LandWatch Monterey County and the Salinas Valley Agriculture Land Trust submit letters on Final Environmental Impact Report for the Coastal Water Project

LandWatch Monterey County recently submitted a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on the final environmental impact report (FEIR) for the Coastal Water Project. LandWatch is very concerned about the potential growth-inducing impacts of the project and the potential impacts on North County’s water supply. The FEIR fails to adequately analyze and mitigate impacts to North County’s up-gradient aquifers caused by pumping approximately 22,000 to 25,000 acre-feet of brackish water from the 180-foot aquifer of the Salinas Basin. We state on page 4 that “the drawdown of North County’s aquifers caused by feedwater pumping for the Regional Project’s desalination plant (22,000 to 25,000 afy) would significantly increase the difficulty of managing North County’s scarce water resources.” To read LandWatch’s entire letter, please click on the link below:

CWP FEIR LW comments e version Nov 2009

The Salinas Valley Agriculture Land Trust also submitted a letter to the CPUC on the FEIR for the Coastal Water Project. Their letter outlines concerns about the FEIR’s compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act and the potential for a takings claim if the Regional Plan is built.

To read the entire letter, click the link below:

Stamp_ALT ltr to CPUC 12 16 09.pdf (4.18MB PDF file)

Amy L. White, Executive Director
LandWatch Monterey County
158 Central Avenue #3
Salinas, CA 93901
831-422-9384

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posted 02.05.10