Concept Proposals - Project Summaries Greater Monterey County IRWM Region 2018-2019

Project Proponent Project Title Description

The Carr Lake Project will result in a new park that will address a pressing need for additional safe public open space in the City of Salinas and will provide multiple environmental benefits related to water quality improvements and stormwater management. The project area is located completely within a low-income community and will significantly increase park acreage for Salinas’s residents. Wetland and related restoration in the low-lying portions of the 73-acre project area will improve water quality and enhance the ecological function of a segment of Gabilan creek, which is currently listed as an impaired water way under the Regional Water Quality Control Board with water quality targets and Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). Similar improvements will be made along a segment of Hospital Creek, an urban drainage into Carr Lake that merges with Gabilan Creek on the project site. BSLT’s Carr Lake project proposes to revitalize a floodplain that had been converted from a wetland to agricultural Big Sur Land Trust BSLT Carr Lake Project use, and will add native trees, riparian plants, and other flora to the project site.

Constructed treatment wetlands are designed to remove pollutants from stormwater, wastewater, or agricultural runoff. Treatment wetlands consist of shallow channels or ponds that use native aquatic vegetation to filter water through physical, biological and chemical processes. Other benefits of treatment wetlands include providing aquatic wildlife habitat, aiding in erosion control and flood control, creating an aesthetically pleasing environment, and in urban settings they can provide recreational opportunities. The Blanco Drain is an ideal location for the construction of a linear treatment wetland. It provides a wide flood plain, farm roads on both sides of the drainage that can provide a buffer between drainage and farm operations, and slopes that will benefit from erosion control and weed management. The Blanco Drain drains approximately 6400 acres Central Coast Wetlands Blanco Drain Treatment of surrounding farmland and is classified as category 5 impaired water body listing pursuant to Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act for pesticides, Group Wetland Areas low dissolved oxygen, nitrates, turbidity, chlorpyrifos, and diazinon.

The /Gabilan Watershed drainage system was originally designed in 1906 as a stormwater flood control system that reclaimed land for farming and urban development, to the detriment of environmental considerations. Today this historical management strategy is in direct contradiction with environmental laws and policies leading to legal challenges and regulatory actions. We have developed an alternative vision for how the current Rec Ditch/ Gabilan Watershed drainage system is managed that will increase flow capacity while also enhancing wetland habitat Salinas to The Sea Storm and water quality by creating a linear restoration project along the Reclamation Ditch between the City of Salinas and Moss Landing Beach (Salinas Water Management, to the Sea). The project will help the County and farmers meet their water quality obligations in a cost-effective way. This enhanced drainage Central Coast Wetlands Community Development and system will support flood control and environmental goals while also providing a recreational opportunity to north Monterey County residents who Group Habitat Enhancement Project often feel isolated from their coast.

Cost effective distributed restoration of the Acosta Plaza urban drainage. Every waterway to which the City of Salinas MS4 drains is listed on the EPA 303(d) list, including the Salinas Reclamation Canal to which Acosta Plaza drains. Acosta Plaza is a high-density low-income residential neighborhood that is 98% economically disadvantaged. There are 3 schools within the drainage. The use of the 2Nform monitoring and modelling indicates Acosta Plaza is a high priority opportunity within the City to reduce excess stormwater volumes, urban pollutant loads and trash delivery to the local receiving waters. The drainage restoration will integrate cost-effective structural and non-structural BMPs intensively at scale that include but not limited to: • More effective street sweeping with parking controls, efficient sweepers, coordination with waste recovery, community outreach and education, community litter clean ups, improved road pavement integrity and design and other elements to increase the effectiveness of City land maintenance efforts. • Neighborhood, businesses and school education, outreach and incentives to reduce local litter. Downtown Street Team litter clean-up sites. • Design implementation and maintenance of extensive distributed decentralized structural BMPs, green infrastructure, green streets and parcel runoff control structures and practices. Acosta Plaza Urban Drainage • Design implementation and maintenance of centralized structural BMPs. City of Salinas Restoration Field data will serve as data inputs to quantify the volume, pollutant and litter reduction progress achieved, among other multi-benefits. The primary objective of the Disadvantaged Community Drinking Water and Wastewater Improvement project is to assist DAC communities in addressing public health and safety issues related to water and wastewater system deficiencies. The Greater Monterey County IRWM DAC Involvement Team is currently completing a needs assessment that may add to the high priority list of communities with severe water and wastewater deficiencies. The proposed project would involve: 1. community outreach and organizational planning, including project sponsorship coordination; 2. water testing, project planning, engineering and other professional services, evaluation of technical, managerial and financial capacity, regionalization planning leading to selection of projects for Disadvantaged Community advancement to applications for funding and technical assistance and support to lead to project implementation; 3. Individual projects that are Drinking Water and close to construction readiness or that meet the criteria of an IRWM PSP would be assisted during the RWMG Project Solicitation process and Environmental Justice Wastewater Improvement thereafter, as needed, to complete construction, regionalization or other improvements to bring systems into compliance with regulatory Coalition for Water Projects requirements.

