Title
Adopt Resolution to:
a. Adopt the Greater Monterey County Integrated Regional Water Management Plan.
b. Authorize staff to include the San Lucas Water District Public Water Supply Replacement Project in the Greater Monterey County Integrated Regional Water Management grant proposal.
StaffReport
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Adopt a resolution adopting the Greater Monterey County Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (Attachment A).
b. Authorize staff to include the San Lucas Water District Public Water Supply Replacement Project in the Greater Monterey County Integrated Regional Water Management grant proposal.
SUMMARY:
An Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP) is a prerequisite for obtaining grant funding through Proposition 84 "The Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006" and Proposition 1E "The Disaster Preparedness and Flood Protection Bond Act of 2006" for water related projects. The Greater Monterey County IRWMP has been developed and has been adopted by many of the governing boards within the Greater Monterey County Region, including the Board of Directors of the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA). Grant proposal development is underway and the "San Lucas Water District Public Water Supply Replacement Project" has been identified as a priority project to be included in the grant application. The Board of Supervisors must adopt the IRWMP to be considered for grant proposals such as the San Lucas project.
DISCUSSION:
Greater Monterey County Integrated Regional Water Management Plan
Integrated regional water management is an approach being promoted by State water managers and legislators as a way to encourage local water resource managers to take a proactive, collaborative approach to water resource planning. To be eligible for Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) grant funds the jurisdiction applying must have an adopted IRWMP, and a project must be included within an adopted IRWMP.
The purpose of the IRWMP is to identify strategies and projects that:
- protect water supply reliability and drinking water quality,
- protect ground water resources,
- promote the protection and improvement of aquatic, riparian and watershed resources, and
- consider the water-related needs of disadvantaged communities.
The Greater Monterey County IRWM planning effort is lead by a working group called the Greater Monterey County Water Management Group (GMCWMG) which includes government agencies, nonprofit organizations, educational organizations, water service districts, and private water companies. County staff from the MCWRA and the Agricultural Commissioner's office is extensively involved in the planning effort. A Final IRWMP was prepared and adopted by the MCWRA Board of Directors on January 28, 2013 (Exhibit A1). In addition, the IRWMP has been reviewed and adopted by the following entities: Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Monterey Bay Sanctuary Foundation, City of Salinas, Marina Coast Water District, Big Sur Land Trust, Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, City of Soledad, Central Coast Wetlands Group at Moss Landing Marine Labs, Castroville Community Services District, San Jerardo Cooperative Inc., California Water Service Company, Garrapata Creek Watershed Council, Ecology Action, and Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Greater Monterey County IRWM Funding Proposal
The GMCWMG will be applying for Round 2 Integrated Regional Water Management Implementation Grant funds. This is a single application which is due to the State Department of Water Resources on March 29, 2013. IRWM Implementation Grant funds have been made available through a statewide bond measure, Proposition 84, the "Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Act of 2006." Proposition 84 includes $1 billion in funding for the total IRWM Grant Program. The purpose of Proposition 84 is to "encourage integrated regional strategies for management of water resources and to provide funding, through competitive grants, for projects that protect communities from drought, protect and improve water quality, and improve local water security by reducing dependence on imported water". The GMCWMG has selected nine projects for inclusion in the Round 2 Implementation Grant application. One of the proposed projects selected by the GMCWMG is the San Lucas Water District Public Water Supply Replacement Project. The Monterey County Resource Management Agency is providing assistance to the San Lucas Water District (District) by sponsoring the District's IRWM grant application project, which includes a feasibility study, designs and environmental review for a long-term solution. The total IRWM grant request for said feasibility study, designs and environmental review for the District's Project is approximately $2.25 million.
San Lucas, a small farmworker community in southern Monterey County, has been determined to be a Disadvantaged Community (DAC) based on household income. This community has been on bottled water for the past 18 months due to excess nitrates in the water derived from the municipal well. The proposed San Lucas project includes preparation of a Feasibility Study to evaluate (in one document) all feasible options for long-term solutions to the water supply problem. Funding would include completion of the environmental review process, preparation of engineering plans, specifications, and bid documents, completed to a sufficient level of detail to enable the County and the San Lucas Water District to apply for and acquire all required institutional agreements, water rights, rights-of-way, environmental permits, and regulatory (encroachment) permits for the project construction. Monterey County and the San Lucas Water District will then implement the project. A summary of the project to be funded by the grant is included as Attachment B.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Greater Monterey County Water Management Group includes the County Agricultural Commissioner and the Monterey County Water Resources Agency; both have been actively involved. The Economic Opportunity Department and Environmental Health have been involved in the San Lucas project.
FINANCING:
Adopting and participating in the Integrated Regional Water Management Plan does not have new costs. The grant does not require a funding match. Based on current estimates, there should be sufficient grant funding to cover staff time for grant management, resulting in no FY 2012-13 impact to the general fund. The cost of the application preparation is being shared among grant applicant partners. The RMA share of proposal preparation costs is estimated at $13,366. On October 2, 2012 the Board authorized the RMA Director to pursue grant applications to assist the San Lucas County Water District. At that time, RMA committed to monitor related expenditures, including costs for staff time for grant application completion, submission, and administrative follow-up, estimated at $20,000. Additionally, RMA committed to work with the CAO Budget and Analysis Division to determine if additional funding would be needed to provide for these and other unbudgeted expenditures that have been approved by the Board during the current year. Likewise, the department will continue monitoring current year expenditures, and will work with the CAO's Budget and Analysis Division to report to the Budget Committee for additional actions should it be determined that expenditures might exceed Board approved spending authority.
Prepared by: Dawn Mathes, Resource & Community Development Manager, Resource Management Agency, x6071
Approved by: Carl P. Holm, Resource Management Agency Deputy Director
Benny J. Young, Resource Management Agency Director
Attachments:
A. Draft Resolution
1. Greater Monterey County Integrated Regional Water Management Plan
B. Summary of the Grant Proposal and San Lucas Water Project