ITEM:            INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS

 

12.       MONTHLY WATER SUPPLY PROJECT STATUS REPORT

 

Meeting Date:           November 17, 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

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This is a brief monthly update on the water supply augmentation strategic initiative for the period October 13 through November 14, 2003.  The most recent detailed quarterly report was prepared in October 2003; the next quarterly report will be written in January 2004.  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 on Water Supply Project

At its March 18, 2002 meeting, the Board authorized the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) Phase 1 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 based on engineering assessments that go beyond the general concepts found in the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) “Plan B” non-dam alternative report.  The primary environmental product was the draft Carmel River Flow Threshold Report.  Phase 1 activities concluded as of April 4, 2003.

 

On March 27 and April 2, 2003, the MPWMD Board considered the scope of work for Phase 2, preparation of a Draft EIR.  Additional refinements to the scope of work were approved on May 2, 2003.  The Board identified a local desalination project in the Sand City area with a yield goal of 8,409 acre-feet per year (AFY) as the proposed project to be evaluated in detail.  Alternatives to be evaluated in less detail include: California-American Water Company’s (Cal-Am) proposed Coastal Water Project (9,400 AFY Moss Landing desalination plant plus 1,300 AFYASR project), Carmel River Dam and Reservoir Project, reclamation, storm water reuse, off-stream storage, and the No Project alternative. The Phase 2 scope of work also includes hydrogeologic and engineering studies associated with confirming the feasibility of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) wells (“slant drilling”) for seawater collection and brine disposal for the Sand City desalination project.   The Board’s goal is to complete the Final EIR in Spring 2004 and hold an authorizing vote on financing the project in November 2004.

 

 

Key activities by District staff and consultants from October 13 through November 14, 2003 include:

Ø      District staff and consultants focused on preparation of the Draft EIR, due for receipt by the MPWMD Board at its December 15, 2003 meeting.  Activities included preparing, reviewing, editing and refining chapter text on a variety of subjects for the two-volume document.   District staff prepared the hydrology and fishery chapters for the Draft EIR.  Engineering consultants conducted computer modeling and wrote a formal project description as documentation in support of the environmental review activities.

 

Ø      The District obtained all of the seven permits required for geotechnical and geophysical tests to better define the shallow dune aquifer characteristics in relation to the feasibility of HDD wells.  Permits were received from: California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Coastal Commission, Regional Water Quality Control Board, City of Sand City, City of Seaside, U.S. Army/U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service, and Monterey County Health Department/Environmental Health.

 

Ø      District consultants conducted offshore geophysical (soundings) testing in October 2003, and prepared a preliminary report for review by Professor Green of CSUMB/Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, who is an expert in this field.   Began geotechnical testing (well drilling and aquifer testing) at two sites on the former Fort Ord in mid-November.  Two additional sites will be tested in Sand City and Seaside.  Began onshore geophysical testing near the well sites to correlate with the offshore tests.

 

Ø      The District obtained final payment from Cal-Am for reimbursement for previous water supply alternative evaluations associated with the Carmel River Dam proposal. 

 

Ø      District staff prepared for a December 2003 meeting with State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) staff to continue discussion of District water rights applications and related information, such as District staff’s Carmel River Water Availability Analysis Report.  Public comments on MPWMD’s application for a temporary permit to continue testing of the MPWMD full-scale injection/recovery well in the Seaside Basin in water year 2004 are due on November 14.   Staff will respond to comments with an anticipated permit issuance by SWRCB in early December 2003.

 

Ø      District staff, in cooperation with Cal-Am, conducted several weeks of tests gauging the rate of recovery of injected water from the District’s ASR full-scale test well in the Seaside Basin in addition to several water quality tests.  Over 900 acre-feet (AF) have been injected to date, and over 400 acre-feet have been recovered this year.  Once testing ended in early November, District staff and consultants began preparing a report on the 2003 ASR investigations.   

 

Ø      District staff attended a conference on climate change and its impact on water supply planning.

 

Ø      District staff continued monitoring effects of Cal-Am’s drawdown of the water level in San Clemente Reservoir on MPWMD steelhead fish rescue and rearing activities downstream of the dam.  Staff assessed changes in river turbidity and impact of sediment released from the dam on the MPWMD Sleepy Hollow steelhead rearing facility.

 

 

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 conceptual ordinances associated with a long-term Seaside Basin 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.  Notable activities in the mid-October through mid-November 2003 period include:

 

Ø      District consultants continued preparation of Administrative Draft EIR text on the two proposed ordinances associated with the Basin Management Plan, which are being reviewed by District staff; 

 

Ø      The General Managers of MPWMD and Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA) met in early November to discuss possible modifications to an agreement on water resources management of the Seaside Basin within the former Fort Ord area.  On August 28, 2003, the MPWMD Board approved a modified Addendum No. 2 to a 1991 interagency agreement between MPWMD, MCWRA and Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, but other parties have not adopted the MPWMD version to date.

 

Ø      The District’s motion to intervene in a lawsuit filed by Cal-Am to adjudicate the Seaside Basin was granted on November 7, 2003.  The lawsuit involves important issues of public concern such as: prioritization and quantification of water rights within the basin; rights to aquifer storage within the basin; rights to artificially introduce non-native water into the basin through direct injection or spreading grounds; a judicial determination that the basin is in overdraft; and the appointment of a water master to manage the water rights and resources of the basin.

 

Related Water Augmentation Activities

The following table briefly summarizes relevant action on related water augmentation efforts.

 

 

Water Distribution System Permits

Staff implements District Rules and Regulations that govern water distribution systems (WDS) within the District.   Recent ordinances that define WDS regulation are Ordinances No. 96, 105 and 106, which are provided on the District website.  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.

 

In mid-October through mid-November, no public hearings were heard on WDS applications. District staff is currently processing four permit applications: (1) create system for non-alluvial components of Cañada Woods WDS (non-potable and reclaimed water supply); (2) amend Ryan Ranch (Cal-Am) WDS to facilitate a workforce housing project; (3) create a single-parcel potable water WDS in Carmel Valley; and (4) create a single-parcel non-potable (irrigation only) WDS in Carmel Valley.   

 

In late October, District staff and consultants met with Supervisor Potter and senior representatives from Monterey County Counsel’s Office, Planning Department and Water Resources Agency.  The meeting focused on current constraints and potential ways to ensure adequate water for individual lots within subdivisions and other projects approved by the County.  For example, District research shows that actual water per home may be much greater than predicted in the EIRs supporting approval of subdivisions, and that the current first-come/first-served system leads to situations where the allotted water for a subdivision is used up before all lot owners have a chance to build on their property.

 

At its March 17, 2003 meeting, the Board approved retention of a consultant to assist with water distribution system regulations.  The consultant’s primary tasks this past month include:  conducting research on water use by subdivisions for the meeting with Monterey County and helping staff to comment on hydrologic impacts of proposed subdivisions.  Ongoing tasks include development of a procedures manual for hydrologic and well testing, preparing revised application forms and guidelines for applicants, and helping staff review application materials.

 

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.  Comment letters transmitted by the District in mid-October through mid-November 2003 addressed: (a) the City of Seaside General Plan Draft EIR, (b) Negative Declaration for the City of Del Rey Oaks Housing Element, and (c) Draft Supplemental EIR on the proposed Potrero Subdivision (Rancho San Carlos). 

 

 

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