The primary objective of the Disadvantaged Community Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment Point of Use/Point of Entry (POU/POE) and Domestic Well and Septic System Improvement project is to assist DAC communities and individuals who meet DAC eligibility criteria to address public health and safety issues related to water and wastewater system deficiencies. Monterey County, following adoption of regulations by the State of , is in the process of considering an Ordinance that will allow State and Local Small Water Systems to install POU/POE treatment. Water systems that cannot achieve compliance with safe drinking water quality standards due to economic infeasibility would apply to the County for permits. As proposed, water system managers and DAC community members would be assisted through education, training, community engagement and technical assistance as they evaluate options, determine costs and develop a compliance plan. The Greater Monterey County DAC Involvement Team is currently completing a needs assessment that considers which systems may be best suited to a POU/POE approach. Resources have not been identified to adequately serve very small DAC communities with drinking water quality or septic system improvements. The Disadvantaged Community proposed project would involve: 1. Community outreach, engagement and coordination; 2. Water testing and septic system inspections; 3. Project Drinking Water and planning, engineering and other professional services, evaluation of technical, managerial and financial capacity, regionalization planning leading to Wastewater Point of selection of projects for advancement to applications for funding and technical assistance and support to project implementation; 4. The program Use/Point of Entry Treatment would be proposed for funding in Round 2 of the DAC Implementation grant. Individual projects that are close to construction readiness or that for State and Local Small meet the criteria of an IRWM PSP would be assisted during the RWMG Project Solicitation process and thereafter, as needed, to complete tasks Water Systems, Domestic resulting in installation of treatment systems, compliance planning and permitting, regionalization, training or other technical assistance. Another Environmental Justice Wells and Septic System component of the proposal would support improvements for domestic well and septic system owners to bring systems into compliance with Coalition for Water Improvements regulatory requirements.

Monterey One Water’s (M1W) land/ocean outfall pipeline was constructed and put into service in 1984 to convey secondary treated effluent from its Treatment Plant 2.1 miles out into the Monterey Bay. The land outfall consists of a 60-inch reinforced concrete pipe and transitions to the ocean outfall at the junction structure (a drop manhole structure) located on the beach adjacent to the CEMEX sand mining operation. Due in part to the El Nino-driven wave action in 2015/2016, a portion of the land outfall pipeline at the junction structure was exposed on the beach. Additionally, the high rate of coastal erosion in the Southern Monterey Bay region, the highest in the State, is believed to have contributed to the pipeline exposure. If the gradual exposure had continued unaddressed, the sand could have eroded completely around the pipeline exposing it to the surf and ocean currents. In response to the exposure, M1W installed temporary protection measures (sheet piling and filter fabric) on both sides of the existing land outfall pipeline upstream of the ocean outfall beach junction structure. M1W has performed a feasibility and alternatives analysis of options for protecting the junction structure and outfall pipeline through the year 2100. In addition to extending the longevity of the ocean outfall which is critical to M1W’s ability to treat wastewater and stormwater, and to recycle that treated water for urban and agricultural irrigation and indirect potable water services, such inland migration will prevent the junction structure from hindering full public access and highest beneficial Ocean Outfall Beach Junction use of the beach by reducing the risk of future pipe exposure. M1W is still in process of determining optimal design, retreat method, and location Structure Managed Retreat for replacement facilities for this project. M1W seeks external funding for planning/environmental, engineering, right of way acquisition, and Monterey One Water Project construction services.

