Monterey County Water Resources Agency

1441 Schilling Place, North Bldg., Salinas, CA 93901
Phone (831) 755-4860 | After Hours (831) 796-1166

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1441 Schilling Place, North Bldg., Salinas, CA 93901
Phone (831) 755-4860 | FAX (831) 424-7935 | After Hours (831) 796-1166

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The Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA) and the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA) are partnering to improve the collection and storage of regional groundwater data through the Groundwater Monitoring Program (GMP). The GMP includes:

The partnership establishes one cohesive program to comply with the regulatory-driven monitoring requirements under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), while ensuring efficiency and transparency. The key goal is to improve the availability of accurate and timely groundwater information, which aids in effectively managing water resources. The SVBGSA is charged with achieving sustainability in the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin, which extends from the southern boundary of Monterey County to northwestern Monterey County.

Through the GMP, the expansion of well registration and groundwater extraction monitoring requires all wells in the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin to be registered with the MCWRA. Those wells extracting more than two acre-feet per year (i.e. non-de minimis) will also need to report extraction data to MCWRA.

Well registration with MCWRA involves well owners submitting or verifying well information through a registration portal (under development) or, in the interim, using a form available on MCWRA's website. The data submission requirements include general information about well ownership, well construction specifications, and the status of the well (for a complete list see the MCWRA GMP Manual). Data on well location and depth help with understanding the relationship between the wells and groundwater conditions. The well owner's name and address information obtained through the GMP is confidential.

Nearly 500 well operators currently submit groundwater extraction information to MCWRA, but data gaps exist, specifically in the Langley Subbasin, on the northern coastal side of the 180/400-Foot Aquifer Subbasin, and across a significant portion of the Upper Valley Subbasin in southern Monterey County. Expansion of groundwater extraction monitoring applies to all non-de minimis users, domestic users with 15 or more connections, and in subsequent years (tentatively October 2025) domestic users with 5-14 connections. Groundwater extraction data can be tracked with the well operator's choice of an approved method. Approved methods currently include water flowmeter, electrical meter, or hour meter (timer). Data must be recorded by the well operator monthly for each water year, from October 1 to September 30, and reported to MCWRA by November 1 of each year. For the 2023 reporting year, 96% of the 1,940 wells that were required to report submitted their data. As the Groundwater Monitoring Program is further developed and enhanced, SVBGSA and MCWRA are striving for efficient data collection to support effective water resources management in the region.

NEW! Quick overview of the GMP Fees - Descripción sencilla de Tasas del GMP

Use Search icon to locate a property by Address or by APN (12 digit number without dashes)

Frequently Asked Questions

General Information

Why is a groundwater monitoring program necessary?

What is being monitored?

Can the State really intervene in Salinas Valley groundwater decisions?

Yes. The 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) assigns technical support and groundwater sustainability plan oversight to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and enforcement power to the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board). DWR can determine SGMA implementation is inadequate and refer a basin to the State Board even after a plan is approved.

In the San Joaquin Valley, there are several groundwater basins currently under State Board intervention. Intervention by the State Board comes with costs, including paying a well registration fee of $100 (de minimis users) or $300 (non-de minimis users) for each well. Those using more than 2 acre-feet per year are also required to install water meters, report extractions to the State, and pay $20 per each acre-foot pumped. These fees are in addition to the GSA's costs to overcome State Board intervention by addressing plan deficiencies. Some instances may also include litigation costs.

Groundwater Monitoring Program Regulatory Fees

What are the GMP fees?

For Fiscal Year 2025-2026 (July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026), the Monterey County Board of Supervisors adopted regulatory fees to fund the Groundwater Monitoring Program (GMP) and gather information that is vital to maintaining local management of water supplies. However, the FY 25-26 fees are being covered by the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency through DWR grant funding. Beginning next year (FY 26-27), annual fees will be assessed to support the program. The adopted fees, which are being covered by grant funds, are:
- One-time well registration: $160.16 per well
- Annual well registration renewal: $21.86 per well.
- Groundwater extraction reporting: $64.82 per well.
- Monitoring groundwater levels: $117.68 per well.
- Monitoring water quality: $73.92 per well.

How were the proposed fees determined?

How do I know which fees apply to my well?

Well registration, annual registration renewal, and groundwater level monitoring fees apply to all water production wells in any of the six subbasins in the jurisdiction of the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency - 180/400-Foot Aquifer, Eastside Aquifer, Forebay Aquifer, Langley Area, Monterey, and Upper Valley Aquifer.

The groundwater extraction reporting fee applies to all water production wells that pump over 2 acre-feet per year in MCWRA Zone 2C and/or in one of the six subbasins in the jurisdiction of the SVBGSA - 180/400-Foot Aquifer, Eastside Aquifer, Forebay Aquifer, Langley Area, Monterey, and Upper Valley Aquifer.

The groundwater quality monitoring fee applies to all water production wells in subbasins that monitor for seawater intrusion as part of the subbasin's approved Groundwater Sustainability PLan. This includes the 180/400-Foot Aquifer, Eastside Aquifer, Langley Area, and Monterey Subbasins.

A map showing the extent of the GMP area is available near the top this webpage.

Will MCWRA monitor every well in the GMP area?

No. MCWRA monitors groundwater levels and water quality for seawater intrusion through a subset of the approximately 3,500 wells in the six subbasins (180/400-Foot Aquifer, Eastside Aquifer, Forebay Aquifer, Langley, Monterey Area, and Upper Valley Subbasins). Data are collected from a representative sample of wells to provide information about regional groundwater conditions that is needed for meeting SGMA requirements.

Why am I paying a fee if my well is not being monitored?

