ITEM:		CONSENT CALENDAR
6.	CONSIDER APPROVAL OF EXPENDITURE FOR FIELD DATA COLLECTION SUPPORT FOR PURE WATER MONTEREY PROJECT
Meeting Date:			April 20, 2015	Budgeted:	NA
From:			David J. Stoldt	Program/	Augment Water Supply
			General Manager	Line Item No.:	1-5-1
				Account No.	5-7860.10
Prepared By:			Jon Lear/ Joe Oliver	Cost Estimate:	$2,000 reimbursable
General Counsel Review: N/A
Committee Recommendation: The Administrative Committee reviewed this item on April 13, 2015 and recommended approval.
CEQA Compliance: N/A

SUMMARY: Staff from the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (MPWMD) and Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA) have been coordinating on a field program to gather data on evaporation and percolation from ponds at the Salinas Industrial Wastewater Facility (Facility). The purpose for this data collection is to provide supporting information for the Pure Water Monterey Project (Project), also known as the Groundwater Replenishment Project. The current environmental review for the Project has had to rely on indirect methods to estimate pond evaporation and percolation. However, during the next several months, there is an opportunity to collect empirical data at the Facility at a time when the process wash water is being diverted for treatment at the MRWPCA Regional Treatment Plant. It is anticipated that a seasonal Water Resources Assistant will be trained by MPMWD staff to facilitate the field data collection effort, and the cost for this labor will be reimbursed to MPWMD.

RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the expenditure of up to $2,000 to allow a seasonal Water Resources Assistant retained by MPWMD to assist in collecting field data associated with the Salinas Industrial Wastewater Facility pond field program. If this item is adopted with the Consent Calendar, the General Manager would be authorized to extend the Water Resources Assistant agreement to include the scope for this field data collection effort. This cost will be reimbursed to the MPWMD as part of our cooperative effort on this Project.

IMPACTS TO STAFF/RESOURCES: As the cost for the seasonal Water Resources Assistant will be reimbursed to MPMWD, either directly from the City of Salinas or from the MRWPCA, there is no direct fiscal impact for this data collection effort, other than the MPWMD staff training time, which is part of our cooperation with MRWPCA on the Project.

BACKGROUND: Industrial wash water from the Salinas Wastewater Facility is one of the anticipated source waters for treatment, storage and delivery as part of the Pure Water Monterey Project. Therefore, it is important to understand how existing operations at the Facility may change under Project operations and how this might affect changes in the amounts of water infiltrating into the groundwater system from the Facility. In 2015, it is planned to divert the wash water to the Regional Treatment Plant, similar to what was done in 2014. Once this diversion is underway, no additional wash water will be delivered to the ponds at the Facility, and this will provide the opportunity to collect data on pond levels, groundwater levels, and evaporation while this Facility is idle. It is anticipated that data collection will occur over a 16-week period and will require approximately 8-hours per week of field data collection and office data entry. The city of Salinas owns and operates the Facility, and as such is interested in supporting this data collection effort. Accordingly, it is expected that the city will either reimburse MPWMD directly or indirectly through MRWPCA for this cost.

EXHIBIT

None

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