Would SWRCB Order 95-10 be resolved by the Regional Water Project?
The components of the Regional Water Project would supply the amount required for the regulatory replacement of water taken from the Carmel River and the Seaside Groundwater Basin.
How would the Salinas Groundwater Basin be protected?
The Regional Water Project project would keep the Salinas Groundwater Basin balanced. Recycled water would be stored during winter months for recovery and delivery during the summer season. In one of the options for use of recycled water, it would be blended with increased diversions from the Salinas River to offset groundwater use through an expansion of the CSIP system. One option that CSIP expansion provides is the opportunity to use brackish groundwater as a water supply source for a desalination facility, rather than seawater.
How is conservation factored into this solution to meet identified water gaps?
Water conservation is a component of the Regional Water Project which represents potential demand reduction in the Monterey Peninsula.
How would the Regional Water Project protect the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary?
The Bay would benefit in two ways. Water falling in storms would be captured, limiting the amount of runoff that carries pollution into the bay.Recycled water that is currently being discharged into the Bay in the winter months would be stored for later use.
Would removing the water shortage constraint promote urban growth?
Not necessarily. Decisions made about urban development would take place independently by each city entity. The water needs that have been identified in the Regional Water Project plan represent the amount of water implicated in the general plans of the cities and Monterey County. Water shortages can have unintended impacts on the environment if a river or the aquifer is overdrawn when seasonal demand exceeds available supply. A sustainable water supply is needed to keep water flowing in the rivers and prevent degradation of the aquifers.
How can multiple problems be addressed with a single investment?
The Regional Water Project has been proposed as an investment in a sustainable water supply program that solves seawater intrusion in the Salinas Groundwater Basin, captures a greenhouse gas (methane) and converts it to electricity to treat water, 100 percent of recycled water would become beneficially used, enhances agriculture’s sustainability, is a low-cost water supply, saves the Seaside aquifer by recharging adequate quantities of water and is locally derived and locally controlled.
What happened to the idea of increasing surface storage on the Carmel River (dams)?
The effort to increase surface storage on the Carmel River was rejected by voters and regulators.
Wouldn’t the water taken out of the ground just create a vacuum to pull more seawater in?
No, a trough would be created to serve as a seawater barrier underground. Water supply wells placed in two parallel rows, one row right behind the sand dunes and one row a mile inland, would draw down water pulled around the well. The coastal side of the well pulls ocean water more heavily through the 180 foot deep aquifer, and the inland side would pull seawater intruded groundwater toward the well. Over time the groundwater on the inland side of the wells would be restored to pristine quality by the removal of salts from the desalination process. Salinas River diversions will also work to block the entrance of the seawater into the aquifer by offsetting groundwater use with surface water use, leaving more fresh water in the ground to flow toward the ocean.
Where does the Monterey Peninsula Management District’s seawater desalination plant fit into this picture?
If the “95-10” project is developed this year and funding is secured for it, the desalinated water would be supplied to customers in lieu of that amount of water from the regional desalination project.
Will the project benefit fish and habitats or are there adverse impacts on them?
The Salinas Valley Water Project’s Environmental Impact Report has been certified with limits on the water that can be diverted. No additional water would be taken from the Salinas River other than what has been evaluated in this EIR. The Carmel River would have more water for fish and habitats as a result of this regional project.
Does the regional water supply program respond to the need to re-balance inputs and outputs of Seaside basin groundwater?
Yes. The Seaside Aquifer Storage and Recovery element of Regional Water Project would take excess water from the Carmel River in the winter months and inject it in the ground for storage. This water could be pumped from the ground when there is a demand for the water in the summer months.
What amount of additional water supply would be provided with the project?
12,500 acre feet of water per year would be supplied to meet regulatory replacement for the Carmel River and the Seaside Groundwater Basin. Overall, 25,600 acre feet of water per year would be produced to meet the shortfall in water supplies regionally.