This document summarizes a research project studying groundwater decision-making in California's Pajaro Valley. The goal is to understand how the region addresses long-term declining groundwater levels and drought vulnerability. The research team is conducting interviews and assessments of community members, groundwater groups, and decision-making processes. Initial findings examine structures and processes of formal and informal water management groups, as well as factors that influence local control and scale of analysis regarding shared groundwater resources. The research aims to provide insights that can help the region develop sustainable long-term groundwater management strategies.

1. University of California Santa CruzUniversity of California Santa Cruz
Groundwater Decision-making:
Case Study of the Pajaro Valley
Image: Action Pajaro Valley
Image: USDA
Image: Juliancolton on Wikimedia
Image: Pajaro WatershedImage: Pajaro Watershed Image: State of California

2. Research TeamResearch Team
Principal Investigator:
Dr. Ruth Langridge, Department of Politics
Co-Principal Investigators:
Nigel Quinn, Ben Crow, Andrew Fisher
Current Graduate Students:
Kirsten Rudestam, Department of Sociology
Abigail Brown, Department of Sociology
- with long-standing support from the National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and
California State Energy Commission -

3. Research GoalResearch Goal
The goal of the Pajaro Component research
project is to illuminate the conditions that
motivate a region with long-term declining
groundwater levels to develop strategies that:
a) alleviate deteriorating groundwater
conditions and b) reduce vulnerability to
drought through the development of local
groundwater drought reserves.

4. Pajaro Valley, CaliforniaPajaro Valley, California
- Pajaro River Basin is about 3,400 square km,
encompasses multiple counties, tributaries, and
creeks
- Pajaro Valley basin land use is agricultural,
urban, and open space
- Primary freshwater source is groundwater
Table: Pacific Institute

5. Pajaro Valley, CaliforniaPajaro Valley, California
Image: Pajaro Valley Watershed Management Agency
Monterey Bay
Monterey
County
San Benito
County
Santa Cruz
County

6. Groundwater HistoryGroundwater History
- Seawater intrusion identified by DWR in 1953
- Groundwater overdraft identified by DWR in 1980
- Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency formed
in 1984 to help manage groundwater
- Challenges to address overdraft: limited available
surface water, increases in urban and rural water
usage, legal and political barriers, etc.
Image: Pajaro Valley Watershed Management Agency

7. Groundwater ManagementGroundwater Management
- PVWMA manages recharge basins, recycled
water, distribution system, conservation, etc.
- Numerous community groups exist to manage
water quality and water quantity
- But groundwater extraction still exceeds
sustainable yield
Image: Pajaro Valley Watershed Management Agency Image: Pajaro Valley Watershed Management Agency

8. Research QuestionsResearch Questions
What are community member perceptions of
and behaviors related to groundwater
management?
What considerations influence long-term
groundwater management?
Who participates in groundwater decision-
making practices? How are groundwater
decisions made?

9. Research ProcessResearch Process
(1) initial(1) initial
assessmentassessment
(2) key(2) key
stakeholdersstakeholders
(3) research(3) research
designdesign
(4) interviews(4) interviews
(5) assessment(5) assessment
(6) analysis(6) analysis

10. Collaborative Governance and Community
Groundwater Decision-making
1. What are structures in groundwater
decision-making groups?
2. What are processes of exclusion?
3. What are mitigation strategies?
Pajaro Valley Paper

11. Drivers of group formation
Structure of formal decision-
making groups
Structure of informal
decision-making groups
Processes of exclusion
from formal/informal
groundwater decision-
making groups
Excluded populations

12. Common Pool Resource Theory
and Political Ecology
1. When does local control work?
2. What constitutes “the commons”?
3. What is the scale of analysis?
Pajaro Valley Paper

13. Understanding
of place
Understanding of self/self
identification
Perception and
understanding of
groundwater issues
Engagement with water
management practices
Involvement in decision-
making networks
Ways individuals engage with
groundwater

14. Experiences/QuestionsExperiences/Questions
- Sharing of experiences around groundwater
management
- Questions for discussion
Image: Pajaro Valley Watershed Management Agency
Image: Pajaro Valley Watershed Management Agency
Image: Tim McNamara on flickr

15. Thank You!Thank You!
http://droughtreserves.ucsc.edu
For more information, please contact
krudestam@ucsc.edu or ablbrown@ucsc.edu
Image: National Resource Conservation Service