LandWatch State of Monterey County Report 1999
3.6 Water Supply

Monterey Peninsula
Based on existing Cal-Am water production limits, an estimated population of 96,674 people could be supported within the Cal-Am system. The 1995 population estimate for the service area was 98,898. There are no approved projects to address this shortfall. A proposal to expand Cal-Am's water supply by adding the new Carmel River Dam and Reservoir Projects near the existing Los Padres dam site is pending.(13) The State Water Resources Control Board ruled in 1995 that Cal-Am was diverting over 10,000 acre-feet per year from the Carmel River without valid rights and that Cal-Am must remedy this situation. A proposal for a new dam on the Carmel River was voted down in 1995. Since then, Cal-Am has reinstated the dam proposal and is now also required to consider non-dam alternatives to solving this water problem.

Another proposed project affecting water supply on the Monterey Peninsula is the Seaside Basin Injection/Recovery Project. This project entails diverting excess winter flows from the Carmel River through existing California-American Water Company (Cal-Am) facilities and injecting water into the Seaside Coastal groundwater basin for later recovery.(13)

Salinas Valley
The major portion of the Salinas River Ground Water Basin has been overdrafted since the 1940s or earlier, and overdraft conditions have led to seawater intrusion in the northern portion of the groundwater basin. Seawater intrusion into the 180-foot aquifer includes the community of Castroville, within two miles of the western Salinas city limits and less than a mile from the Marina city limits. Seawater intrusion into the 400-foot aquifer is less than one mile from the Marina city limits and the community of Castroville. The Monterey County Water Resources Agency estimates that approximately 10% more than the basin's safe yield, or an average of about 40,000-50,000 acre-feet per year, is currently pumped from the aquifer. These conditions of overdraft indicate that the Salinas River watershed cannot meet the demands of existing urban and agricultural uses without relying on declining reserves. It is estimated that agricultural use accounts for about 92.5% and urban use for about 7.5% of total water pumped.

Using reclaimed water from the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency treatment plant in the Castroville area for irrigation of crops will slow, but not stop, continued intrusion. There are no approved plans fully to resolve the problem. However, environmental review of a large-scale project is currently underway. The proposed Salinas Valley Water Project would include spillway modifications at Nacimiento Dam, reoperation of the Nacimiento and San Antonio Reservoirs, storage and subsequent delivery of available flows from the Monterey County Water Recycling Projects treatment plant to agricultural customers, and implementation of a proposed Nitrate Management Program. The subsequent phases of the project would include downstream diversion of water from the Salinas River as a result of reservoir reoperation, storage and delivery of diverted water, water treatment (as needed), and delivery area pumping restrictions.(13)

North Monterey County
The North Monterey County area has significant water supply and water quality problems, including falling water levels, seawater infiltration and intrusion, and nitrate ion contamination. The area is severely overdrafted with annual extractions exceeding average annual recharge by 100%. County reports indicate that at buildout (full development and agricultural cultivation), under existing land use plans, water demand could increase to 300% of sustainable yield, or more.

In response to this problem, the Monterey County Water Resources Agency has initiated the North Monterey County Water Issues Action Plan. The Action Plan details various projects and policies to mediate the seawater intrusion and overdraft problems. In September 1998, county staff recommended a policy to the Board of Supervisors that would allow the transfer of water credits and water rights from non-contiguous agricultural lands to allow for subdivision of parcels for urban level development. After extended public hearings in which LandWatch and other interested parties vigorously participated, the Board of Supervisors requested County Counsel to develop an ordinance that would prohibit the transfer of water credits and water rights for subdivisions. While preparation of the ordinance has been approved by the Board of Supervisors, it has not yet actually been adopted. It now proceeds through environmental review, as required by the California Environmental Quality Act.

Marina Coast Water District
This district indicates that it has sufficient water supply to accommodate 2020 demand as projected by AMBAG.