MINUTES

MONTEREY PENINSULA WATER AUTHORITY (MPRWA)

TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (TAC)
Regular Meeting
10:30 AM, Monday, September 19, 2016
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
580 PACIFIC STREET
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA
Members Present:

Member Narigi, Member Peake, Member Riedl, Member Riley,

Member Sciuto, Member Stoldt, Member Vandermaaten, Chair Cullem

Members Absent:

Member Huss

Staff Present:

Legal Counsel Freeman, Clerk Romero

CALL TO ORDER
Chair Cullem called the meeting to order at 10:32am.
ROLL CALL
Member Narigi arrived at 10:34am. Member Riley arrived at 10:37am.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
REPORTS FROM TAC MEMBERS
Chair Cullem reported that he and Members Riley and Sciuto are working on the revised policy
statement and the draft will be available at a future meeting. He added that since the last TAC
meeting in June, the Cease and Desist Order on the Carmel River (CDO) has been extended
another 5 years, however 2 motions by Public Trust Alliance and Water Plus have been filed
contesting the extension and have the possibility of being heard at a future State Water
Resources Control Board (SWRCB) meeting. He continued that the California Public Utilities
Commission (CPUC) has approved the Water Purchase Agreement (WPA) with California
American Water (Cal Am) for the Ground Water Replenishment (GWR) project and the

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Monday, September 19, 2016

Monterey pipeline, and the governance committee will be discussing the cost of the pipeline
next Wednesday. Chair Cullem introduced the newest TAC Member, Bill Peake.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
None

CONSENT AGENDA
1.

Approve Minutes from June 20, 2016 Romero

Action: Approved
Members Narigi, Peake and Riedl abstained from voting on approval of the minutes.
On a motion by Committee Member Riedl, seconded by Committee Member Stoldt, and carried
by the following vote, the MPRWA Technical Advisory Committee Approved the Minutes from
June 20, 2016:

AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
RECUSED:

5
0
0
3
0

MEMBERS:
MEMBERS:
MEMBERS:
MEMBERS:
MEMBERS:

Riedl, Riley, Stoldt, Vandermaaten, Cullem

None
None
Narigi, Peake, Sciuto
None
***End of Consent Agenda***

AGENDA ITEMS
2.

Receive Update on GWR Status and Financing -Stoldt/Sciuto

Action: Received update; Discussed
Member Sciuto, General Manager of the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency
(MRWPCA), gave an update on the GWR project, stating that milestones have been reached to
show a revenue source to secure a loan and possibly grant to fund the project. He added that

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Monday, September 19, 2016

discussions with the SWRCB are going well on the finance end, and they are working together
on with Federal and States agencies on the environmental side to get a letter of concurrence.
He stated a preliminary funding agreement should be ready by November, and they will have
an opportunity to get reimbursement for past project expenses. Member Sciuto added they will
be going to the Regional Water Resources Board in December regarding permitting for GWR.
He also said that all 18 comments from the August 22nd GWR Hearing with the Division of
Drinking Water, including concerns about the Blanco drain have been addressed, and now they
are waiting for final approval of the engineering report.
Member Narigi asked about the publics health concerns about the Blanco drain water. Member
Sciuto responded that the Blanco drain represents about 7% of the flow to GWR, and the
sampling from Blanco drain did not find DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, a pesticide). He
added that the reverse osmosis system would remove all particulates from the water, so there
is no health issue with Blanco drain. He added that more outreach will be done to educate the
public, because they are not getting accurate information. Member Riley agreed that if more
public outreach is done, people will let go of the Blanco drain safety concerns.
Member Narigi requested a future agenda item to discuss the cost of GWR production for
various acre foot amounts of water because the TAC should understand what production costs
mean for the public.
Member Riedl asked about contingency plans for Blanco drain if it does not get approval from
the State, and Member Sciuto replied that the GWR agreement is tied to the Blanco drain but
any particle amount found in that water is negligible and doesn't warrant concern.

PUBLIC COMMENTS
None

No action was taken on this item.

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3.

Monday, September 19, 2016

Receive Report and Discuss the Detailed MPWSP Schedule Including Status of Upcoming
Permit Requirements and the Status of the Test Slant Well - Crooks
Action: Received Report; Discussed
Ian Crooks, Engineering Manager at California American Water, gave a brief update on the
Monterey pipeline:

Seaside, Monterey, and Pacific Grove, are all ready to start construction in November
with encroachment permits pending.

