Monterey County Water Recycling Projects, a combination of the Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project and the Salinas Valley Reclamation Project, began construction in 1995 and started delivering recycled water to fields near Castroville in 1998. By using recycled water pumped from the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency, farmers found they can safely irrigate their crops and reduce pumping of seawater-tainted groundwater. The unprecedented success of the Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project has led to the next step in fighting seawater intrusion – the Salinas Valley Water Project. Through the SVWP’s installation of a rubber dam on the Salinas River near Marina (Salinas River Diversion Facility), seasonally stored water can be pumped into the Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project’s pipelines for delivery as irrigation water, thus reducing the need to pump groundwater.