The Salinas Valley Water Coalition was
incorporated in 1991.
It is a non-profit public benefit corporation and was organized for the specific purpose to promote fair representation and evaluation of water issues in
Monterey County.
Mission
Statement: The water resources of the Salinas
River Basin should be managed properly in a manner
that promotes fairness and equity to all landowners
within the basin. The management of these resources
should have a scientific basis, comply with all laws
and regulations, and promote the accountability of
the governing agencies.
The Salinas
Valley Water Coalition (Coalition) was formed
in 1991 to address issues pertaining to water
resources within the Salinas Valley Basin and the
management of such resources. The Coalition
recognizes that it is necessary to participate in
the process in order to protect existing water
rights and water resources while sustaining
agricultural production and quality of life.
The
Coalition has supported, and continues to support,
the Monterey County Water Resources Agency
(Agency) in its pursuit of long-term balance of
supply and demand of
water in the basin and in its effort to halt
seawater intrusion. This support has been based on
its belief that the Agency is committed to
developing a program which will be cost-effective,
reasonable, hydrologically sound and equitable to
landowners in all portions of the Salinas Valley.
We
believe the Agency has cooperated with
representatives from all concerned interest groups
to make tremendous progress toward solving the
water problems within the Salinas Basin. The
Agency recently released the Draft Environmental
Impact Report/Environmental
Impact Statement for the Salinas Valley Water
Project (SVWP). The development of the proposed
SVWP was in response to public input and an effort
to develop a cost efficient long-term project. The
DEIR/EIS is the result of the Agency's willingness
to respond to the public's request for a
comprehensive project that is reasonable,
hydrologically sound and cost effective. And it
can be implemented within a reasonable period of
time. The Agency has appointed a Cost Allocation
Advisory Committee (CAAC) to develop a framework
and methodology
for distributing project costs for the Salinas
Valley Water Project (SVWP). The Coalition
supports the process. The development of a cost
allocation that is based on scientific data and
that is distributed in a fair and equitable manner
as required by Proposition 218 provides the
foundation for support of the ultimate SVWP which
is expected to solve a majority of the basin's
remaining seawater intrusion problems.
The
Salinas Valley Water Coalition supports an
appropriate and just solution to the water
problems of the Salinas Valley. We've come a long
way …… and we hope that we can continue to
move forward as we move into this new millennium.
Participation is the price that must be paid in
order to sustain both agricultural production and
the quality of life in our communities. The
Coalition Board of Directors and its' members are
committed to maintaining an active role in the
Salinas Valley in an effort to ensure these goals.
THE SALINAS VALLEY WATER COALITION BELIEVES
FAIRNESS
- Individual water rights should be protected through public policy and the legal arena as necessary.
EQUITY
- The philosophy behind benefit assessment is that if there are special benefits advantaged by public improvements and services, the beneficiaries should pay for them proportionate to benefit received.
SCIENCE
- That only assessments that are applied in a
proportionate manner as required pursuant to the
California Constitution as amended by Proposition
218 as stated above, and whose benefit is
supported with a scientific basis, should be
supported.
ACCOUNTABILITY
- All Agency Assessments should be developed and
implemented on the following basis as required by
the California Constitution as amended by Prop.
218:
"An
agency which proposes to levy an assessment shall
identify all parcels which will have a special
benefit conferred upon them and upon which an
assessment will be imposed. The proportionate
special benefit derived by each identified parcel
shall be determined in relationship to the
entirety of the capital cost of a public
improvement, the maintenance and operation
expenses of a public improvement, or the cost of
the property related service being provided. No
assessment shall be imposed on a parcel that
exceeds the reasonable cost of the proportional
special benefit conferred on that parcel. Only
special benefits are assessable, and an agency
shall separate the general benefits from the
special benefits conferred on a parcel…"
LAWS
- That an adjudication of water rights is NOT in
the best interest of individuals within the
Salinas Valley Basin.
-That
water within the Salinas Valley Basin should NOT
be sold and transferred [exported] outside the
Basin.
organized for the specific purpose to promote fair representation and evaluation of water issues in
Monterey County.
water in the basin and in its effort to halt
seawater intrusion. This support has been based on
its belief that the Agency is committed to
developing a program which will be cost-effective,
reasonable, hydrologically sound and equitable to
landowners in all portions of the Salinas Valley.
Report/Environmental
Impact Statement for the Salinas Valley Water
Project (SVWP). The development of the proposed
SVWP was in response to public input and an effort
to develop a cost efficient long-term project. The
DEIR/EIS is the result of the Agency's willingness
to respond to the public's request for a
comprehensive project that is reasonable,
hydrologically sound and cost effective. And it
can be implemented within a reasonable period of
time. The Agency has appointed a Cost Allocation
Advisory Committee (CAAC) to develop a framework
and 
methodology
for distributing project costs for the Salinas
Valley Water Project (SVWP). The Coalition
supports the process. The development of a cost
allocation that is based on scientific data and
that is distributed in a fair and equitable manner
as required by Proposition 218 provides the
foundation for support of the ultimate SVWP which
is expected to solve a majority of the basin's
remaining seawater intrusion problems.