Finalization of traffic control plans are in the works.

The stormwater pollution prevention program has been approved.

Pot holing has begun, looking for any conflicts with underground utilities (ie: water
lines).

The pipeline is on target for completion by November 2017.

The desal plant is waiting on the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR), and preprocessing is already underway with the County.

Mr. Crooks showed a schedule of all the permits required for the Monterey Peninsula Water
Supply Project, which are dependent on approval from the Certificate of Public Convenience
and Necessity (CPCN) and the California Coastal Commission.
Member Vandermaaten, Marina Coast Water District (MCWD) General Manager, said they
sent a letter to Cal Am regarding Cal Ams shared use of MCWDs pipeline requesting a sit
down to discuss a shared use agreement. Mr. Crooks responded that Cal Am will be using the
shared pipeline to deliver water.
Member Riedl questioned if the land acquisition timeline needs to be adjusted, and Mr. Crooks
responded that there are items on the schedule that need to be updated. Member Peake asked
why the test slant well ends where it ends on the schedule, and how its connected to the permit
project. Mr. Crooks answered that test slant wells have a different permit and process, and if
4

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Monday, September 19, 2016

the whole project is approved will be converted to a production well.

Member Peake asked for clarification if the test slant well production has any bearing on the
CPCN approval, and Mr. Crooks answered that its data is being included in the EIR, so it is
interconnected.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
None
No action was taken on this item.
4.

Receive Report and Discuss the Construction of the Production Slant Wells - Cullem/Crooks
Action: Received report; Discussed
Ian Crooks, California American Water, gave an update on the construction and production of
the test slant wells. He gave a presentation explaining that the only feasible location for the
slant wells would be 900 feet away from the shoreline, behind the dunes. He added that the
wells will be 1,000 feet deep at a 14 degree angle, however it means the vertical tips will be
about where the aquatard is.
Member Riedl voiced concerns about the hydrology of the slant well system and the ability to
increase salinity. Member Riley asked if the water rights will be added to Cal Ams schedule,
and questioned if the intake streams are under land or under the bay if there will be a land use
issue.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

None

5.

Receive Report and Discuss the Water Supply Needs of the Marina Coast Water District Vandermaaten
Action: Received report; Discussed
5

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Monday, September 19, 2016

Member Vandermaaten gave a presentation on the Marina Coast Water District's (MCWD)
water supply, and explained that the MCWD service area isn't just Marina, it includes most of
the Ford Ord area, Cal State University of Monterey Bay (CSUMB), and more. He added that
the Marina area is experiencing lots of development and growth and over the next 20 years the
population will double. He continued that ground water is going to be a big part of the water
supply, and over the years there will be other sources such as recycled water. He described
some of the other proposed water supply sources, including:
v

Ocean desalination

Increased conservation

Expansion of recycled water use

Brackish groundwater desalination

Surface water

Member Vandermaaten outlined MCWDs current key efforts to secure a sustainable water
supply for the Marina area:
v

Sustainable groundwater management

Fort Ord augmentation 3 party memorandum of understanding (MOU)

Customer service and outreach programs planning for future water demand

Member Vandermaaten showed a map of MCWDs Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA),

Map of the Seaside Area Subbasin and the Corral de Tierra Subbasin. He answered questions
of the board, explaining that:
o

The Fort Ord open space area is included in the GSA

660 acre feet of groundwater is available to MCWD, from a 1996 annexation from the
County

MCWD service area is primarily industrial, and only agriculture water use is on
Armstrong ranch

MCWD has a diversified portfolio for water sources

The 3 party MOU includes: MCWD, Fort Ord Reuse Athority (FORA) and MRWPCA

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Monday, September 19, 2016

PUBLIC COMMENTS
None
Member Riley had to leave the meeting at 12:08pm.
No action was taken on this item.

6.

Discuss Alternate Meeting Times for the TAC Cullem

Action: Continued to a future meeting
The Board decided to continue item to a future meeting.

ADJOURNMENT
Executive Director Cullem adjourned the meeting at 12:10pm.

Respectfully Submitted,

Approved,

Nova Romero, Authority Clerk, Committee Clerk

President MPRWA