Groundwater Monitoring Program: Well Registration and Groundwater Extraction Reporting

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 well registration, the Groundwater Extraction Management System (GEMS), and groundwater elevation and quality monitoring. 

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 the Groundwater Extraction Management System (GEMS) 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 through GEMS. 

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 through GEMS, a program established in 1993. 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. The GEMS expansion 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. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Well Registration

• Do I need to register my well?
  • All wells in Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA) Zone 2C and/or in one of 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 - must be registered with the MCWRA. Check here to view the subbasin boundaries. 
• What if I have registered my well with MCWRA in the past?
  • You may be asked to verify the well information but are not required to re-register. MCWRA staff will contact you with this request and information on how to complete the verification. 
• Where do I register my well?
  • The well registration portal is under development. While the well registration portal is being developed, well registration can be completed by submitting a form available on MCWRA's website at https://www.countyofmonterey.gov/government/government-links/water-resources-agency/forms.
• What data is requested during well registration?
  • Well registration entails providing information about the well owner, well operator, well location, well construction specifications, and type of well use. A list of the required data is included in MCWRA's Groundwater Monitoring Program Manual available here. 
• How is the data stored?
  • Data is stored by MCWRA in a database that is accessible only to authorized staff members. 
• How is the data used?
  • 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. 
• How often do wells need to be registered?
  • Initial registration of a well only needs to happen once. If information associated with the well changes, those updates must be provided to MCWRA. 
• What if a property where a well is located changes ownership?
  • It will be the responsibility of the new owner to contact MCWRA and update the information in the well registration database. 
• Is there a fee?
  • MCWRA will establish a fee for the Well Registration Program. The fee amount per well is being determined through a study that is expected to be completed in late 2024 or early 2025. More information about the fee will be made available and discussed at public meetings of the MCWRA Board of Directors and Board of Supervisors. 
• Which policies or regulations govern the Well Registration Program?
  • MCWRA Ordinance No. 5426 stipulates the authority for the program. Details of the program are provided in MCWRA's Groundwater Monitoring Program Manual. 
• When does a well need to be registered?
  • A well owner or well operator must register their well(s) within 30 days of completed construction or upon request from MCWRA. 
• Do I need to unregister my well if it is destroyed?
  • If a well is physically destroyed or abandoned, the owner is responsible for informing MCWRA of the change in the well's status.

Groundwater Extraction Management System

• Why is GEMS expansion necessary?
  • Groundwater extraction data is a key piece of information necessary for establishing accurate groundwater information to achieve effective groundwater management. This data is also required by the Department of Water Resources for compliance with SGMA. 
• What is included in the proposed GEMS 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?
  • MCWRA will be contacting the well owners by mail with instructions on how to register for the GEMS program. 
• How do people sign up for GEMS?
  • Groundwater Extraction Management System data entry can be completed online with MCWRA. 
• How will the fees change?
  • A new fee will need to be developed to recover the necessary cost of implementing this regulatory program. 
• Is groundwater extraction data publicly available?
  • Access and distribution of personally identifiable information restricted to the fullest extent allowed by law. MCWRA publishes aggregate groundwater extraction data in annual reports. 
• What is the purpose of collecting groundwater extraction data?
  • Groundwater extraction data are used by MCWRA, SVBGSA, and other water management agencies to understand the amount of water that is pumped from the basin, the geographic distribution of that pumping, and the impact of it to the groundwater balance.
• What data will need to be reported to MCWRA?
  • MCWRA will require monthly totals of the volume of water produced by each well along with the type of use associated with it (for example, domestic or irrigation). The type of device used to collect data and calibration activities will also need to be reported. 
• How often will data need to be reported?
  • At a minimum, data will need to be submitted once per year from October 1-31. 
• How will data be submitted?
  • Data reporting will occur online through an application maintained by MCWRA. Information about how to use the application is available here. 
• Who reports extraction data?
  • A well owner will be ultimately responsible for ensuring that the required data is submitted to MCWRA by the due date. It will be permitted for a well owner to designate someone else, such as a well operator, as an authorized party for reporting the extraction data. 
• How is data stored?
  • Data is stored by MCWRA in a database that is accessible only to authorized staff members. 
• How is the data used?
  • Groundwater extraction data is used to understand and evaluate the movement, quantity, and geographic distribution of groundwater outflows and inflows. 
• Which policies or regulations govern the Groundwater Extraction Management System?
  • MCWRA Ordinance No. 5426 stipulates MCWRA's authority for groundwater extraction reporting. Policies associated with implementation of GEMS are described in MCWRA's Groundwater Monitoring Program Manual that accompanies the proposed ordinance. 
• Will there be fines for extractions over a certain limit?
  • No. MCWRA's fees to support this proposed program will be developed on a per-well basis and not based on the volume of groundwater extraction. 
• What happens if data is not submitted in a timely manner?
  • MCWRA Ordinance No. 5426 describes enforcement and penalties associated with failure to report groundwater extraction data or to otherwise comply with the ordinance. Prior to any enforcement action, MCWRA will first provide written notice of failure to comply to the well owner or well operator. 
• What happens if the well owner does not have all required data?
  • MCWRA staff can be reached at extractions@countyofmonterey.gov or by contacting 831-755-4860 and asking to speak with Hydrology staff, with any questions about how to complete a data submittal where some of the data might be incomplete. 

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

    Phone (831) 755-4860   |   FAX (831) 424-7935   |   After Hours (831) 796-1166

Email: mcwater@countyofmonterey.gov