Purpose of the Drought TAC

The purpose of the Drought Operations Technical Advisory Committee (D-TAC) is to provide, when Drought Triggers occurs, technical input and advice regarding the operations of Nacimiento and San Antonio Reservoirs. The D-TAC was formed through a settlement agreement to develop Standards and Guiding Principles to be used in the development of proposed reservoir release schedules for MCWRA drought operations. The D-TAC is an ad hoc committee consisting of independent, third-party experts with expertise in the following fields: hydrology, hydrogeology, hydrologic modeling, civil engineering, ecology, or fish and wildlife biology. D-TAC members currently represent the following organizations: California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Grower-Shipper Association, National Marine Fisheries Service, Monterey County Water Resources Agency, Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency, Salinas Valley Water Coalition, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A Drought Trigger occurs if the following criteria is met:

• At the October Reservoir Operations Advisory Committee meeting of each year, MCWRA staff will present an updated reservoir release schedule and the then-current forecast for December 1st storage at Nacimiento and San Antonio Reservoirs. If the December 1st forecasted combined reservoir storage volume at Nacimiento and San Antonio Reservoirs is below 220,000 acre-feet and the San Antonio Reservoir’s December 1st forecasted storage is below 82,000 acre-feet, the D-TAC process shall commence. 
• The MCWRA will schedule the first D-TAC meeting to occur no earlier than February 15th and the D-TAC will meet as needed through March 31st. The D-TAC will develop a recommended release schedule that is consistent with the Standards and Guiding Principles.
• If at any time between December 1st and March 31st the actual reservoir storage volumes equals or exceeds the combined or individual minimum storage thresholds, the D-TAC process will terminate, and no release schedule will be prepared by the D-TAC

A copy of the settlement agreement through which the D-TAC was formed can be found here.

The Standards and Guiding Principles of Reservoir Operations During Drought Conditions document, developed by the D-TAC can be found here.