How will the fees be billed to well owners?

Can a well owner designate someone else, like a tenant, to pay the fee?

Will the fees change?

Well Registration

Do I need to register my well?

All wells within the Groundwater Monitoring Program area must be registered with the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA). The GMP area comprises MCWRA's Zone 2C and the six subbasins in the jurisdiction of the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA) - 180/400-Foot Aquifer, Eastside Aquifer, Forebay Aquifer, Langley Area, Monterey, and Upper Valley Aquifer. The GMP area is depicted in the interactive map above.

What if I have registered my well with MCWRA in the past?

Where do I register my well?

What happens if I register my well after the March 31, 2026 deadline?

Fees for the GMP, including well registration, were adopted in 2025 with guidance to offset those fees with SVBGSA grant funds (Sustainable Groundwater Management SGMA Implementation Grant (SGM Grant)). The SGM Grant concludes March 31, 2026, which is why there is no fee offset after that point. Other options to offset the fees for certain well types or users are being explored, as directed by the County Supervisors, but nothing has been solidified yet.

What data is requested during well registration?

How is the data used and stored?

Well registration data is used to understand the location and types of all wells within MCWRA and SVBGSA jurisdictions. Information about groundwater levels and groundwater quality, coupled with the detailed production well data, aids in assessing how wells could be affected by changing groundwater conditions.
Data is stored by MCWRA in a database that is accessible only to authorized staff members.

How often do wells need to be registered?

What if a property where a well is located changes ownership?

Is there a well registration fee?

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors approved a one-time Initial Well Registration Fee of $160.16 per well and an annual Well Registration Renewal Fee of $21.86 per well. The fee amount per well was determined through the GMP Fee Study, completed in April 2025. The first year of costs is covered by SVBGSA through DWR grant funding. Beginning next year (FY 2027), annual fees will be assessed to support the program Alternative funding options are being explored to offset costs for de minimis well owners.

Which policies or regulations govern the Well Registration Program?

When does a well need to be registered?

Do I need to unregister my well if it is destroyed?

Groundwater Extraction Monitoring

Why is expansion of groundwater extraction monitoring necessary?

What is included in the proposed groundwater extraction monitoring expansion?

Location of the well and the extraction volume determine the need to report groundwater extraction data to MCWRA. The expansion includes all non-de minimis users (wells extracting more than 2 acre-feet per year) in certain areas, beginning with agricultural pumpers and domestic users with 15 or more connections. In 2025, domestic users with 5-14 connections will be added to the program. If the well is used to extract two acre-feet of water per year or less for domestic purposes, there is no requirement to report the extraction data (2 acre-feet of water is equivalent to about 650,000 gallons).
If the well is used to extract more than 2 acre-feet of water per year and is located in MCWRA Zone 2C and/or in one of the six subbasins in the jurisdiction of the SVBGSA - 180/400 Foot Aquifer, Eastside Aquifer, Forebay Aquifer, Langley Area, Monterey, or Upper Valley - reporting groundwater extraction data will be required. Check here to view the subbasin boundaries.

How will people know if they need to report groundwater extraction data?

How do people sign up for groundwater extraction monitoring?

How will the fees change?

Is groundwater extraction data publicly available?

What is the purpose of collecting groundwater extraction data?

What data will need to be reported to MCWRA?

How often will data need to be reported?

How will data be submitted?

Who reports extraction data?

How is the data used and stored?

Which policies or regulations govern the groundwater extraction monitoring?

Will there be fines for extractions over a certain limit?

What happens if data is not submitted in a timely manner?

What happens if the well owner does not have all required data?

Monterey County Water Resources Agency
1441 Schilling Pl., North Bldg., Salinas, CA 93901

Phone (831) 755-4860 | After Hours (831) 796-1166

Email: mcwater@countyofmonterey.gov

Agency Act	Agency Bylaws	Assessment Zones	Budget
Careers	Contact	Directions/Map	Ordinances
Public Records Act Requests	WRA Strategic Plan 2020

Overview	Interlake Tunnel	Salinas Valley Water Project (SVWP)
Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project (CSIP)/Salinas Valley Reclamation Project (SVRP)	Nacimiento Hydroelectric Plant	Salinas Valley Water Project Phase II
Dams and Reservoirs	Reclamation Ditch
Granite Ridge Water Supply Project	Salinas River Diversion Facility (SRDF)

Overview	Boat Docks	California Statewide Groundwater Level Monitoring Plan (CASGEM)	Drought Information
Drought TAC	Fish Monitoring	Flood Warning (ALERT)	Flow Monitoring
Grazing Lease Program	Groundwater Extractions (GEMS)	Groundwater Monitoring Program	Groundwater Level Monitoring
Protection of Domestic Drinking Water Supplies For The Lower Salinas Valley	Quagga and Zebra Mussels	Salinas River Lagoon Management and Enhancement Plan	Salinas River Stream Maintenance Program (SMP)
Salinas River Management Program	Seawater Intrusion Monitoring	Sustainable Groundwater Management Act	USGS Cooperative Water Program
Well Completion Report	Well Registration

Article XI MCWRA Fees	Assessments and Water Delivery/Service Charges of Zone 2B,2Y and 2Z	Historic Benefits Analysis	Hydrogeologic Reports
Model Development TAC Resources	Nacitone Watershed Management Plan	Public Records Request	Salinas River Discharge Measurement Series
SB272 Enterprise Systems	Upper Salinas River RCD Watershed Action Plan

Agendas	Board of Directors	Finance and Administration Committee
Joint Water Resources / Board of Supervisors Leadership Committee	Planning Committee	Water Resources Advisory Committee