Dedicated monitoring wells are proposed for installation in the Coastal Salinas Valley in the area of known seawater intrusion based on MCWRA Monterey County Water Dedicated Monitoring Well annual groundwater quality and level monitoring and semiannual generation of the 500 mg/L seawater intrusion fronts and groundwater level Resources Agency Expansion (Coastal) contours. This project proposes expansion of the current Dedicated Monitoring Well Program (DMW) within the Salinas Valley Ground Water Basin (Basin). The current DMW program consists of 35 wells located through-out the Basin but does not provide enough coverage for a robust data analysis and Monterey County Water Dedicated Monitoring Well extrapolation. The goal is to fill water quality and water level data gaps throughout the entire Basin and to provide sufficient data to complete a Resources Agency Expansion robust analysis and extrapolation to the remaining areas of the Basin and the subareas.

This Project will fund the expansion of the Ground Water Conservation and Extraction Program (GWCE) within MCWRA Zone 2C. The Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA) maintains a GWCE that provides critical data about water conservation practices and ground water Ground Water Conservation extractions (withdrawals) in Zones of Benefit. “Zones of Benefit” are geographic areas that receive hydrologic benefit from managed conservation Monterey County Water and Extraction Monitoring releases from the at the Nacimiento and San Antonio reservoirs. The current GWCE Program has operated successfully within the boundaries Resources Agency Expansion Project of Zones 2, 2A, and 2B since 1993. The Nacimiento Hydroelectric Plant currently generates power via two hydroelectric generators commonly referred to as unit No.1 and unit No.2. Operation of these two units is dependent upon reservoir release rates and reservoir elevations. Unit No.1 is a horizontal Francis turbine capable of generating a rated output of 4,066kW with an operational flow range of 150-460 cfs. Unit No.2 is a low-flow TKW vertical turbine capable of generating a rated output of 340 kW with a stationary operational flow of 25 cfs at or above elevation 728 ft. The aforementioned hydroelectric plant constructed in 1987 is situated downstream of Nacimiento Dam adjacent to the dam’s southern abutment. In 2010, the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA) completed the construction of the Salinas Valley Water Project which changed the low-flow release schedule at Nacimiento Dam from 25 cfs to 60 cfs. Unit No.2 cannot generate power at flows greater than 25 cfs and Unit No. 1 cannot generate power below 150 cfs. Therefore, full hydroelectric power generation cannot be achieved for many months each year with a power production efficiency reduction of approximately 58% and loss of revenue. The proposal includes replacing Unit No.2 with a variable flow turbine to allow for an expanded operational range of hydro-power generation. Installation of the new turbine, generator, piping and other appurtenances Monterey County Water Nacimiento Dam shall require modifications to the power plant’s existing structure. This will result in an increase of revenues and provide for additional green Resources Agency Hydroelectric Plant Upgrade energy in the regional area.

The Nacimiento Dam has a Low Level Outlet Works (LLOW) that consists of a concrete intake structure, penstock and a downstream control structure. Since its installation in 1956, the downstream control structure has been subject to normal operational wear and tear as a result of regulating releases from Nacimiento Dam. However, while still operable much of the control structure is in need of future repair and/or upgrade. The downstream control structure features a 53” diameter manifold main with six 24” diameter branch pipes controlled by a 24” valve that discharges into the stilling basin via a goose neck diffuser. All six valves are eccentric plug type valves used to regulate discharge flows. One valve has been removed due to a catastrophic failure of the valve drive shaft in March of 2012. Five valves are currently operational. Many of the valves have become harder to operate, corrosion of varying degrees has occurred on the gooseneck discharge diffusers, and erosion of the concrete stilling basin has occurred over time. Replacement of the five existing 24” eccentric plug valves in kind, and the installation of an energy dissipating 24” Multi-Orifice Valve (MOV), will insure the integrity and reliability of the LLOW during controlled releases. Replacing/upgrading existing valves will increase operational flexibility in that regulation of discharge flows could occur in five of the six valves; one valve will have to remain a gate type valve due to local space limitations. All new valves shall be electronically and/or hydraulically actuated to increase efficiency in implementing reservoir release changes. New gooseneck discharge diffusers shall be installed adjacent to associated valves, and designed to reduce erosion within the concrete stilling basin. The concrete stilling basin shall be structurally reinforced to prevent further erosion. Protective steel covers/grating above the stilling basin have deteriorated and need be replaced along with security fencing around the perimeter of the downstream control structure. The project will safely allow bypass of the hydro electric power plant for increased releases and maintenance Monterey County Water Nacimiento Dam Low Level activities. This project is currently in its conceptual stage. Prior to implementation of the aforementioned rehabilitation, engineering/design will Resources Agency Outlet Works Rehabilitation need to be conducted to determine all the appropriate project parameters. After experiencing damages from flooding and erosion along the Reclamation Ditch during the winters of 1995 and 1997, the Agency contracted with engineers to analyze the operation of the drainage system and recommend improvements. In 1999 the Zone 9 and Reclamation Ditch Drainage System Operations Study (Operations Study) was completed which recommended system-wide improvements. An advisory committee reviewed the recommendations and considered alternatives regarding implementation, funding strategies, and gaining community support. The Reclamation Ditch Improvement Plan was developed by this advisory committee (RDIPAC) to address the flooding, erosion, and sediment issues impacting the Reclamation Ditch system, a 157-square mile watershed. The desired project types listed came from this process: replace Potrero Road Tide Gates; increase channel capacity and embankment stabilization at various locations; twelve bridge replacements; modify Main Street Reclamation Ditch box culvert; increase pumping capacity at two pump stations; a comprehensive watershed assessment and management plan; and, a survey of Monterey County Water Improvement Plan Advisory existing rights-of-way. A feasibility analysis and prioritization needs to be completed. Proposal submitted here will implement recommendations by Resources Agency Committee the RDIPAC.

