Quick Facts

• The project applicant is the Marina Coast Water District.
• The project would expand the District’s geography to include the entire Fort Ord area.
• The Marina Coast Water District is the lead agency.
• This project is governed by Water/Wastewater Facilities District.

Project Status

• The Board continues to receive updates on this proposal, but no decision has been made yet.
• The comment period was in November and December 2011.
• The Negative Declaration (4M PDF) was completed in 2011.

Resources At Risk

• Inconsistent with Planning Documents
  The document fails to remain consistent with approved General Plans and asserts it is necessary to expand the boundaries of the district to accommodate future growth and yet at the same time that future development needs to find water elsewhere.
• Poor Evaluation of Scenarios
  The document does not adequately review impacts from future developments or the status of water supply projects. Without this information it is difficult to know what the impacts of this project will be.
• Lack of Review of Indirect Impacts
  The California Environmental Quality Act requires review of direct and indirect impacts and this document does not do that. Therefore it should be recirculated.

LandWatch Involvement

LandWatch engages in the public process in a variety of ways. For this project, here is a list of our engagement strategies.

• Letter: LandWatch Supports LAFCO’s Position (66K PDF)
  LandWatch supports the Local Agency Formation Commission’s (LAFCO) staff recommendation that the Commission approve MCWD’s Ord Community Sphere Amendment and Annexation Proposal in its current form, without adding additional parcels that have not been reviewed under CEQA. (04.21.19)
• Letter: Water and Sewer Services Agreement (52K PDF file)
  LandWatch has had a continuing concern that MCWD not commit itself to provide any additional groundwater to serve new development without first completing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and yet these agreements provide that commitment to serve with no environmental review. (03.22.19)
• Amicus Brief: LandWatch Supports District’s Lawsuit (62K PDF)
  LandWatch filed and served an amicus letter in support of the (refiled) petitions for California Supreme Court review of the CPUC actions certifying the desal EIR and granting Cal-Am permission to proceed with the desal project. (02.05.19)
• Settlement: LandWatch Agrees to Terms on Lawsuit (4.5M PDF)
  A settlement agreement between LandWatch, Keep Fort Ord Wild, and the Marina Coast Water District caps the number of residential units allowed to be built on the former Fort Ord lands served by the District.  The cap is 6,160 units and many developers will now race to get a portion of that number before the cap is reached. (09.19.18)
• Letter: LandWatch Comments on Water Supply Assessment (57K PDF)
  LandWatch challenges the Marina Coast Water District’s faulty water supply assessment for Campus Town, since there is no reliable water supply. The Assessment wrongly assumes 6,600 acre-feet of water per year is available for use in the Ord Community and fails to acknowledge the serious adverse impacts to the deep aquifer with the additional pumping. (06.15.18)
• Lawsuit: LandWatch (142K PDF) and Keep Fort Ord Wild (1.5M PDF)
  The lawsuits challenge the Marina Coast Water District’s declaration that the proposed expansion of its service areas would have no environmental impact. The Marina Coast Water District has proposed annexation of currently undeveloped Fort Ord areas, which would facilitate increased pumping of the already over-drafted Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin to provide water for projected development on Fort Ord. Increased pumping would aggravate the ongoing seawater intrusion, overdraft, and depletion of the affected aquifers. (03.09.18)
• Letter: LandWatch Submits Comments (399K PDF)
  LandWatch’s submits addition comments regarding the Negative Declaration & Initial Study for Ord Community Sphere of Influence Amendment and Annexation for the Marine Coast Water District. (02.19.18)
• Letter: LandWatch Submits Comments  (735K PDF)
  LandWatch submits comments and supporting documents (13.9M PDF) regarding the Negative Declaration & Initial Study for Ord Community Sphere of Influence Amendment and Annexation for the Marina Coast Water District. (01.18.18)
• Letter: LandWatch Monterey County Letter on MCWD Annexation (147K PDF)
  LandWatch outlines its concerns for expanding the District’s sphere of influence.  Key concerns include: inadequate project description, project segmenting, inadequate environmental impact analysis. (11.17.11)

Other Water District Activities

• LandWatch Questions Marina Coast Water District and the County of Monterey about a Proposed Agreement to Accept Millions in Reimbursements from California American Water for Work on the Regional Project
  On Wednesday, February 24th, the Marina Coast Water District approved an agreement with California American Water (Cal-Am) to accept reimbursement for work to be performed by the District and Monterey County Water Resources Agency through the end of the year. Up to $4.3 million would be provided to these agencies which would repay the loan. However, under the agreement, Cal-Am could forgive the loan. The agreement, only posted 24 hours for the public to review, may violate the California Environmental Quality Act and Local Agency Formation Commission requirements. Cal-Am ratepayers on the Peninsula could also end up paying for a project that would benefit non-Cal-Am customers. The same agreement was approved by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors in closed session on Friday, February 26th. (03.02.10)
• The letter below was submitted to Marina Coast Water District.
  • Letter: Comments to the Marina Coastal Water District Board (29K PDF)
    LandWatch writes of its concerns about the legality to accept reimbursement for work performed by the District and Monterey County Water Resources Agency. (02.24.10)

Project History

• Settlement Caps Residential Units
  A settlement agreement between LandWatch, Keep Fort Ord Wild, and the Marina Coast Water District caps the number of residential units allowed to be built on the former Fort Ord lands served by the District.  The cap is 6,160 units and many developers will now race to get a portion of that number before the cap is reached. (10.11.18)
• Campus Town Exceeds Water Allocations
  Seaside’s proposed development (Campus Town) is expected to use 487 acre feet of water, but only 186 acre feet can be allocated to it. And, the Marina Coast Water District just approved the water supply assessment. Without a reliable and sustainable water source, the project can’t be built. (06.21.18)
• Two Lawsuits Filed Against Water District
  After being designated as the water and wastewater provider for Fort Ord lands, the Marina Coast Water District, is now being challenged by LandWatch and Keep Fort Ord Wild over its unanalyzed impacts to annexation of lands in the Fort Ord. (03.22.18)
• Water District Back in Court Again
  LandWatch and Keep Fort Ord Wild have both filed suit against the Marina Coast Water District over its planned annexation of Fort Ord lands—annexation without any environmental review. (03.22.18)
• Marina’s Deep Water Aquifer Trouble
  Read this important McWeekly story about mining Marina’s deep water aquifer. “That means if the entire 1,784 acres [of Armstrong Ranch] were converted to strawberries, it would require in excess of 4,000 acre-feet of water annually – more than Marina Coast’s current annual production.” (1.11.18)
• Water Supply Not Replenishing in Marina Coast
  The aquifer below Marina holds water that is tens of thousands of years old.  The aquifer has been tapped for the area and thousands of new homes will depend on this deep aquifer for its daily water use.  Unfortunately, salt water intrusion may change that. (12.01.16)