WATER SUPPLY PLANNING COMMITTEE

 

ACTION ITEM

 

2.

CONSIDER RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD TO ADOPT AN ADDENDUM TO THE DISTRICT’S PRIOR ASR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR CONSTRUCTION OF A BYPASS PIPELINE TO ALLOW SIMULTANIOUS PURE WATER MONTEREY RECOVERY AND ASR INJECTION

 

Meeting Date:

July 6, 2020

Budgeted: 

N/A

 

From:

David J. Stoldt

Program/

Water Supply Projects

 

General Manager

Line Item:

N/A

 

Prepared By:

Jonathan Lear

Cost Estimate:

CalAm Reimbursement

 

General Counsel Review:  N/A

 

CEQA Compliance:   This action does not constitute a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines section 15378.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUMMARY:  In June staff reported to the Board that a bottleneck in simultaneous operation of ASR injection and Pure Water Monterey recovery had been identified due to the existing piping configuration in General Jim Moore Blvd.  A bypass pipeline around the bottleneck was identified as a solution that would allow simultaneous operation of both projects.  The proposed pipeline is above the length and diameter to be exempt from the CEQA process.  In order to facilitate this solution in an expedited manner, CalAm asked the District to act at the Lead CEQA agency for the project.  At the Board Meeting on June 22, 2020, MPWMD Board directed the General Manager enter into a reimbursement agreement with CalAm for the CEQA work to construct to bypass pipeline necessary to allow simultaneous PWM recovery and ASR injection.  The appropriate agreements were made and the environmental work has been completed. The Addendum to the ASR EIR is ready to be considered for adoption by the Board.

 

At the Water Supply Planning Committee staff will present the work completed to prepare the Addendum and answer any questions related to the environmental work.  If the Committee recommends that the Addendum is moved to the full Board for consideration of adoption, staff will work with Denise Duffy and Associates to prepare the findings that will need to be made in order to adopt the Addendum.  These findings will be included in the staff note to the Board as well as the Addendum. If the MPWMD Board adopts this Addendum in July, construction on the pipeline would begin in August.

 

BACKGROUND: The Pure Water Monterey (PWM) Project began injecting water into the Seaside Groundwater Basin in March 2020 and building up the 1,000 Acre Foot Operational Reserve.  After the operational reserve has been injected, PWM water is available as a source to the water supply portfolio and will become a component of the Quarterly Water Budget and used to shift production away from the Carmel River and comply with the Cease and Desist Order (CDO).  In meetings between District Staff and CalAm for planning the recovery schedule for PWM, it was identified that in order to recover all PWM and Native Seaside Groundwater, the Seaside well field would need to operate for more months of the year than previous operational protocols.  Additionally, only the ASR wells are connected to the pipeline in General Jim Moore Blvd. that is attached to the transfer (Monterey) pipeline that can move water to the Forest Lakes Tank.  The Forest Lake Tank supplies water to meet water demand in Monterey, Pacific Grove, and the Del Monte Forest.  The rest of the wells in Seaside provide water to meet demand in Seaside and old Monterey as far as the Naval Post Graduate School and are isolated from the demands met by the Forest Lake Tank.  The demand on the Seaside system is between 10 to 12 Acre Feet per day and is not enough to consume all of the recovered PWM water, so water must be recovered by the ASR wells and moved through the transfer pipeline to the Forest Lakes Tanks to ensure all of the PWM water can be consumed. 

 

Project Description 

 

California American Water (CAW) proposes to construct a new 36-inch-diameter, 7,000 LF, potable water transmission pipeline (Bypass Pipeline) in located General Jim Moore Blvd (GJM) between Hilby Avenue and approximately 750 feet south of Coe Avenue in Seaside, CA.   The proposed Bypass Pipeline would connect to an existing 36-inch pipeline at each end. 

 

The Bypass Pipeline would be located in the Former Fort Ord within the Seaside Munitions Response Area (MRA).

 

The project would also include a new de-chlorination facility and a new 16-inch diameter connection to the CAW Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) well sites 3 and 4 located at the Seaside Middle School. 

 

Purpose

 

The proposed Bypass Pipeline would improve the existing ASR system and allow CAW to perform simultaneous ASR injection and extraction operations in order to meet customer demand as a result of reduced Carmel River diversions.  The Bypass Pipeline would be used to convey water from Crest Tank to ASR Wells 3 and 4 for injection.  Extraction operations would be performed at ASR Wells 1 and 2 and would be conveyed through existing infrastructure to Forest Lake Reservoir in Pacific Grove. 

 

Under current CAW permit requirements, a 30-day retention period is required between ASR injection and extraction operations.   Due to reduced Carmel River diversions, CAW would not be able to meet customer demand during the 30-day retention period when extraction operations are not allowed. The proposed dechlorination facility would dechlorinate water prior to injection into ASR Wells 3 and 4 which would remove the 30-day retention period requirement and allowing CAW to meet customer demand.

 

Construction

 

The Bypass Pipeline would be constructed by open trench within the paved roadway of the northbound lanes of GJM.  The typical trench width would be approximately 6-feet wide and 6.5-feet deep.  Excess soil would be handled and disposed of per requirements of City of Seaside Programmatic On-Call Construction Support Plan – Roadways and Utilities – Seaside Munitions Response Area. Pavement and striping would be restored per City of Seaside requirements.  Traffic control plans would be developed and submitted to the City of Seaside for review and approval.

 

The pipeline would include blow off and air vent appurtenances installed in either the sidewalk or median of GJM.  Blow offs would be pump out style, located within utility boxes that are flush with the surrounding ground.  Air vents would be installed above grade in locked cages.  The locations of the appurtenances would be per approval of the City of Seaside. 

 

RECOMMENDATION:  The Water Supply Planning Committee recommend that at the July 20th Board Meeting the Board consider adoption of the EIR Addendum to complete the environmental work necessary to construct the bypass pipeline that will allow for simultaneous ASR injection and Pure Water Monterey extraction.

 

EXHIBITS

None

 

 

 

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