WATER SUPPLY PLANNING COMMITTEE
ITEM:		ACTION ITEM
2.	CONSIDER DEVELOPMENT OF A RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS REGARDING ADOPTION OF AN ADDENDUM TO THE DISTRICT’S PRIOR ASR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR CONSTRUCTION OF A BYPASS PIPELINE TO ALLOW SIMULTANEOUS PURE WATER MONTEREY RECOVERY AND ASR INJECTION (Subject to CEQA Review per CEQA Guideline Sections 15162 and 15164)
Meeting Date:			November 2, 2020	Budgeted:	No
From:			David J. Stoldt	Program/	Water Supply Projects
			General Manager	Line Item:	N/A
Prepared By:			Jonathan Lear	Cost Estimate:	CalAm Reimbursement
General Counsel Review: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: This action does not constitute a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines section 15378.

SUMMARY: In June, staff reported to the Board that a bottleneck in simultaneous operation of ASR injection and Pure Water Monterey recovery had been identified due to the existing piping configuration in General Jim Moore Blvd. A bypass pipeline around the bottleneck was identified as a solution that would allow simultaneous operation of both projects. The proposed pipeline is above the length and diameter to be exempt from the CEQA process. In order to facilitate this solution in an expedited manner, Cal-Am asked the District to act at the Lead Agency under CEQA for the project. At the Board Meeting on June 22, 2020, MPWMD Board directed the General Manager enter into a reimbursement agreement with Cal-Am for the CEQA work to construct to bypass pipeline necessary to allow simultaneous PWM recovery and ASR injection. The appropriate agreements were executed and the environmental work has been completed.

At the July 6, 2020 Water Supply Planning Committee staff presented the EIR Addendum to the Committee. The introduction to the Addendum is attached to this staff note as Exhibit 2-A.

The entire document can be downloaded from this link: https://www.mpwmd.net/water-supply/aquifer-storage-recovery/technical-aspects/.

The Committee recommended that the Addendum be brought before the full Board for consideration of adoption. MPWMS staff worked with Denise Duffy and Associates to prepare the findings that will need to be made in order to adopt the Addendum. These findings are included in this staff note as Exhibit 2-B. If the MPWMD Board adopts this Addendum at its November meeting, construction on the pipeline would begin in November/December 2020.

During public comments at the July 31, 2020 Board Meeting Marina Coast Water District (MCWD) provided comments stating that the parallel pipeline would not be necessary if a change petition was filed for the water rights associated with the Carmel River ASR project and Cal-Am’s Table 13 water rights. Staff was directed by Board to meet with MCWD staff and the item was tabled at the meeting without a vote.

On September 24, District staff met with MCWD General Manager and Council to discuss the water rights and the need for a parallel pipeline to operate ASR and PWM at the same time. MCWD suggested that if a change petition was filed and granted to change the place of use for ASR and Table 13 water rights, these permits could be used in the winter and PWM water could be banked in the Seaside Groundwater Basin and recovered in the summer and used for drought. Cal-Am was not present at this meeting.

Following the meeting District staff discussed the proposal with District Council and looked at how the changes in operation of the system would affect compliance with existing State Board Orders, existing inter-agency agreements, and existing CPUC Testimony. A few items were identified:

· According to State Board Staff, a petition to change the place of use for the water rights would likely take a few years and is not guaranteed that there will not be protests that might not be resolvable.

· If the water produced from the Carmel Valley Alluvial Aquifer during the winter is counted as ASR and Table 13 water, then it would concentrate the recovery of Cal-Am’s legal right of 3,376 into the summer months. This is counter to Testimony provided to the CPUC regarding how Cal-Am plans to operate the Carmel Valley Well Field in the summer months.

· Changing the place and time of use of ASR water would be counter to the ASR Agreement between NOAA Fisheries, the District, and Cal-Am. This agreement states that ASR water will be banked in the winter months and recovered in the summer months to provide maximum benefit to the River. NOAA is in control of how banked ASR water is used to protect the River and sets the annual volume to be recovered each water year. If PWM water is banked instead of ASR water, NOAA loses their control over the water banked in the Seaside Basin. This could likely be a point of protest.

