Our History

Monterey Waterkeeper, formerly known as Monterey Coastkeeper, is a new non-profit organization with a long history of protecting water quality in the Central Coast region.

Monterey Coastkeeper was launched in 2007 as part of the Otter Project.

In 2010, Monterey Coastkeeper sued the Monterey County Water Resources Agency for failing to protect water quality in Monterey Bay, Elkhorn Slough, and the Salinas River from agricultural pollution. We won the lawsuit at the trial court in 2015. However, we lost on appeal in 2017 due to a procedural issue.

In 2011, we launched MPA Watch, which monitors the use of marine protected areas in the Central Coast. MPA Watch became the standard for MPA use monitoring.

In 2014, we and our partners sued the State of California for failing to regulate agricultural pollution.

In 2020, Monterey Coastkeeper incorporated as an independent non-profit organization, doing business as Monterey Waterkeeper.

In 2022, Monterey Waterkeeper began a new chapter to ensure that all communities have safe and affordable drinking water, and that people and natural ecosystems thrive in a clean environment free from water pollution.