12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 2-8, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com The desalination project at Marina State Beach was originally a pilot study in 1996—one that proved successful, though more expensive than pumping groundwater at the time. So, it was put on pause. In mid-March, after more than two decades and increasing pressure on local aquifers, the Marina Coast Water District (MCWD) began reviving that same desalination plant to help reduce reliance on groundwater. Now in Phase 1, parts of the plant infrastructure are being restored, and water quality tests are underway. Once online, the plant will add 300 acre-feet annually— enough to supply around 900 homes. “We’re executing on a series of projects that are meant to help the district diversify its water portfolio,” says Remleh Scherzinger, MCWD’s general manager. “We have to think in small bits.” Flanking the Marina State Beach parking lot, which remains open to the public, the desalination plant reconstruction is in full swing. The project will rehabilitate an existing beach intake well buried under the sand just 30 feet from the parking lot, which project managers say remains in very good condition. A new pipeline will be installed underneath the parking lot to transport water to a reverse osmosis filtration system. Phase 1 will also pump ocean water from the well and re-inject it into the beach sand to circulate and sample water quality. That data will be provided to design engineers so they can fine-tune the treatment process. A $1.2 million contract was awarded in 2023 for Phase 1 of the project; the cost for Phase 2 has not yet been determined. The project is expected to be online early 2027. “As soon as we have the water quality data, we’ll finish the design,” Scherzinger says. In an effort to mitigate overdrafted groundwater basins, the MCWD Groundwater Sustainability Agency is pursuing several water supplies, including desalination. MCWD is using treated recycled water from Monterey One Water’s Pure Water Monterey project, which last year delivered 417 acre-feet of its 600 acre-feet allocation to customers. The district is also pursuing additional supply through M1W via an indirect potable reuse project, which would inject unused treated water back into the groundwater basin for future use. “Marina Coast serves 10 land use jurisdictions—41,000 people,” Scherzinger says. “We’re a lot more than people think we are.” As the end of the rainy season approaches, a long-awaited study on Little Bear Creek and strategies to reduce flooding in the surrounding Bolsa Knolls neighborhood was presented to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors on March 24. There are between 60 and 80 residential properties prone to flooding in the area, Balance Hydrologics, a Berkeley-based consulting firm, found. The study’s authors recommend culvert enlargement at Paul Avenue and Rogge Road; sediment removal at culvert crossings; vegetation management; and building basins upstream to retain flow and sediment. The study includes four recommendations mixing and matching from those strategies at a total cost ranging from $550,000 to $1.2 million. The fifth alternative would be the most costly, up to $6 million, and aligns with FEMA’s Flood Insurance Study from the 1970s. It calls for channel grading. “Construction of upstream sediment retention and flow detention basins would be the most cost-effective strategy for providing broader flood protection benefits and protection from large storm events,” a report by a county hydrologist states. Various approaches would require cooperation with private property owners, “increasing the complexity of both design and implementation,” according to the study. The board asked the Public Works Department to return in two months with more detailed project costs, potential funding sources and information on possibly creating a special district. “[If] this place is going to continue to have some flooding, we have got to reduce the frequency and the severity of it,” said County Supervisor Glenn Church, who represents the area. Other alternatives include creating a special district or joint powers authority to manage the creek, and possible code enforcement actions on property owners who live upstream and aren’t controlling erosion. Table Salt A Marina desalination project is underway to add drinking water supply. By Katie Rodriguez NEWS WHARF WALK Historian Tim Thomas leads tours of the wharf. The theme of this one is “Azorean Fishermen: The Portuguese Legacy in Monterey Bay.” 10am-noon Saturday, April 4. Fisherman’s Wharf, near Harbor House Store, Monterey. Free. Reserve a spot at (831) 646-3933, monterey.gov/ library/events. LISTEN UP Supervisor Chris Lopez hosts a listening session for residents of Soledad. Share your thoughts about County government. 6pm Monday, April 6. Hartnell College, Soledad Education Center Community Room, 1505 Metz Road, Soledad. Free. (831) 755-5033, district3@countyofmonterey.gov. ON PARKING The City of Monterey Parking Division hosts a neighborhood meeting to review the residential parking permit program. Oldtown residents are invited to attend. 6pm Monday, April 6. City Council Chamber, 580 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. (831) 646-3953, monterey.gov/ parking. MONEY MATTERS Learn about the County of Monterey’s budget for the next fiscal year. Departments will share their funding needs and priorities with the Board of Supervisors. 10:30am-5pm Tuesday, April 7. Board of Supervisors Chambers, 168 W. Alisal St., Salinas. Free. Also via Zoom at montereycty.zoom.us/j/224397747. countyofmonterey.gov. PROTECT THE COAST Sand City City Council considers an ordinance to ban onshore facilities that support offshore oil and gas exploration and development. 5:30pm Tuesday, April 7. City Council Chambers, 1 Pendergrass Way, Sand City. Free. (831) 394-6700, sandcity. org. LUNCH AND LEARN The League of Women Voters of Monterey County welcome guest speaker Paige Siegel, a NOAA fellow with the Central Coast Wetlands Group. She speaks on climate change impacts on Monterey Bay’s wetlands. 11:30am Wednesday, April 8. Unitarian Universalist Church, 490 Aguajito Road, Carmel. Free/talk, $25/lunch. Make lunch reservations by April 6. (831) 236-1611, lwvmryco.org. TAX DOLLARS AT WORK Share your thoughts on the City of Salinas’ Measure G through a survey. A new website also covers what the tax measure has funded since it was passed by voters in 2014. Survey closes on April 30. bit.ly/ SalinasMeasureG. Stream In County supervisors explore strategies to address flooding in Bolsa Knolls. By Celia Jiménez Adjacent to the Marina State Beach parking lot, construction is in progress of a new pipeline to transport water from an intake well to a reverse osmosis plant. E-MAIL: publiccitizen@montereycountynow.com PUBLIC CITIZEN “The projects are meant to help diversify its water portfolio.” DANIEL DREIFUSS
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