In 2011, the Greater Monterey County IRWM Region received a total of $4,139,009 in IRWM Implementation Grant funds to implement seven environmental and water resource management projects:
City of Soledad: Soledad Water Recycling/ Reclamation Project
Awarded Amount: $904,480
Project Summary: The City of Soledad’s 5.5 million-gallon/day (MGD) Water Reclamation Facility was substantially completed in February 2010 through Proposition 50 IRWM grant funds. The City of Soledad received an additional $ $904,480 for Phase II construction of the Water Recycling/Reclamation Project through Proposition 84 IRWM grant funds. Phase II included completion of design of a recycled water delivery system to both agricultural and recreation areas in and near the City of Soledad. The project also included research on the use of recycled water for agricultural uses.
Castroville Community Services District: Well 2B Treatment Project
Awarded Amount: $581,000
Project Summary: The project consisted of construction of a well pump and arsenic removal treatment system for an existing well in Castroville. Castroville’s wells in the 180/400-Foot Aquifer of the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin were experiencing increased salinity due to seawater intrusion. In 2007, a new well, No. 2B, was drilled into the 900-Foot Aquifer to reduce pumping in the shallower aquifers. Water quality testing showed arsenic levels in the new well (17 parts per billion [ppb]) to exceed the maximum contaminant level for drinking water (10 ppb). The IRWM-funded project constructed a well pump and treatment system to reduce arsenic levels.
San Jerardo Cooperative, Inc.: San Jerardo Wastewater Project
Awarded Amount: $924,455
Project Summary: This project consisted of upgrades to San Jerardo Cooperative’s wastewater facility. San Jerardo, a farm-worker housing collective, operates its own wastewater system. The project provided repairs and upgrades to the system necessary to ensure compliance with the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board’s Waste Discharge Requirement Order No. R3-2003-0054 and to prevent further groundwater contamination in the Salinas Valley – East Side aquifer.
Elkhorn Slough Foundation: Integrated Ecosystem Restoration in Elkhorn Slough
Awarded Amount: $822,242
Project Summary: This project implemented one phase of a larger project to restore up to 90 acres of tidal salt marsh and a 30-acre native grassland buffer in order to provide habitat and reduce non-point source pollution in Elkhorn Slough. The focus of this project included: planning and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), engineering to a 30% design, establishment of native grassland in portions of the vegetated buffer, and site preparation for receiving sediment. The project was conducted by Elkhorn Slough Foundation in partnership with the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing Harbor District, Monterey County Water Resources Agency and County of Santa Cruz.
Central Coast Wetlands Group at Moss Landing Marine Labs: Water Quality Enhancement of the Tembladero Slough and Coastal Access for the Community of Castroville
Awarded Amount: $341,698
Project Summary: The goal of this project was to enhance the Tembladero Slough, a degraded water body with numerous 303(d) listed pollutants that flows untreated into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. In this first phase of the project, the team redesigned the form and function of the lower drainage to include wetland enhancement projects, water quality treatment areas, and public access, while addressing agriculture discharge permits, the Castroville Redevelopment Plan, and the County Flood Control Program. In a second phase, the team will improve water quality through the purchase of easements and creation of treatment wetlands in strategic locations along the slough, improve flood plain open space areas, create enhanced habitat, and construct public access trails where possible.
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Central Coast Wetlands Group, and Resource Conservation District of Monterey County: Watershed Approach to Water Quality Solutions
Awarded Amount: $372,413
Project Summary: This project employed a watershed approach to improve water quality in Santa Rita Creek, an impaired water body located within the Lower Salinas River Watershed. The project addressed impacts from agriculture and urban areas and incorporated creek restoration while actively engaging the community. Santa Rita Creek flows into the Salinas Reclamation Ditch, Tembladero Slough and ultimately to the MBNMS. These water bodies are considered the most polluted water bodies on the Central Coast with 37 Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) listings, 7 of them on Santa Rita Creek. Agricultural efforts leveraged existing programs and funding for implementation of irrigation and nutrient management practices and livestock best management practices. Two restoration projects were also implemented along Santa Rita Creek to promote environmental stewardship, reduce illegal dumping, stabilize banks and increase biofiltration of pollutants through revegetation of native plants.
University of California, Davis (Granite Canyon Marine Pollution Studies Laboratory): Evaluation of Potential for Stormwater Toxicity Reduction by Low Impact Development Treatment Systems
Awarded Amount: $192,721
Project Summary: In order to protect the beneficial uses of aquatic habitats, many cities are now mandating low impact development (LID) treatment systems such as bioswales. Information on the ability of urban bioswales to reduce toxicity is an important component for evaluating impacts of regional urban stormwater runoff. This project evaluated the efficacy of bioswales in reducing the concentrations of contaminants that contribute to stormwater toxicity in the City of Salinas.