Statement of Agreement - Presented to PVWMA 2001

By Dennis Osmer

I present the following "Statement of Agreement" developed by a sub committee and presented by Action Pajaro Valley Ag/Water Committee (Endorsed by the Advisory Board on October 30, 2001) to the PVWMA as a balanced though somewhat dated view of the problems and possible solutions. Any solution or combination of such must meet with voter and ratepayer approval and support in order to be considered attainable.

The Pajaro Valley groundwater basin is out of balance. The community is pumping more water from the ground than is being returned to the aquifer. The underground water table is lower than sea level. The result is that seawater intrusion is currently affecting the coastal properties due to basin-wide pumping. In addition to basin overdraft, there are areas within the basin experiencing other water quality problems. Basin overdraft, seawater intrusion and other water quality problems require our serious attention. Absent any action, these problems will worsen.

THE GOAL:

To ensure a long-term safe, secure, stable and sufficient water supply for our community by balancing the groundwater basin and by stopping the advance of seawater intrusion while sustaining agricultural production and our quality of life.

OBJECTIVES:

• Ensure the development of an adequate water supply and infrastructure to meet the current and changing needs of the community's residents and agricultural businesses.

• Provide an adequate and sustainable water supply on a long-term basis while protecting the community's watersheds and environmental resources including surface water, ground water, and aquifer recharge areas.

• Ensure that the water needs of future growth are financed by those who will use the additional water.

• Utilize cost-effective conservation methods and programs.

• Encourage collaboration among jurisdictions and agencies to provide appropriate ways to address flood control and enhance the environment.

• Be environmentally and economically feasible.

• Be supported by the community and be implementable in a timely fashion.

• Pumping must be reduced in the coastal area and a new water supply must be delivered to the coastal farmers in lieu of their current pumping.

• There is no single cost-effective solution, including conservation, which will solve the problem.

• Any solution, including no project, will be costly to the Pajaro Valley community.

• Multiple water sources that complement each other should be utilized in an integrated system including storage, recovery and recharge.

• Desalination in its present state of development is not affordable.

• Imported water is a viable solution, although some members of the Ag/Water Committee are concerned with questions of availability, reliability and affordability.

• Assurances of availability, reliability and affordability are important with any project.

• Failure to solve the problem will have serious adverse consequences including continued seawater intrusion, a lack of availability of water to farmers, and adverse affects to our economic viability.

• Failure to solve the problem may mean loss of local control over water and land-use planning.

• Provide an adequate irrigation distribution system, with priority for a coastal distribution system, in order to minimize pumping at the coast.

• Ensure that the cost for development of water supply and infrastructure for new development neither increases costs to existing agricultural businesses and residents nor reduces their quality of service.

• Continue to collaborate with other agencies to develop additional water supplies where such projects are mutually beneficial.

• Utilize a phased approach for projects.

• Support the efforts of the Agricultural Water Rates Advisory Committee to develop strategies for water supply pricing.

• Encourage participation in the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency's public process.

• Continue and expand agricultural and urban conservation programs.

• Upgrade the Watsonville Wastewater Treatment Facility to provide recycled water of acceptable quality for agricultural and other suitable uses.

• Utilize local water projects such as the existing Harkins Slough project.

• Encourage landowners to provide on-site water storage or retention basins in order to store and potentially recharge water.

Projects that lack current viability include:

• College Lake + potential is contingent upon Army Corps of Engineers flood control project;
• Corralitos Creek + potential is contingent upon a College Lake project, and is not a stand-alone;
• Pajaro River including Murphy Crossing + potential is affected by present poor water quality and lack of upstream/downstream surface storage;
• Watsonville Slough + potential is contingent upon the Watsonville Sloughs Resource Conservation and Enhancement Plan as well as availability of storage.

  Project that lacks any viability:

• Bolsa de San Cayetano + seismic cost and other issues make the project prohibitive.

• Underground water storage is a necessary component of any solution.

• Utilize above-ground water storage as available.

• To balance the basin, local projects and water recycling will need to be supplemented with desalinated water, and/or imported water, and/or further increased levels of conservation.

• Local projects alone will not balance the basin without a level of conservation that may require unacceptable levels of land-fallowing.

Dissenting Opinions:

• It is agreed that the problem must be addressed; however, due to the complexity of assessing the problem there is some disagreement about the magnitude of the problem.

• The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency's charter to balance the basin may be unattainable due to the Pajaro Valley community's inability to afford absolute balance.

• Some believe that the Pajaro Valley community cannot afford to accept anything less than a balanced basin.