28 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY december 7-13, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Drip, drip, drip. So goes the flow of water news in recent decades on the Monterey Peninsula, where one chapter leads to another, which leads to another after that, rinse, repeat, year after year. In that context, it’s hard to keep perspective of where we’re at, how we got here and where we may be heading. Yet it’s a vitally important topic, and decisions made in the present can impact not only current residents, but also generations to come. And finally, after decades of failed proposed water supply projects, there is a glisten of light on the droplet coming out of the tap. For some people, attending water meetings, writing letters and railing against California American Water— the investor-owned utility delivering water to the Peninsula’s taps—is something of a hobby. Likewise, there are residents who have maintained steadfast, vocal support for Cal Am for two primary reasons: They believe a desalination project is the best path forward not only in the future, but also the present, and some express a belief that the private sector, as a rule, does things better and cheaper than a public agency. Most everyone agrees the Peninsula needs a more robust water supply, but disagreements crop up in how much is enough, where more water should come from and if there’s a limit to how much residents should pay for it. The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District contends the expansion of the recycled water project Pure Water Monterey, which is already underway, will add enough water to satisfy demand for at least the next 20 years. Desalination is the most expensive option, and unlike, say, the Poseidon desal plant in Carlsbad in San Diego County—which produces an estimated 56,000 acre-feet annually, about six times the Monterey Peninsula’s water demand—Cal Am’s proposed project is only about 10 percent of that size, and thus lacks the economies of scale that go with it. Does it make sense to build a project costing hundreds of millions of dollars—which ratepayers will pay for through their water bills—when it’s not clear there’s a demand for the water it will produce? That’s not a rhetorical question, it’s a live one, and will be answered in the coming months and years by regulators. Even still, it’s not certain Cal Am will be able to clear the regulatory hurdles to build the project as proposed and approved, with a slew of conditions attached. The stakes of the moment are clear: The lack of water—legally appropriated water, to be more precise—has increased its cost to ratepayers, and has exacerbated the local housing crisis, as the state-imposed cease-and-desist order against Cal Am’s pumping of the Carmel River has for the most part halted new development on the Peninsula since it went into effect in 2009. That cease-and-desist order, issued by the State Water Board, came on the heels of an order the agency issued in 1995 that had less teeth: Under the 2009 order, the State Water Board chastised Cal Am for not “diligently” implementing actions to “terminate its unlawful diversion.” As a result, the order reads, Cal Am was prohibited from providing water to new service connections. That’s why getting out from under the cease-and-desist order is critical to the Peninsula’s present and future. Will the Pure Water Monterey expansion be sufficient to do that? Ultimately, the State Water Board will weigh in on that question in the next few years. The story of how the Peninsula got into this mess, and how it might get out of it, could fill a book. The current tenNearly 30 years after Cal Am was ordered to cut back on its pumping of the Carmel River, solutions brought by public agencies might finally end the Peninsula’s water poverty. By David Schmalz July 1770. Just five weeks after establishing a mission in Monterey, Father Junipero Serra sends out a missive on the departing San Antonio, a Spanish ship, asking the powers that be for permission to move the mission to Carmel. Among the reasons is better access to fresh water. Stop and Flow Joel Angel Juárez The expansion of recycled water project Pure Water Monterey is expected to be completed in mid-2025, and will bring the Peninsula’s water supply portfolio to just over 12,000 acre-feet annually. Play the Cease and Desist board game! p. 30 Getting out from under the cease-and-desist order is critical to the Peninsula’s present and future.
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