The San Antonio and Nacimiento Reservoirs are the primary sources of water for the Salinas Valley groundwater basin. Protection of water quality in the reservoirs is critical to the mission of the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (Agency). Given the large number of road miles and their proximity to the reservoirs, pollution from road runoff may be a significant impact to reservoir water quality. However, no comprehensive assessment of roads around the reservoirs and their impacts has ever been conducted. This project will assess the water quality impacts of approximately 40 miles of unpaved roads that are located on land owned by the Agency and will create a plan to address these impacts. These roads drain directly or indirectly into either the San Antonio Reservoir in Monterey County or the Nacimiento Reservoir located in San Luis Obispo County. The majority of the land owned by the Agency around the reservoirs has historically been used for cattle grazing leases; many of these roads have delivered a significant amount of sediment into the reservoirs. The excess sediment impairs water quality and may be a means of carrying other pollutants such as mercury into these water bodies. This project will provide the planning and design elements for a future road upgrade implementation project, which will address adverse impacts of these roads. Specialists on the design and maintenance of ranch roads will survey every unpaved road segment on Agency land. Protocols to be used in this road assessment are being used throughout the state. These methodologies are provided in the California Department of Fish and Game’s “California Salmonid Restoration Manual” and have been shown to protect water quality of neighboring streams by significantly reducing the force of road runoff and resulting in-stream sediment deposition. The MCWRA Reservoir Roads authors of the road assessment and design section of that manual, Pacific Watershed Associates, will also provide training on those best Monterey County Water Assessment and Upgrade management practices for road assessment and design as a part of this project. The use of standard protocols allows for a more accurate measure Resources Agency Project of effectiveness. Monterey County Water Hydro Resources Agency Electric Power Plant Construct San Antonio Dam Hydro Electric Power Plant, producing “green” electrical energy.