RECOMMENDATION: That the Committee recommend to the Board of Directors that it approve Resolution No. 2020-13 (Exhibit 2-B) adopting the Construction of a Bypass Pipeline Modification Addendum as Addendum 6 to the ASR EIR/EA.

DISCUSSION: The Pure Water Monterey (PWM) Project began injecting water into the Seaside Groundwater Basin in March 2020 and building up the 1,000 Acre Foot Operating Reserve. PWM water is available as a source to the water supply portfolio and will become a component of the Quarterly Water Budget and used to shift production away from the Carmel River and comply with the Cease and Desist Order (CDO). In meetings between District Staff and Cal-Am for planning the recovery schedule for PWM, it was identified that in order to recover all PWM and Native Seaside Groundwater, the Seaside well field would need to operate for more months of the year than previous operational protocols. Additionally, only the ASR wells are connected to the pipeline in General Jim Moore Blvd. that is attached to the transfer (Monterey) pipeline that can move water to the Forest Lake Tanks. The Forest Lake Tanks supply water to meet water demand in New Monterey, Pacific Grove, and the Del Monte Forest. The rest of the wells in Seaside provide water to meet demand in Seaside and Old Monterey as far as the Naval Post Graduate School and are isolated from the demands met by the Forest Lake Tanks. The demand on the Seaside system is between 10 to 12 Acre Feet per day and is not enough to consume all of the recovered PWM water, so water must be recovered by the ASR wells and moved through the transfer pipeline to the Forest Lake Tanks to ensure all of the PWM water can be consumed.

Project Description

Cal-Am proposes to construct a new 36-inch-diameter, 7,000 LF, potable water transmission pipeline (Bypass Pipeline) in located General Jim Moore Blvd (GJM) between Hilby Avenue and approximately 750 feet south of Coe Avenue in Seaside, CA. The proposed Bypass Pipeline would connect to an existing 36-inch pipeline at each end.

The Bypass Pipeline would be located in the Former Fort Ord within the Seaside Munitions Response Area (MRA).

The project would also include a new dechlorination facility and a new 16-inch diameter connection to the Cal-Am Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) well sites 3 and 4 located at the Seaside Middle School.

Purpose

The proposed Bypass Pipeline would improve the existing ASR system and allow Cal-Am to perform simultaneous ASR injection and extraction operations in order to meet customer demand as a result of reduced Carmel River diversions. The Bypass Pipeline would be used to convey water from Crest Tank to ASR Wells 3 and 4 for injection. Extraction operations would be performed at ASR Wells 1 and 2 and would be conveyed through existing infrastructure to Forest Lake Reservoir in Pacific Grove.

Under current Cal-Am permit requirements, a 30-day retention period is required between ASR injection and extraction operations. Due to reduced Carmel River diversions, Cal-Am would not be able to meet customer demand during the 30-day retention period when extraction operations are not allowed. The proposed dechlorination facility would dechlorinate water prior to injection into ASR Wells 3 and 4 which would remove the 30-day retention period requirement and allowing Cal-Am to meet customer demand.

Construction

The Bypass Pipeline would be constructed by open trench within the paved roadway of the northbound lanes of GJM. The typical trench width would be approximately 6-feet wide and 6.5-feet deep. Excess soil would be handled and disposed of per requirements of City of Seaside Programmatic On-Call Construction Support Plan – Roadways and Utilities – Seaside Munitions Response Area. Pavement and striping would be restored per City of Seaside requirements. Traffic control plans would be developed and submitted to the City of Seaside for review and approval.

The pipeline would include blow off and air vent appurtenances installed in either the sidewalk or median of GJM. Blow offs would be pump out style, located within utility boxes that are flush with the surrounding ground. Air vents would be installed above grade in locked cages. The locations of the appurtenances would be per approval of the City of Seaside.

EXHIBITS

2-A Introduction to the Addendum

2-B Resolution No. 2020-13

2-C Memorandum responding to comments raised by Marina Coast Water District concerning the Aquifer Storage & Recovery Project EIR/EA – Addendum No. 6

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