ITEM:		DISCUSSION ITEM
18.	DISCUSS DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORTS (DEIR) FOR PURE WATER MONTEREY AND THE MONTEREY PENINSULA WATER SUPPLY PROJECT
Meeting Date:			May 18, 2015	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			David J. Stoldt,	Program/	N/A
			General Manager	Line Item No.:	N/A
Prepared By:			David J. Stoldt	Cost Estimate:	N/A
General Counsel Approval: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: N/A

SUMMARY: The Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA) has released a Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR) for the Pure Water Monterey Groundwater Replenishment Project. MRWPCA is the Lead Agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The State Clearinghouse number for the project is SCH#2013051094. The Pure Water Monterey Groundwater Replenishment Project (GWR Project) would divert new source waters to the MRWPCA Regional Treatment Plant for two purposes: 1) to create purified recycled water for recharge of the Seaside Groundwater Basin to replace 3,500 acre-feet per year of Cal-Am’s current water supplies, enabling Cal-Am to reduce its diversions from the Carmel River by the same amount, and 2) to provide additional recycled water to growers within the existing Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project service area for crop irrigation. Water sources proposed to be recycled, treated and reused by the GWR Project include municipal wastewater, City of Salinas agricultural washwater, City of Salinas and City of Monterey urban stormwater runoff, and surface water diversions from the Blanco Drain, Reclamation Ditch and Tembladero Slough. Purified water from a new Advanced Water Treatment Facility at the Regional Treatment Plant would be conveyed through a new Product Water Conveyance pipeline and booster pump station to new Injection Well Facilities in the City of Seaside for recharge to the Seaside Basin. Cal-Am would extract water from its existing wells, and would deliver the water to its customers via two new pipelines and its existing distribution system. Recycled water produced for crop irrigation would be distributed through the existing Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project system. The GWR Project is being proposed by the MRWPCA in partnership with the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (MPWMD). The Executive Summary of the DEIR is attached as Exhibit 18-A.

The CPUC has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project (MPWSP) consistent with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for consideration of the California American Water Company (Cal-Am) application (A.12-04-019) for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to develop a replacement water supply for Cal-Am's Monterey District service area. The release of the DEIR starts a 60-day review and comment period. The MPWSP would include a 9.6 million gallon per day (mgd) desalination plant and facility improvements to the existing Seaside Groundwater Basin ASR system to secure water supplies for the approximately 40,000 customers in CalAm's Monterey District service area. As an alternative to the 9.6-mgd desalination plant, Cal-Am's application also includes a 6.4-mgd desalination plant coupled with a water purchase agreement for 3,500 afy of product water from the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency's proposed Pure Water Monterey Groundwater Replenishment Project. The primary purpose of the MPWSP is to replace existing water supplies that have been constrained by legal decisions affecting the Carmel River and Seaside Groundwater Basin water resources. SWRCB Order 95-10 requires Cal-Am to reduce surface water diversions from the Carmel River in excess of its legal entitlement of 3,376 acre-feet per year (afy), and SWRCB Order 2009-0060 ("Cease and Desist Order") requires Cal-Am to develop replacement supplies for the Monterey District service area by December 2016. In 2006, the Monterey County Superior Court adjudicated the Seaside Groundwater Basin, effectively reducing Cal-Am's yield from the Seaside Groundwater Basin from approximately 4,000 afy to 1,474 afy. The Executive Summary is included as Exhibit 18-B.

RECOMMENDATION: The General Manager recommends the Board review the timelines, discuss, and if it desires, to provide staff general direction on response or comments.

DISCUSSION: The public review and comment period for the Pure Water Monterey DEIR runs for 45 days, beginning April 22, 2015 and ending June 5, 2015. A copy of the Draft EIR is available for review during normal business hours at the MPWMD Administrative Office, 5 Harris Court, Bldg. G, Monterey, CA 93940. The DEIR is also available online at the GWR Project website at: www.purewatermonterey.org.

Two public meetings have been scheduled during the DEIR public review period to share information on the GWR Project and the DEIR. Spanish translation will be available, and both venues are accessible under the Americans with Disabilities (ADA). The date and location of the meetings are:

· Seaside: May 20, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. – Oldemeyer Center, 986 Hilby Avenue,

· Salinas: May 21, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. – Hartnell College, Room B-208 (Student Services Building), 411 Central Avenue

The Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project DEIR has a 60-day public review and comment period, ending July 1, 2015. A copy of the Draft EIR is available for review during normal business hours at the MPWMD Administrative Office, 5 Harris Court, Bldg. G, Monterey, CA 93940. The DEIR is also available online at:

http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/Environment/info/esa/mpwsp/index.html.

Public meetings and open-house presentations to be given by the CPUC are scheduled as follows:

· Tuesday May 26, 2015, 1:00 pm: Marina Public Library, 188 Seaside Ave. Marina

· Wednesday May 27, 2015, 1:30 pm: Oldemeyer Center, 986 Hilby Ave. Seaside

· Wednesday May 27, 2015, 6:30 pm: Oldemeyer Center, 986 Hilby Ave. Seaside

· Thursday May 28, 2015, 1:30 pm: Sunset Center, Carpenter Hall, San Carlos Street, Carmel

The CPUC is the lead agency and author of the DEIR and as such all formal comments regarding the draft report should be submitted by July 1, 2015, to the CPUC, at the following address:

Andrew Barnsdale
California Public Utilities Commission
c/o Environmental Science Associates
550 Kearny Street, Suite 800
San Francisco, CA 94108

Comments can be sent by fax to 415-896-0332, or by email to MPWSPEIR@esassoc.com.

The CPUC will review and consider all comments and public testimony for consideration, response and ultimate inclusion in the final EIR.

Those looking to obtain the draft report may download a copy at:
www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Environment/Current+Projects/esa/mpwsp/index.html.

The final EIR is scheduled for release in October 2015.

EXHIBITS

18-A Pure Water Monterey DEIR Executive Summary

18-B Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project DEIR Executive Summary

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