San Antonio Dam has one outlet structure consisting of a submerged concrete intake structure, penstock, and downstream control house. Flows released from San Antonio reservoir are controlled via a dual valve control system. The submerged intake structure conveys water via an 84” penstock to a 96” butterfly valve that is located within a valve chamber. Water is then conveyed to an 84” Howell Bunger valve located beneath the control house. The 96” butterfly valve is the focus of this proposed rehabilitation. The associated butterfly valve is operated/exercised via its original hydraulic operator system which was installed in 1965. The butterfly valve and associated operator/control systems have been experiencing difficulty in effecting complete valve closure in a desired time period. Rehabilitation to the existing butterfly valve system would include installation of a new hydraulic operator system including hydraulic control panel, ram, latching system, and associated mechanical appurtenances. The new hydraulic operator system shall have the capability to operate/exercise the butterfly valve locally (in the valve chamber) as well as remotely (in the control house). Video surveillance cameras shall be installed to visually verify remote operations. All new operator remote controls shall be housed alongside the surveillance monitoring equipment within the existing downstream control house. Remotely augmenting the associated butterfly San Antonio Dam Butterfly valve will not only increase operational flexibility, but will also provide an added layer of safety. This project is currently in its conceptual stage. Monterey County Water Valve Operator System Prior to implementation of the aforementioned rehabilitation, engineering/design will need to be conducted to determine all the appropriate Resources Agency Rehabilitation project parameters. Monterey County Water The Monterey County Water Resources Agency Solar Project will consist of a solar energy field to offset energy needs of MCWRA water supply Resources Agency MCWRA Solar Energy Project facilities. Due to the growing threat to the region’s water supply and the gradual increase of seawater intrusion into groundwater aquifers of the northernmost portion of the Salinas Valley due to groundwater pumping, MCWRA developed the Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project (CSIP). This allows for the delivery of a blend of recycled (tertiary-treated) water and groundwater to agricultural fields within a 12,000-acre service highly affected by seawater intrusion since 1998. Since its implementation, the CSIP system has contributed to halting the recent rates of seawater intrusion in portions of the region and groundwater levels from three of the four aquifers affected are beginning to trend toward their historical levels. The results of the CSIP led to the next project to help slow and ultimately reverse seawater intrusion—the Salinas Valley Water Project (SVWP). Through the SVWP’s installation of a rubber spillway gate at Nacimiento Dam and another rubber dam in 2010 on the Salinas River near Marina (the SRDF), seasonally stored river water can be pumped into the CSIP’s pipelines for delivery as irrigation water, thus further reducing the need to pump groundwater. The 2015 and 2017 coastal Salinas Valley seawater intrusion contours continue to show the advancement of seawater intrusion into the Salinas Valley groundwater basin. The CSIP area is located within this Area of Impact where seawater intrusion is evident and in deep aquifers in the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin. Due to the continued intrusion of seawater into the groundwater basin, new water sources, implementing efficiencies in the existing system, and expansion of the system are options to reduce the use of water from CSIP’s supplemental Monterey County Water Salinas River Diversion Facility wells. A feasibility study to develop the best alternatives for operating the system into the future conditions is desirable. Particular attention would Resources Agency Expansion be spent on how to utilize the existing water resources in a more efficient manner. The Salinas Valley Water Project, Phase II will allow MCWRA to facilitate further offsets of groundwater pumping by delivering additional surface Monterey County Water Salinas Valley Water Project water to the Pressure and East Side subareas of the Salinas River Groundwater Basin. Up to 135,000 acre-feet per year of water will be diverted Resources Agency Phase II from the Salinas River and supplied for municipal, industrial, and/or agricultural uses in the Pressure and East Side subareas.

The Potrero Road Tide Gates lie within Monterey County in California’s Central Coast Region, draining natural, storm water flows from its headwaters in the Gabilan Range down to its terminus at a set of tide gates at the entrance to Moss Landing Harbor. After experiencing damages from flooding and erosion along the Reclamation Ditch during the winters of 1995 and 1997, the Agency contracted with engineers to analyze the operation of the drainage system and recommend improvements. In May 1999 the Zone 9 and Reclamation Ditch Drainage System Operations Study (Operations Study) was completed, which recommended system-wide improvements with an estimated cost of $57 million (1999 costs). The Board of Directors received the Study and formed a Reclamation Ditch Improvement Plan by the Reclamation Ditch Improvement Plan Advisory Committee (RDIPAC) which made recommendations for implementation, funding strategies, and gaining community support. The first project recommended is the Potrero Road Tide Gates. The RDIPAC provided input during the development of the Potrero Tide Gate Study which included the Potrero Road Tide Gates Project which will reduce the risk flooding in the City of Salinas and surrounding areas from current and future flow Monterey County Water Potrero Road Tide Gates rates in the system, minimizing crop damage and reducing erosion and sedimentation from widened channel sections in the Reclamation Ditch Resources Agency Construction Project watershed.

The purpose of this program is to achieve immediate and lasting reductions in nutrient, sediment and pathogen pollution to surface and ground waters and enhance wildlife habitat through implementation of gest management practices (BMPs) on livestock facilities and rangelands in the Livestock and Land: Rangeland Greater Monterey County IRWM region. The proposed program utilizes an incentives-based approach to achieve the cultural change needed for and Livestock Facility Water livestock facilities to voluntarily adopt management measures that improve the healthy functioning of watersheds. Projects are implemented in Resource Conservation Quality, Vegetation high priority areas identified by the TMDLs and other regional and local plans. Water quality and wildlife goals will be achieved through District of Monterey Management and Wildlife implementation projects, project design, technical assistance, recruitment and training. We will employ a systematic evaluation process to measure County Enhancement Program program effectiveness through participant surveys, before and after site load reduction modeling and site-specific erosion and runoff assessments.

