Application to Modify CDO
Water District Asks State Water Board to Drop Restrictions on New Water Meters
The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (District) voted unanimously last Monday night to ask the State Water Board to modify its Cease and Desist Order (CDO) on the Carmel River and allow new service connections. The request comes on the heels of the addition of a new water supply, the Pure Water Monterey Expansion, announced earlier this month, which will now provide 60% of the Monterey Peninsula’s drinking water.
District General Manager Dave Stoldt explained to the District Board that California American Water (Cal-Am) has not violated its lawful water rights on the Carmel River in the past four years. The CDO was originally issued in 2009 for Cal-Am’s excessive pumping from the river. Based on a California Public Utilities Decision last August, Cal-Am is not likely to violate its rights in the foreseeable future. Stoldt said, “This is a window of opportunity for the community to ease water restrictions in favor of housing and jobs.”
The District Board will submit an application to modify the CDO later this week. District staff have met with the State regulators several times this year, and the State is expecting the submittal. The District’s proposal would achieve the following: (1) Rescind the prohibition on new meters; (2) Maintain existing quarterly and annual reporting to the State Water Board; certain prior reporting requirements would be clarified or deleted because they have either been met on an ongoing basis or are no longer required; and (3) Create a water supply and demand monitoring regime that would provide triggers to the State Water Board that would allow them to determine if a reinstatement of the restrictions might be necessary in the future.
District Chair George Riley said, “This proposal builds on the remarkable work that has been done on the Monterey Peninsula to achieve a sustainable water supply. Modifying the CDO will allow the community to use this water to build new housing and create jobs. This would be a big win for the Peninsula.”