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Monterey County Water Articles



Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
A new agency formed to address flooding in the Pajaro Valley is already splintering.

Just two years after its formation, the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency is already at risk of splintering.

Image caption: California’s 1,000 megawatts of power from the Colorado River’s Hoover Dam have been in jeopardy.
California To Cut Colorado River Water Use

California will cut use of water from the Colorado River drastically under a new agreement announced by the Biden Administration on May 22. Nevada and Arizona have also agreed to the cuts.

Image caption: Gary Gragg examines buds on one of the mango plants he's growing in the Sacramento Valley.
Mangoes and Agave in the Central Valley?

The future of farming in California is changing as the planet warms, altering the rain and heat patterns that guide which crops are grown where. “We’re adjusting for survival,” one grower said.

King City Rustler logo LOCAL NEWS
Migrant students from South Monterey County participate in Watershed Guardians project

SALINAS VALLEY — Migrant students from Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield and King City high schools recently participated in a three-day adventure in citizen science through the Watershed Guardians project, sponsored by the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History. The Watershed Guardians …

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
A stormwater capture and recycling project takes shape at Lake El Estero in Monterey.

As winter rains caused Monterey County’s rivers to swell past capacity and rush out to the sea, people began asking: Isn’t there a way to catch and reuse all that water? That’s what Monterey is preparing to do through a…

King City Rustler logo LOCAL NEWS
Algae blooms occurring at Lake San Antonio

MONTEREY COUNTY — Lake San Antonio staff is reporting cyanobacteria blooms occurring at multiple locations near the south shore of the lake in southern Monterey County. Out of an abundance of caution, since it is not currently known if the …

Image caption: From nitrates to arsenic to “forever chemicals,” California’s water supply faces a serious pollution threat.
Dirty Water: California Faces a Water Contamination Crisis

Almost one million California residents are forced to drink from contaminated water supplies, or pay for bottled water. Economic inequality makes the crisis worse. What is the state doing to fix it?

Image caption: María Ramos hands cash to an Indigenous farm worker in Pajaro after a levee failure flooded the town.
Powered By Locals

When the Pajaro River flooded, nonprofit groups stepped up first to help victims. And they’ll keep helping, even after media coverage fades away.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
FEMA is finally on the ground near Pajaro -- but questions remain over the rollout of flood aid.

On Thursday, April 6, Karen Marcos keeps a watchful eye on her young daughter on the steps of the Watsonville Veterans Memorial Building while her husband is inside, seeking relief from the floods that have upended their lives.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Floodplain restoration projects on the Carmel River hold promise to protect against future floods.

David Schmalz here, still alive after kayaking down the last five-or-so miles of the Carmel River on Saturday with two friends, one of whom had to bail early on after her inflatable kayak was punctured. That happened right by a…

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Monterey County Water Resources Agency hires Ara Azhderian as general manager.

For the last few months, since the retirement of former Monterey County Water Resources Agency general manager Brent Buche, Lew Bauman has taken on the role on an interim basis until Buche's replacement could be hired.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
After months of delay, Cal Am signs water purchase agreement for Pure Water Monterey expansion.

The expansion of the recycled water project Pure Monterey, which will provide an additional 2,250 acre-feet of water to the Monterey Peninsula, can finally move forward as Cal Am has signed an agreement to purchase its water.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
One county resident gets appointed to the Coastal Commission—but it's not an elected official.

Earlier this winter, a briefly hot topic in local politics was: Which elected officials to nominate for a vacant seat on the California Coastal Commission?

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Gov. Newsom requests federal disaster declaration for Monterey County in wake of March storms.

Gov. Gavin Newsom officially sought federal assistance for Monterey County and other California communities impacted by recent storms and flooding on Tuesday, March 28 by requesting a presidential major disaster declaration from the Biden Administration that would allow resources from…

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Why wasn’t FEMA on the ground in Pajaro after the floods?

In the wake of the flooding that forced more than 2,000 people in Pajaro from their homes and into nearby shelters, motels and even their own cars, on-the-ground federal and state assistance has been conspicuously absent.

Image caption: Detail from a photo tweeted by the city of Watsonville warning residents about the impending atmospheric river storm.
Behind the Levee Breach

On March 10, the Pajaro River flooded the small agricultural town on its banks. Professor Dustin Mulvaney traces the turbulent history of the Central Coast’s second largest watershed.

Image caption: Withholding a mere 1% of LA's water would protect Mono Lake and millions of birds.
Save Mono Lake Again

A sizeable coalition has called for California's water regulator to take emergency measures to protect Mono Lake and suspend diversions to Los Angeles.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Pajaro/Sunny Mesa water system customers remain under "do not drink" order indefinitely.

In the wake of flooding caused by a breach of the Pajaro River levee around midnight between March 10 and 11, the Pajaro/Sunny Mesa water systems were put on a "do not drink" order on March 11, just before 1pm.

Image caption: DWR’s report on groundwater sustainability plans was illustrated with this photograph of a wheat field irrigated by groundwater in the southern San Joaquin Valley.
DWR Flushes Six Groundwater Plans

The San Joaquin Valley plans, serving low-income Latino communities, were deemed inadequate for preventing dry wells and sinking land.

Image caption: The snow-lined South Fork of the American River on March 3, 2023.
Too Much, Too Early

When warm storms melt snowpack early, reservoir managers must release water to prevent flooding—which sends this precious resource into the ocean.

Featured

Water is a human right under California law, but it doesn’t always work out that way.
Agriculture and Water Shortages in the State’s Breadbasket, Explained
There are many causes contributing to this crisis. And as you may already know, this situation really is nuts.
RCDs look after the land, whether it’s used for grazing, growing, or getting out into nature.
California Dirt
RCDs were created to avoid a repeat of the Dust Bowl. Now they work with landowners to preserve the air, water and natural habitats that sustain us all.
There are more than 300 community service districts in California.
Community Services Districts, Explained
Areas that the county overlooks can form their own local governments.
Just because record rains have been falling, the state’s water crisis remains.
What Is Drought? Probably Not What You Think
Recent torrential rains have helped, but California's drought is a long way from over.
From nitrates to arsenic to “forever chemicals,” California’s water supply faces a serious pollution threat.
Dirty Water: California Faces a Water Contamination Crisis
In a state that declares water a “human right,” more than 2 percent of its residents have no drinkable water.
How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation has cost California 90 percent of its wetlands.
How Land Reclamation Hurts California’s Environment
The hidden price tag of “reclaiming” swamps and marshes as usable land.