(October 2023) At the MGA Board Meeting on June 15th, the Board appointed a temporary committee to follow established procedures for the appointment of new Private Well Owner representatives to the MGA Board. At its meeting on September 21st, the Board adopted the recommendation of the committee and appointed Jim Kerr as Director and Robert Schultz as Alternate Director to serve four-year terms on the Board commencing January 2024.
The Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Agency (MGA) is accepting applications to fill two vacancies for Well Owner Representatives on the Board of Directors, one vacancy for a Director and one vacancy for an Alternate Director. The MGA is a public agency formed in 2016 to comply with California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. The MGA is responsible for groundwater management in the Mid-County Groundwater Basin in the communities of Soquel, Aptos, Capitola, Live Oak, and La Selva Beach.
Under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), an annual report is required for each groundwater basin that has submitted Groundwater Sustainability Plan to the Department of Water Resources (DWR). At its meeting on March 16, 2023, the MGA Board heard a presentation by consultant Georgina King of Montgomery & Associates on key findings of the Santa Cruz Mid-County Basin Water Year 2022 Annual Report. Ms.
The Department of Water Resources will conduct airborne electromagnetic (AEM) surveys in the Seaside, Monterey, Eastside Aquifer, Langley Area, Pajaro Valley, Santa Cruz Mid-County, Santa Margarita, North San Benito, and Llagas Area groundwater basins. The surveys are now scheduled to occur between November 6th -17th. These surveys will help improve the understanding of groundwater resources and support local management efforts in their goals to implement Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
The County of Santa Cruz Water Resources Staff are taking public comment on the DRAFT Santa Cruz County Drought Response and Outreach Plan for Domestic Wells and Small Water Systems through 5PM on Friday, October 14th. Comments can be sent to Denice Barnes Denice.Barnes@santacruzcounty.us.
(May 2021) The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board’s Central Coast Drinking Water Well Testing Program has resumed after a 14-month hiatus due the COVID-19 pandemic. The program offers free well testing for qualifying households that receive domestic water from a private well or an unregulated small water system. The free testing is focused on the groundwater contaminants most commonly found in public water system wells statewide, such as nitrate, arsenic, and 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (1,2,3-TCP), in addition to various general minerals and physical parameters.
The MGA funded helicopter survey to identify the boundaries of seawater intrusion along our coast is available. The report identifies the boundary between salty water and freshwater. The technical memorandum included with the report outlines further risks of seawater intrusion along our coastal boundary.
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(FEBRUARY 7, 2018) SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA – The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced Tuesday that it has recommended three grants in Santa Cruz County totaling $4 million to help the development of state-mandated groundwater sustainability plans. Once finalized, the Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency (SMGWA) will receive $1 million, and the Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Agency (MGA) and Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency (PVWMA) will each receive $1.5 million. Funding for the grant comes from Proposition 1, passed by voters in 2014. Before funding is finalized, DWR is holding a public comment period which will be open until February 21, at 5:00 p.m.
The MGA is partnering with the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County to offer free water use assessments and well water level monitoring for private well owners in the Mid-County Groundwater Basin. If you are interested in scheduling an appointment or want more information, please contact Angie Gruys at agruys@rcdsantacruz.org, or (831) 464-2950 X 22.
