1. A valley-wide demand management toolbox is being developed. The Salinas Valley Basin GSA’s team presented a proposed framework intended for use across the valley, with measures selected according to local conditions. Six agricultural options were discussed: on-farm conservation, groundwater extraction fees, rotational fallowing or a fallow bank, land repurposing, pumping limits or allocations, and penalties for exceeding allocations. Four domestic-user options were also outlined: education and outreach, incentivized conservation, mandatory conservation, and water pricing. None was adopted at this meeting.
2. The staged approach remains conceptual. An illustrative timeline showed five stages, numbered zero through four, progressing from voluntary planning efforts toward possible mandatory measures. The highest stage reflects a risk of state intervention, not an action the committee would impose. Possible triggers included sustainable management criteria, sustainable yield, water-year conditions, and inter-subbasin effects. The example placed allocations and pumping limits at higher stages, but neither the triggers nor the placement of measures is final. Members questioned whether the approach would be too complex for the valley’s differing groundwater conditions.
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