Title
Receive a progress report on the Interlake Tunnel and San Antonio Spillway Modification Project; and provide comment and direction to staff as appropriate.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Monterey County Water Resources Agency Board of Supervisors:
Receive a progress report on the Interlake Tunnel and San Antonio Spillway Modification Project; and provide comment and direction to staff as appropriate.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
The Interlake Tunnel and San Antonio Spillway Modification Project (ILT or Project) is a water storage project that transfers water from Nacimiento Reservoir to San Antonio Reservoir, allowing for reduced flood control releases and increased storage of water during wet and normal years that can be released during dry years. The Nacimiento River watershed produces nearly three times the average annual flow of the San Antonio River watershed, therefore, capturing high Nacimiento River flows and transferring the stored water to San Antonio Reservoir increases the overall storage capacity of the Monterey County Water Resources Agency's (Agency) reservoir system.
In January 2023, the Agency released a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Project. The DEIR was open for public review and comment from January 20, 2023 to March 21, 2023. The Agency conducted two public meetings to present the Project and provide the public information on how to comment on the DEIR, on February 1 and 2, 2023, in Bradley, CA and Greenfield, CA, respectively. The Agency and consultant ICF Jones & Stokes, Inc. are finalizing responses to comments received during the DEIR comment period, including preparing materials that will further clarify the hydrologic modeling data that were utilized in preparation of the DEIR.
Also in January 2023, the Agency executed Amendment 3 to the Grant Agreement with the State of California Department of Water Resources (DWR) which provides funding for the Project. The maximum payable amount of the Gran...
Click here for full text