Water for Monterey County — Regional Project
Phase I

Phase I of the Regional Project is expected to provide 10,500 acre-feet per year (AFY) of desalinated water to serve the current urban water needs of the Monterey Peninsula. The capital costs for the various projects are estimated at about $250 million.

Phase I of the Program:

• Satisfies State Water Resources Control Board Order 95-10 to reduce pumping of groundwater from the Carmel River Basin
• Addresses the Seaside Basin Adjudication
• Provides water to meet the approved redevelopment needs of the former Fort Ord.

Phase I Key Components:

• Regional Desalination Project — 10,500 AFY (8,800 AFY to California American Water as replacement for reduced pumping on the Carmel River and supply to Monterey Peninsula customers, and 1,700 AFY to Marina Coast Water District for Fort Ord needs)
  • Intake Facilities (wells and pipeline)
  • 10 million gallons per day Desalination Plant on coastal property south of the Salinas River.
• Aquifer Storage and Recovery using Carmel River water for injection in the Seaside Aquifer — 1,300 AFY
• Regional Urban Water Augmentation Project (RUWAP) Recycled Water
  • 1,000 AFY
• Sand City Desalinaton Project – 300 AFY

Transmission Pipeline:

• California American Water Company Components
• Seaside Transmission Pipeline
• Monterey Pipeline
• Terminal Reservoir
• Valley Greens Pump Station

Project Attributes:

• The Desalination Plant location meets Coastal Commission restrictions on open ocean intake and treats a combination of ocean and brackish groundwater.
• Use of nearby Monterey Regional Waste District methane gases contributes to reduction of greenhouse gases and supplies a sustainable energy source
• Public Utilities Commission staff has recommended approval of the Regional Project approach for Monterey Peninsula water supply solutions

What’s Next?

A Final Environmental Impact Report outlining the preferred options will be released and circulated for review this fall, and the Public Utilities Commission would then certify the EIR and select water supply components by early 2010. Desalinated water could come online as early as the fourth quarter of 2012 or the first quarter of 2013.

"The Water for Monterey County plan could potentially provide a good
alternative in the search for a sustainable water solution for the
Monterey Peninsula.  The plan is intriguing, because it could be less costly, use less energy, help to reduce seawater intrusion, and doesn't rely on drawing in water from the Monterey Bay National Marine
Sanctuary."

— Assemblymember
John Laird, AD-27