20. MONTHLY WATER SUPPLY PROJECT STATUS
REPORT
Meeting Date: May
19, 2003 Budgeted:
N/A
Program/Line Item No.: N/A
Staff Contact: Henrietta Stern Cost Estimate: N/A
General Counsel Approval: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: N/A
This is a brief monthly update on the water supply augmentation strategic initiative for the period April 15 through May 14, 2003. The most recent detailed quarterly report was prepared in April 2003; the next quarterly report will be written in July 2003. The primary work efforts reflect Board direction at strategic planning workshops and regular Board meetings held since September 2001. The most recent Board action was taken at the May 2, 2003 meeting. Currently, three priority efforts for the District involve water augmentation, as follows:
Priority 1 -- proceed with aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) test project (also known as “injection/recovery”) while simultaneously evaluating long-term water supply options;
Priority 3 -- develop work plan to implement Seaside Basin Groundwater Management Plan; and
Priority 4 -- develop storm water management plan (integrated into Priority 1).
Priority 1 - EIR/EIS on Water Supply Project
At its March 18, 2002 meeting, the Board authorized the Phase 1 Environmental Impact Report (EIR) scope of work to be performed by Jones & Stokes Associates (JSA) the primary environmental consultant, and its engineering services subcontractor Camp Dresser & McKee (CDM). The Phase 1 engineering work focused on developing project descriptions for non-dam alternatives to meet three yield goals; the primary environmental product was the draft Carmel River Flow Threshold Report. Phase 1 activities were completed on April 4, 2003.
On March 27 and April 2, 2003, the MPWMD Board considered the scope of work for Phase 2, which focuses on preparation of a Draft EIR document. The Board identified a local desalination project in the Sand City area with a yield goal is 8,409 acre-feet per year (AFY) as the proposed project to be evaluated in detail. Alternatives include Moss Landing desalination, ASR, reclamation, storm water reuse, off-stream storage, and the Carmel River Dam and Reservoir Project to be evaluated in less detail. The Phase 2 scope of work also includes engineering studies of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) wells (“slant drilling”) for seawater collection and brine disposal for the Sand City desalination project. The goal is to complete the Final EIR in March 2004 and hold an authorizing vote on financing the project in November 2004.
Key activities by District staff and consultants from April 15 through May 14, 2003 include:
Ø Began effort to obtain agency permits for geotechnical (test wells) and geophysical (depth soundings) assessment for HDD wells. Convened a multi-agency field trip to the coastal test site on the former Fort Ord on May 12, 2003.
Ø Met with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on April 15 to provide an update on the water supply project EIR and discuss the District’s response to a March 2003 CPUC Ruling asking for agency feedback on the following issues: lead agency duties for the Coastal Water Project (CWP) proposed by Cal-Am; how the Cal-Am application for a dam and associated information should be administered; and how rate requests associated with the EIR for the dam should be addressed. The MPWMD Board indicated its desire to serve as the lead agency for a separate EIR on the CWP, which entails a large desalination plant at Moss Landing in combination with local ASR, and new pipelines and other infrastructure. Because other agencies have also indicated interest in serving as the lead agency for the Cal-Am project, a formal determination has yet to be made.
Ø Met with the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA) on April 21 to discuss brine discharge issues and studies that may be needed to confirm the feasibility of using the MRWPCA outfall. Prepared a draft scope of work for brine discharge studies for Board review on May 19, 2003.
Ø Met with Cal-Am on April 22 regarding a variety of water system issues, including discussion of Cal-Am plans for the Carmel River Dam and Reservoir Project. The Board has asked Cal-Am to consider formally rescinding its application to MPWMD for the dam because Cal-Am has pursued a Moss Landing desalination project since February 2003. Cal-Am indicated in a letter dated April 17, 2003 that it was not yet prepared to rescind its application for a dam until lead agency issues for the CWP were resolved.
Ø Re-initiated year 2003 testing of the full-scale test injection well in the Seaside Basin on April 16; SWRCB permit allows diversion of excess Carmel River flow for injection well testing through May 2003 if streamflow exceeds specified flow amounts. As of May 8, an estimated 140 acre-feet have been injected this test season. Diversion amounts are lower than they would have been in previous years under the same conditions because NOAA Fisheries requested higher flow trigger amounts that were incorporated into this year’s SWRCB temporary permit, and permit issuance was delayed during early season high flow events. More recently, injection operations have been constrained by vibration-related complaints by neighbor near a Cal-Am pump, and other unrelated Cal-Am system repairs.
Ø Continued computer modeling to support a Water Availability Analysis requested by the SWRCB to assess the MPWMD Petition for Change for diversion of up to 7,909 acre-feet per year from the Carmel River.
