (CWC) works to ensure that all communities have reliable access to safe, clean, and affordable water. Founded in 2006, CWC is a not-for-profit environmental justice organization, whose mission is to act as a catalyst for community-driven water solutions through education, organizing, and advocacy.
Web: www.communitywatercenter.org.
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