In February 2021, the Greater Monterey County IRWM Region was awarded $3,462,842 in Round 1 Proposition 1 IRWM Implementation Grant funds to implement five water resource management projects:
Castroville Community Services District: Emergency Deep Aquifer Supply and Storage Tank Project
Awarded Amount: $395,000
Project Summary:The purpose of this project is to address an emergency water supply situation for the severely disadvantaged community of Castroville (population 7,250). The District recently lost 28% of its well production capacity to seawater intrusion, and its additional wells in the 400′ Aquifer are imminently threatened. Major components of the project include: (1) Construction of a new well (Well No. 6) in the Deep Aquifer to replace Well No. 3, which was located in the seawater-intruded 400’ Aquifer. (2) Arsenic treatment system to meet drinking water standards. (3) Construction of a new 640,000 gallon tank to store the treated water and regulate the temperature, and increase water available for fire protection. Project tasks include easement acquisition, planning/design (to 30% design), CEQA and project permitting, and construction. The outcomes/benefits of this project are: 1) 300 AFY of new, safe water supply for the community of Castroville; 2) additional water storage capacity to address drinking water and fire protection needs; 3) increased long-term water supply reliability from a more reliable water source (Deep Aquifer); and 4) reduced climate change impacts associated with sea level rise (i.e., counteracting seawater intrusion in the 400’ Aquifer through avoided pumping). The project will improve water supply reliability and ensure the provision of safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water for this severely disadvantaged community.
Monterey One Water, Central Coast Wetlands Group, and City of Salinas: Salinas Storm Water Management: Increasing Capture, Improving Treatment, Reducing Energy Use
Awarded Amount: $1,129,883
Project Summary: The Project is a series of improvements to the City of Salinas’s Industrial Wastewater Treatment Facility (IWTF), with the ultimate goal of increasing the functionality of this facility for multiple water resource and environmental benefits. The Project updates three components of the facility: 1) separating source water types entering the facility to enhance the efficiency of treatment, 2) removing nitrate and phosphates from water leaving the facility before it reaches the Monterey One Water Regional Treatment Plant (RTP), and 3) improving flood protection for the electrical infrastructure to run the facility. Specifically, the Project will: 1) Assess and rehabilitate an abandoned-in-place 33-inch pipeline. In 2015 the construction of a new 42-inch industrial wastewater pipeline was completed, replacing the original 33-inch gravity main. The 33-inch pipeline provides an opportunity to utilize existing infrastructure to achieve energy savings by repurposing the pipeline for separate storm water conveyance, allowing the storm water to bypass unnecessary aeration (which is required for industrial wastewater but not for storm water) and reducing energy consumption by an estimated 10%. Use of the 33- inch pipeline will also allow for up to 300 AFY of additional storm water capture for recycling and storage during summer months. 2) Treatment Wetland Pilot Study: The Central Coast Wetlands Group will construct an initial water treatment system consisting of a treatment wetland chamber in series with several pilot phosphate removal chambers, and will assess its functionality to determine the most cost-effective phosphate removal process. 3) Flood Proofing Electrical Components: City of Salinas will make improvements to the IWTF electrical components associated with the influent pump station, enhancing its flood and climate resilience.
Monterey County Water Resources Agency: Re-operation of Reservoirs: Decision Support Tool to Increase Water Supply Reliability in Salinas Valley
Awarded Amount: $750,000
Project Summary:The purpose of this project is to develop decision support tools that will enable MCWRA managers to improve reservoir operations and better plan for future conditions, particularly in light of anticipated impacts of climate change.Through a qualitative, quantitative, policy, and water rights analysis of streamflow and reservoir operations, this project will identify how reservoir operations at Nacimiento and San Antonio reservoirs, river diversions along the Salinas River, and groundwater extractions in the Salinas Valley impact instream flows in the Salinas River. The analysis will then be used to develop a water management plan that considers all of the necessary uses for this water. The intended outcome is the development of re-operation protocols. Expected benefits of the project include improved instream habitat for fisheries and a more certain and sustainable water supply for agriculture, municipal/domestic use, and other uses.
Resource Conservation District of Monterey County: Monterey County Farm Nutrient Management and Water Quality Assistance Program
Awarded Amount: $315,169
Project Summary: This project will provide decision support to guide Monterey County farmers’ management changes and conservation projects to better manage soil, water and nutrients to improve local water quality and streamline production inputs. The project will include regional grower education, 75 individual on- farm consultations, over 25 detailed irrigation and nutrient management assessments with recommendations, and corresponding implementation assistance and effectiveness tracking at a subset of approximately 12 farm sites. All work will be conducted in partnership with UC Farm Advisors, NRCS, commodity groups and technical professionals in English and Spanish as needed. Specific tasks include: 1) Site assessments and recommendations, 2) detailed design development, 3) permitting for engineered projects, 4) Project Performance Monitoring Plan, and 5) small project implementation assistance (USDA funding will support engineered projects, including for example: vegetated erosion control, irrigation system improvements, etc.).
Salinas River Management Unit Association and Resource Conservation District of Monterey County: Salinas River Flood and Habitat Improvement Program
Awarded Amount: $526,525
Project Summary: The Salinas River Flood and Habitat Improvement Program aims to provide 5 to 7-year recurrence level flood risk reduction for the Salinas River and three tributaries and to eradicate Arundo donax and tamarisk from the Salinas River. Outcomes will include: 1) Construction of 10 secondary channels where vegetation and sediment removal will occur to allow flood flow passage. 2) Over 1,250 acres of the Salinas River treated to eradicate Arundo and tamarisk. Benefits expected include: 1) The secondary channels reduce flood risk by carrying flood flows away from levees and public infrastructure, decrease velocities in the low flow channel, and restore geomorphic processes across the sandy riverbed. 2) Eradication of Arundo donax and woody nonnatives in the Salinas River system allows natives to return in the riparian corridor, thereby enhancing habitat types and structures across the Salinas River floodplain to support native wildlife species, and helping to conserve water by eliminating “thirsty” nonnative plants.