Monterey County approves groundwater monitoring fees for Selenus Valley; board asks staff to find relief for small well owners

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted May 19 to adopt a set of regulatory fees to fund an expanded groundwater monitoring program for the Selenus (Salinas) Valley, a change county staff say is needed to comply with state Sustainable Groundwater Management Act requirements.

The board approved a fee schedule presented by Raj Darian, general manager of the county Water Resources Agency, which estimates an annual registration renewal of $21.90 per well (about 3,500 wells), groundwater extraction reporting for wells pumping more than 2 acre‑feet at about $65 per reported well (≈2,100 wells), groundwater level monitoring at roughly $118 per well (≈3,500 wells) and a water‑quality sampling component averaging about $74 per well (≈2,300 wells). Darian said sampling will be conducted at roughly 540 representative wells to keep costs down while meeting the Department of Water Resources’ monitoring and reporting expectations.

The fees follow a 2024 ordinance that established the county’s groundwater monitoring program and the authority to recover program costs. “The annual renewal fee we are proposing here is $21.90 per well,” Darian told supervisors during the presentation, adding the rates are based on a nexus study and on the program’s service costs.

Why the board acted: County staff said grant funding that allowed the program to run at no cost to well owners last year has been exhausted and there are no current replacement grants to cover the program’s operating expenses. Board members also cited the state’s deadline pressures and the risk that the state could step in if local monitoring and reporting obligations are not met.

Board debate and mitigation request: Several supervisors and public commenters objected to the distributional effect of the rates, arguing that many diminimus well owners—which collectively pump a small fraction of valley water—would shoulder a large share of program costs. Supervisor Church said she could not support putting that burden on very low‑use well owners. Supervisor Lopez supported moving forward with the program to preserve local control, but urged staff to bring back alternatives and funding options if state legislation or judicial developments allow cost‑shifting. The board approved the fees on a 3‑2 vote but directed staff to return with options to mitigate impacts on diminimus well owners and to pursue Measure AA or other county funding (staff proposed a $200,000 request as a partial subsidy for low‑income well owners, with the possibility of increasing that request).

What happens next: Staff will implement the fee schedule and proceed with billing and outreach; concurrently they will return with a plan to reduce the burden on small‑volume well owners (including a possible larger Measure AA request if approved) and will continue coordinating with the Selenus Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency and the California Department of Water Resources.

Provenance: County presentation and discussion, Board of Supervisors meeting, May 19, 2026 (topic introduced SEG 543; decision recorded SEG 1472).

Ending: The board approved the program and the fee structure but instructed staff to return with funding alternatives to lessen the cost impact on low‑volume well owners and to seek state or Measure AA support before invoices are finalized.