November 14, 2002

1. Call to Order/Roll Call

The meeting was called to order at 7 PM in the District conference room.

Directors present: Kris Lindstrom, Chair – Division 4

Zan Henson, Vice Chair – Division 5

Alvin Edwards – Division 1 (arrived at 7:15 PM)

Judi Lehman – Division 2

Molly Erickson – Division 3

David Pendergrass – Mayoral Representative

David Potter – Monterey County Board of Supervisors

Staff present: Ernesto A. Avila, General Manager

Henrietta Stern, Project Manager/Public Information Rep.

Joseph Oliver, Water Resources Manager

Darby Fuerst, Senior Hydrologist

Andy Bell, Planning & Engineering Manager/District Engineer

Rick Dickhaut, Administrative Services Manager/Chief Financial Officer

Cynthia Schmidlin, Human Resources Analyst

Arlene Tavani, Executive Assistant

District Counsel present: David C. Laredo

2. Pledge of Allegiance

The assembly recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

3. Oral Communications

No comments were directed to the Board during the Oral Communications period.

4. Progress Report on MPWMD Water Supply Project EIR Effort – Henrietta Stern, MPWMD

An outline of the report presented by Henrietta Stern is on file at the District office. Chair Lindstrom proposed that the District request the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to develop the no-project description, in order to establish a threshold based on the regulatory perspective. General Manager Avila agreed with the suggestion and stated that it would be best for staff to meet with the SWRCB on development of the regulatory threshold.

5. Presentation on Phase I Engineering Analysis Regarding the Water Supply Project EIR Effort – Polly Boissevain, Camp Dresser McKee

An outline of the report presented by Polly Boissevain is on file at the District office. The Board concurred with the consultant’s recommendation on the following three items. (1) The study will analyze a local desalination plant at 6,000 acre-feet per year and additional beach wells on former Fort Ord; also the focused Phase 1 evaluation can be completed within the Phase 1 budget. (2) The study will not include an analysis of use of a former Fort Ord outfall for a potential desalination project, nor a study of a District/Regional desalination project in Marina. (3) The Phase 1 report will be completed by mid-to-late January 2003. In order to meet the deadline, additional information that becomes available from the Carmel River Threshold Study or Plan B technical data will be incorporated into the Phase 2 report.

Director Edwards proposed that the consultant expand the engineering analysis to include previously defined Phase 2 studies on an evaluation of a desalination plant at Moss Landing. Mike Rushton of Jones & Stokes Associates (JSA) advised that the cost could be $163,000, with a three-to-six month time line for a project level study. The cost would be $30,000 to prepare a programmatic level impact analysis. Chair Lindstrom noted that the District has deferred completion of the Phase 2 studies on a Moss Landing seawater desalination plant until the Phase 1 report is complete and California-American Water Company (Cal-Am) advises the District as to its preferred water supply project alternative. Director Henson suggested that the District set a deadline for Cal-Am to make a decision on the preferred water supply project alternative. If Cal-Am does not make a decision by the deadline, the District should make a decision on its preferred alternative and proceed with preparation of an EIR. Steven Leonard, Vice President and Manager of Cal-Am, stated that he could not guarantee a decision would be made by any deadline the District might set.

6. Progress Report on Carmel River Flow Threshold Report – Mike Rushton, Jones & Stokes Associates

An outline of Mr. Rushton’s presentation is on file at the District office. He stated that the final report should be completed by mid-January.

7. Update on San Clemente Dam Interim Safety Operations – Darby Fuerst, MPWMD

An outline of Mr. Fuerst’s presentation is on file at the District office. In response to questions raised by the Directors, Steven Leonard stated that Cal-Am should initiate the permitting process for its proposed San Clemente Reservoir Drawdown Project on November 15, 2002. He noted that a lead agency for the project had not yet been identified. According to Mr. Leonard, Cal-Am is responsible for mitigations associated with the project.

8. Update on Seaside Basin Management Plan – Joe Oliver, MPWMD

An outline of Mr. Oliver’s presentation is on file at the District office. Mr. Oliver advised the Board that at the December 16, 2002 meeting, the Board will be asked to authorize a contract for assistance with tasks related to development of interim basin management plan ordinances. Director Edwards stated that the District is becoming too dependent on the practice of hiring consultants to assist with projects. General Manager Avila advised the Board that it might be necessary to allocate additional funds for legal services related to the environmental review component of the scope of work.

9. Receive Public Comment

The following comments were directed to the Board. (1) Roy Thomas, Carmel River Steelhead Association, suggested that an alternative to the District’s Seaside Injection/Recovery Project would be to construct percolation ponds on the former Fort Ord Military Reservation. He also suggested that a method for brine discharge from a desalination facility would be to dilute the brine in ocean water and mix it at the surf line. (2) Clive Sanders, Carmel River Steelhead Association, proposed that reclaimed water should be returned to the Carmel River or injected into the aquifer, instead of allocating it for use by local jurisdictions. He suggested that the District investigate the possibility of injecting secondary-treated wastewater into the Carmel River Lagoon. (3) Lou Haddad, resident of Monterey, urged the District to require Cal-Am to proceed with procurement of 2,964 acre-feet of water rights that the State Water Resources Control Board has set aside for Cal-Am’s use.

10. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 9:35 PM.

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Ernesto A. Avila, Secretary to the Board

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