Statement to CPUC

Carmel Valley, CA
March 4, 2009

The League of Women Voters Monterey Peninsula (LWVMP) has a long history of interest in water and has numerous positions based on three water studies conducted during the last 25 years. LWVMP supports a balanced and comprehensive approach to efficient water use, conservation, and protection of supplies and habitats.

Our priority for new water supplies is to meet existing water needs first, which is the focus of the DEIR on the Coastal Water Project. However we urge you to expand Phase I projects to include MRWPCA’s groundwater replenishment program. In fact, we were dismayed to see it excluded from Phase I of the regional program (Water for Monterey County). We think this water source is far more certain than the 2,980 AFY that would come from the Salinas River. We also note significant concerns expressed by the Board of Directors of the Monterey County Water Resources Agency regarding extractions of water from the Salinas Groundwater Basin. At its February 17 workshop, there appeared to be a consensus of Board members that the Board would oppose the regional project as currently defined. These concerns must be accounted for in evaluating Phase I of the regional project

We also urge you to make these additional evaluations in this phase:

1. stormwater runoff programs as originally included in Phase I of the regional effort, and
2. The desalination plant of Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (MPWMD).

Finally, we do not understand why the 300 AFY from the Sand City desalination plant is included in the baseline, since this water is only a temporary and uncertain source of water for the areas outside of Sand City.

We believe the full intent of the Regional coalition effort is to design a comprehensive plan for new water supply options, including recycled and stormwater use. The EIR limited its scope to a strict comparison to Cal Am proposals (which did not consider these other options). Therefore we believe the EIR short circuits the community interest in these options, and falls short of a full and fair evaluation of planned outcomes. This process could be improved/corrected with the addition of the MRWPCA groundwater replenishment program, stormwater runoff programs, and the MPWMD desalination plant in the current valuation.

Thank you for considering these preliminary comments on the DEIR for the Coastal Water Project.

     Janet Brennan, President, LWV of the Monterey Peninsula