Title
Receive an oral report from the Monterey County Water Resources Agency regarding the status of the Interlake Tunnel project and schedule. (Attachment: WRAG 3 Completed Board Order REMOVED VIA SUPPLEMENTAL)
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Monterey County Water Resources Agency Board of Supervisors:
Receive an oral report from the Monterey County Water Resources Agency regarding the status of the Interlake Tunnel project and schedule.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION
The Interlake Tunnel (ILT) is a project to divert water from Nacimiento Reservoir to San Antonio Reservoir that would have otherwise been spilled at Nacimiento Dam. The Nacimiento River basin produces nearly three times the average annual flow of the San Antonio River basin, therefore, capturing high Nacimiento River flows and diverting those flows to San Antonio Reservoir increases the overall storage capacity of the system.
The study to identify the actual water supply benefit and associated costs is proceeding, although slower than expected. The design (to 60%) and the environmental work is scheduled to be completed for Spring 2020.
Initially, the intent was to immediately proceed with a Proposition 218 special assessment vote to obtain the funding to begin construction after the completion of the engineering and environmental work. However, the Water Resources Agency (WRA) identified the need to also fund a significant amount of deferred maintenance at the Nacimiento and San Antonio Dams, including replacing the spillway at San Antonio. Staff is working on a funding mechanism to address these maintenance activities, either through a Proposition 218 special assessment or special tax.
The need to move forward with funding on the San Antonio spillway and dam deferred maintenance activities creates an issue with the timing of the funding of the ILT. Two funding requests within a short time will likely cause confusion and risk the passage of both. Staff continues to work with the ...
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