24. QUARTERLY WATER SUPPLY PROJECT STATUS
REPORT
Meeting Date: January
27, 2005 Budgeted:
N/A
Program/Line Item No.: N/A
From: David
Berger, Cost
Estimate: N/A
General Counsel Approval: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: N/A
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This is a quarterly report on District water supply augmentation projects for the October through December 2004 period. The next quarterly report will be written in April 2005. Limited background information is provided herein. An historical overview of previous action may be found in year 2003 and 2004 reports. Information is also available as part of the weekly General Manager’s letter to the Board, which can be found on the District website at www.mpwmd.dst.ca.us.
Based on a Strategic Planning Session held in September 2004, the current priority water augmentation efforts include:
Ø
Proceed with MPWMD aquifer storage and recovery
(ASR) test project in
Ø Prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on a long-term District ASR project to be completed in phases;
Ø Collaborate and cooperate with other agencies on development of a long-term regional water supply solution, with emphasis on desalination;
Ø
Prepare
At the September 2004 meeting,
the District Board reviewed several proposed water augmentation projects in a
detailed comparative matrix. The Board
confirmed that it would not proceed on further analysis of a local MPWMD-owned
desalination project in the
ASR entails diverting excess winter flows from the
In Spring and early Summer 2004,
District staff and consultants continued technical studies focused on ASR water
quality considerations, including water sampling from different points in the
Cal-Am system and associated water chemistry analysis. In Summer-Fall 2004, the MPWMD Santa Margarita Test Well provided water to the Cal-Am system
for customer use due to a pump failure at a key Cal-Am well (Paralta Well). The
MPWMD mobilized its Santa Margarita Test Well into full-scale production mode,
in cooperation with the California Department of Health Services and
Cal-Am. The Santa Margarita well
accounted for 25 to 45 percent of Cal-Am’s total
production from the coastal portion of the
In November 2004, the District received a temporary permit
from the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) for continued testing of
the MPWMD Santa Margarita Test Well in
the
Other ASR action in the October-December 2004 period included:
Ø Responded to comments on the MPWMD application to the SWRCB for a temporary urgency permit for ASR testing in Water Year 2005 while a long-term ASR project EIR is being prepared. The SWRCB issued the permit in November 2004.
Ø Coordinated with SWRCB staff regarding the District’s permit application for a long-term ASR project. The long-term Petition for Change was originally submitted in October 2001 and revised in September 2003. The SWRCB plans to notice the District’s long-term application in the near future.
Ø
Coordinated with Cal-Am and US Army staff to
improve the Cal-Am system by laying a temporary, above-ground pipe along
Ø Met several times with Cal-Am on a Memorandum of Agreement regarding ASR testing, mutual aid, cost-sharing, water rights and other issues.
Prepare EIR to Evaluate District ASR Project
In September 2004, the Board directed staff to initiate
preparation of an EIR on the District’s ASR project. Contract amendments with Jones & Stokes
Associates (JSA) and Padres Associates were approved in October 2004. A Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an EIR was
issued on November 13, 2004. The project
is envisioned in three phases, with emphasis on a smaller Phase 1 project to be
implemented within one year of project approval. The anticipated yield would be up to 1,300
AFY. The Phase 1 project is focused on
better management of existing water resources to help reduce current impacts to
the
Public hearings to receive oral comments on the suggested scope of study of the ASR EIR were held on January 12, 2005. The deadline for written comments is January 17, 2005. An overview of comments will be provided to the Board at its February 2005 meeting.
District staff continues to regularly coordinate with Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA) and Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA) on regional water supply solution opportunities. The District General Manager participates in regular meetings of water district and city technical staff regarding regional solutions to water problems. The District General Manager is soliciting input from his colleagues on the best timing and content of a Water Summit to address key technical, governance, financial and logistical questions about a regional water supply project.
Related activities by District staff and consultants in October through December 2004 included:
Ø Worked with Cal-Am to assess hydraulic limitations to an ASR project with existing facilities, and formulate engineering scenarios to enable increased ASR production.
Ø Continued to coordinate with Cal-Am on its proposed Coastal Water Project.
Ø Attended Monterey County Board of Supervisors meeting
related to public ownership of regional water supply solution, and need for
multi-pronged outreach to enable regional consensus on a project.
Ø Assisted MRWPCA staff and consultant with detailed
information about the
Prepare
Staff and
consultants are preparing a long-term Seaside Basin Groundwater Management Plan
in compliance with protocols set by the State of
Complicating this
task is litigation filed by Cal-Am on August 14, 2003. The suit asserts Cal-Am’s
water rights and requests a Court adjudication of the
District staff continue to help
Cal-Am develop management strategies to reduce extractions from the coastal
basin during the wet season and determine which wells would be best to use as
production from Seaside increases in the dry season. SWRCB Order WR 98-04 requires Cal-Am
reductions in pumping from the
Related Water Augmentation Activities
The following table summarizes related water augmentation efforts in the October-December 2004 period:
|
ACTIVITY |
ACTION |
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Seismic Retrofit and Sediment Removal from |
District staff participate in
EIR/EIS process on the seismic retrofit of San Clemente Dam. Potential
removal of sediment from San Clemente Dam continues to be explored by Cal-Am
and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR). District staff participates in meetings and
provides technical expertise upon request.
Cal-Am maintains the water level of San Clemente Reservoir at 515 feet
(10 feet below spillway elevation of 525 feet) pursuant to direction from DWR’s Division of Safety of Dams. |
|
Implement and Refine Water
Distribution System (WDS) Rules and Regulations. |
District staff developed two
ordinance concepts on ways to improve WDS regulations, which was approved by
the District Board on August 16, 2004.
The Board adopted Ordinance No. 118 and a summary of the
Implementation Guidelines on December 13, 2004. A second ordinance is scheduled for first
reading in Spring 2005. Ten active applications are
currently at various stages in the permit process. Pursuant to Board direction at its June 21,
2004 meeting, staff, counsel and a Board subcommittee (Foy, Markey) have
worked with Cañada Woods WDS representatives on a revised permit that updates
and integrates the current Cañada Woods/Monterra
WDS permits. |
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Review CEQA Documents for Other
Projects |
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,
water quality or environmental resources managed by the District. |
U:\staff\word\boardpacket\2005\20050127\InfoItems\24\item24.doc
Revised January 18, 2005 by HS