Ø Submitted formal comments on a draft SWRCB Order that would potentially allow more pumping from the Carmel River, which was addressed at a May 6, 2003 SWRCB workshop. Submitted comments on the SWRCB’s proposed Negative Declaration for a water rights petition for the Cañada Woods project.
Ø Finalized a Curation Agreement for proper storage of Esselen Native American materials at the Monterey County Historical Society facility. The materials were excavated from Cal-Am property near Los Padres Dam as part of investigations conducted in the 1990s for the District for the New Los Padres Dam and Reservoir.
Priority 3 - Seaside Basin Groundwater Management Plan
Based on Board direction in April and June 2002, staff
developed a scope of work for a technical, environmental and legal review of
two conceptual ordinances associated with a long-term groundwater management
plan. The firm of Jones & Stokes
was the only firm that responded to the Request for Proposals, and a contract
was authorized in December 2002. Key
activities in the April 15 through May 14, 2003 period include:
Ø Met with Fort Ord Reuse Authority, Marina Coast Water District, and Monterey County Water Resources Agency on April 16 to discuss possible amendments to a 1993 interagency agreement regarding management of the Seaside Basin on the former Fort Ord.
Ø Hosted a public educational workshop on the Seaside Basin on April 23, including an overview of the basin hydrogeology, water use trends, current status, management issues and progress on an EIR on two conceptual interim ordinances that would be in place until a long-term management plan is adopted.
Ø Responded to technical information requests received at the April 23, 2003 meeting.
Related Water Augmentation Activities
The following table briefly summarizes recent action on related water augmentation efforts.
|
ACTIVITY |
RECENT
ACTION |
|
Test full-scale injection test well
on former Fort Ord; continue testing pilot well, as appropriate. |
Resumed injection testing on April
16, 2003; a total of 140 AF have been injected this season as of May 8, 2003.
|
|
Obtain SWRCB temporary permits for
Water Year 2002 test period; begin process to obtain long-term water rights. |
SWRCB issued temporary permit for
year 2003 testing season on January 22, 2003. District is developing
information requested by SWRCB for the long-term permit. |
|
Participate in CPUC hearings on
proposed dam and Plan B. |
District staff and consultants
continue to incorporate usable information from Plan B Report into the
EIR. On February 11, 2003, Cal-Am
announced its intent to pursue a Moss Landing desalination plant plus ASR
(Coastal Water Project, previously known as “Plan B”) rather than a dam. |
|
Finalize legal lot/remodel study to
include data from County of Monterey; incorporate into water project EIR. |
In the absence of County data for
Phase II, MPWMD staff in Fall 2002 developed interim Phase II estimates for
the County along with a rough estimate of total water use. |
|
Provide leadership to ensure
compliance with SWRCB Order 95-10; pursue relaxation of one-for-one offset. |
Community water use has remained
below year-to-date targets since December 2001. District staff continues coordination with
Cal-Am to encourage conservation. |
|
Continue evaluation of feasibility
of sediment removal from San Clemente and Los Padres Reservoirs. |
Staff continues coordination and
oversight of California Department of Water Resources and Cal-Am action on
San Clemente Dam. No action on Los Padres Dam. |
|
Continue pursuit of storm water
reuse opportunities in cooperation with ongoing regional efforts. |
Meeting with jurisdictions as
opportunities allow. Incorporating storm water reuse as an alternative for
evaluation in the EIR/EIS. |
Water Distribution System Permits
Staff implements District Rules and Regulations that govern water distribution systems within the District. District staff receives many calls each month from people who are planning to submit applications or have other questions about ordinances governing water distribution systems. District staff also responds to written requests for information.
Ordinance No. 105, which further refines the Rules and Regulations that govern water distribution systems within the District, became effective on January 15, 2003. The regulatory area in Carmel Valley for single-parcel connection systems now includes the entire Carmel River watershed within the District boundary, rather than being limited to the alluvial aquifer or 1,000 feet from the alluvial aquifer and certain named tributaries. On February 27, 2003, the Board approved the second reading and adopted Ordinance No. 106 amending permit application fees. The ordinance became effective on Monday, March 31, 2003.
District staff is currently processing three permit applications: (1) amend the Cañada Woods Water Distribution System; (2) create single-family system in Carmel Valley (Hyles); and (3) reinitiate processing of multi-parcel system in Carmel Valley (Chugash).
CEQA Documents
The District logs
incoming notices and comments on selected CEQA documents prepared by other
agencies for projects within the District boundary that could potentially
affect water supply, quality or environmental resources managed by the
District. One comment letter was sent in
mid-April on the Draft EIR on the expansion plan for the Community Hospital of
the Monterey Peninsula.
U:\staff\word\boardpacket\2003\2003boardpacket\20030519\InfoItems_Reports\20\item20.doc
Revised May
14, 2003