Title
Consider recommending that the Monterey County Water Resources Agency Board of Supervisors approve the Agency being a party to the Return Water Planning Term Sheet; approve the Return Water Planning Term Sheet; and, authorize the General Manager to sign the Return Water Planning Term Sheet, substantially in the form attached subject to County Counsel approval.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Monterey County Water Resources Agency Board of Supervisors:
Approve the Agency being a party to the Return Water Planning Term Sheet; approve the Return Water Planning Term Sheet; and, authorize the General Manager to sign the Return Water Planning Term Sheet, substantially in the form attached subject to County Counsel approval.
SUMMARY:
The Cal-Am Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project continues to move forward on a number of fronts, one being the development of a solution to returning a portion of the extracted water to the Salinas Basin. Work still needs to be completed determining how much of the water extracted is to be returned to the Salinas Basin. However, having a solution to return the portion of water that is extracted needs to be worked out before the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project can go online.
DISCUSSION:
The Cal-Am Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project (MPWSP) continues to move forward on a number of fronts, one being the development of a solution to returning a portion of the extracted water to the Salinas Basin (Basin). While Cal-Am feels that the MPWSP source water production is not likely to injure Basin groundwater resources, the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (Agency) Act authorizes the Agency to prohibit the exportation of groundwater outside of the Basin. Therefore, for Basin water to be used as source water for the MPWSP, a determination of the amount of Basin water extracted needs to occur, and subsequently returned to the Basin.
On a related note, the Castroville Community Ser...
Click here for full text