The Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) identifies Projects and Management Actions (PMAs) to achieve groundwater sustainability within the Basin. The primary focus of these is to prevent seawater intrusion into coastal aquifers, however, the PMAs broadly address groundwater management throughout the Basin, including maintaining groundwater levels that support flows in local streams and ecosystems that are dependent on shallow groundwater.
Water Conservation and Demand Management encourages wise water use by residents. The three Member Agencies that provide water to Basin residents have a variety of programs and strategies in place. Examples include rates that are structured to incentivize conservation and efficient use; technology to detect leaks and track use; rebates for water efficient fixtures; programs to encourage and educate residents on efficient indoor and outdoor water use and conservation strategies. Over the past several decades, local agencies and their customers have been very effective in reducing residential water use. The region has among the lowest per capita use in the State – on average, residential use is around 50 gallons/person/day.
Groundwater Pumping Redistribution Projects shift municipal groundwater pumping away from the coast and near interconnected streams to prevent seawater intrusion and to support stream flow. To date, five production wells have been relocated inland from coastal locations.
Pure Water Soquel is Soquel Creek Water District’s groundwater replenishment and seawater intrusion prevention project to purify recycled water using advanced treatment methods to replenish the Basin through recharge wells, creating a seawater intrusion barrier and resting wells that are located closer to the coast. The project replenishes the Basin with approximately 1,500 acre-feet per year of advanced purified water that meets or exceeds drinking water standards. This project began operating in 2025.
Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) uses surface water, treated to drinking water standards, to replenish Basin aquifers for use as an underground storage reservoir. The City of Santa Cruz, unlike Soquel Creek Water District and Central Water District which rely entirely upon groundwater, is primarily supplied by surface water (~ 95%) with only limited groundwater (~5%) from wells in the Basin. ASR projects have the potential to raise groundwater levels in the Basin, thus reducing the threat of seawater intrusion, storing surface water in regional aquifers for use as drought supply. The City of Santa Cruz is constructing ASR wells in its Beltz wellfield located in the Basin.
Water Transfers / In Lieu Groundwater Recharge create opportunities to improve Basin conditions by using surface water in lieu of groundwater during wet conditions for later recovery of groundwater during dry conditions. Soquel Creek Water District and the City of Santa Cruz are connected by an intertie linking their water distribution systems. In 2016, the agencies agreed to work together on a pilot water transfer project. In the GSP, water transfers for in lieu groundwater recharge are identified as a potential project to reduce groundwater pumping, allow an increase in groundwater in storage, and help prevent seawater intrusion. Water transfers between SqCWD and SCWD are still being evaluated and potential implementation is several years away.
Stormwater Recharge Projects seek to capture storm water for shallow groundwater recharge zones in Basin groundwater aquifers. The County of Santa Cruz developed a parcel-based recharge suitability mapping tool to identify properties that would be appropriate for recharge. The County led the implementation of projects in the Live Oak and Aptos areas of the Basin. There are very few sites in the Basin that are available and suitable. The Agency will consider opportunities to implement projects as they arise, but there are no current projects scheduled for implementation.
Additional Information & Potential Future Projects
For additional information, the GSP (2020) and the GSP Periodic Evaluation (2025) presents detailed information on the PMAs and current status. The GSP groups the PMAs to show those that are underway (Group 1), will be implemented by the Member Agencies in the near future (Group 2), and potential future projects that may be implemented if necessary to achieve the sustainability goals (Group 3).