The KUSP Land Use Report #20: North County Water Facts

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The following Land Use Report is presented by Gary Patton, Executive Director of LandWatch Monterey County. The opinions expressed by Mr. Patton are not necessarily those of KUSP Radio, nor of any of our sponsors.

In Monterey County, a General Plan Update is underway. At the same time, the County Water Resources Agency is drafting a "Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan." Logically, the General Plan needs to take account of what the Water Resources Agency is finding. Future land use and water availability need to be linked.

In North Monterey County, virtually all of the residents and businesses are served by local wells. The groundwater of this area is being overdrafted, which means that current demand greatly exceeds the annual level of recharge. Estimates are that North Monterey County overdraft is on the order of 200%. In the Salinas Valley, which also has a problem, annual overdraft is estimated at 8%.

Based on these findings, North Monterey County doesn’t seem to be an area where lots of new growth should be happening. In fact, however, this has been the fastest growing part of the unincorporated area. A temporary "moratorium" in North County is due to expire in February. It may well be extended. Even so, solving the problem will require more than a short-term fix.

Good land use planning would make sure that new developments don’t make a bad problem worse. That’s not, however, going to be automatic. Farmers and residents in North Monterey County should probably be getting involved in these two, related, planning efforts.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

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