Inadequately constructed and maintained roads throughout Monterey County continue to add sediment to regional waterways, especially in areas of steep terrain and high rainfall such as the Big Sur Coast, which compromises stream habitat needed for federally-listed steelhead trout and other aquatic species. Roads have been identified as a significant source of sediment input into the streams and rivers draining to the Monterey Bay in the Water Quality Protection Program for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Action Plan IV: Agriculture and Rural Lands along with other documents. RCDMC will serve as the program lead with regular guidance from a Rural Roads Technical Advisory Committee, in providing education and training on rural roads drainage techniques, on-site technical assistance, and funding for road erosion assessments, project design and permitting, and road drainage project implementation. The outreach aspects of the program will include demonstration workshops and trainings, Resource Conservation Rural Roads Erosion outreach material development and public communications. The TAC will help to develop and review criteria to select road association projects District of Monterey Assistance Program for that will receive funding as well as assess program success. Road association projects that are selected will require 50% of the project costs to be County Monterey County contributed by the road association. This match share will be from in-kind services and/or cash contributions. The RWQCB calls for watershed protection in part using green infrastructure.Green infrastructure is the set of practices implemented at the regional/municipal scale that protect, restore, and mimic the natural water cycle. It is a cost-effective, climate resilient approach to managing wet weather impacts that provides environmental, social, and economic benefits. Through infiltration, evapotranspiration, and harvesting stormwater throughout the landscape, green infrastructure preserves and restores the natural water balance of a watershed. Local agencies can update or modify plans and policies to appropriately incorporate green infrastructure requirements, such as: General Plans, Specific Plans, Complete Streets Plans, Active Transportation Plans, Storm Drain Master Plans, Pavement Work Plans, Urban Forestry Plans, Flood Control or Flood Management Plans, and other plans that may affect the future alignment, configuration, or design of impervious surfaces within an agency’s jurisdiction, including, but not limited to, streets, alleys, parking lots, sidewalks, plazas, roofs, and drainage infrastructure. Environmental benefits include reducing flooding, improving water quality, providing habitat, reducing the urban heat island effect, mitigating global warming and increasing groundwater recharge. Watersheds supported by green infrastructure use less energy for imported water, have fewer greenhouse gas emissions, Central Coast Regional Green infrastructure for the and a smaller carbon footprint. The Water Board’s goal of Healthy Watersheds is compatible, supportive, and in coordination with the larger issue Water Quality Control preservation and protection (beyond water quality) of sustainability and the State's Global Warming Solutions Act. With this concept proposal the RWQCB is encouraging Board of hydrologic processes organizations to implement green infrastructure projects.

With this concept proposal the RWQCB is encouraging organizations to work with farmers to protect and restore beneficial uses and achieve water quality objectives specified in the RWQCB’s Basin Plan for commercial irrigated agricultural areas by: minimizing nitrate discharges to groundwater, minimizing nutrient discharges to surface water, minimizing toxicity in surface water from pesticide discharges, protecting and restoring riparian Protect and restore beneficial and wetland habitat, and minimizing sediment discharges to surface water. In addition, the RWQCB supports stakeholders in effectively tracking uses and achieve water and quantifying achievement of the above objectives on a specific, defined schedule. The Water Board’s goal to protect and restore beneficial uses Central Coast Regional quality objectives specified in and achieve water quality objectives is aligned with complying with the State Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program, the State Water Quality Control the Basin Plan for commercial Antidegradation Policy, relevant court decisions and other relevant statutes and water quality plans and policies, including Total Maximum Daily Board irrigated agricultural areas Loads in the Central Coast Region.

This concept proposal is focused on prioritizing projects that address the immediate drinking water needs of disadvantaged communities (DACs) and is in alignment with the RWQCB’s Resolution No. R3-2017-0004 and the SWRCB’s Resolution No. 2016-0010 which recognize the human right to water law and direct its implementation in Water Board programs and activities. Nitrate pollution of groundwater is one of the most significant threats to human health in the Central Coast region. Domestic wells and small water system wells within or adjacent to intensive agricultural areas are the most at-risk of nitrate pollution, and DACs have a disproportionately higher share of the health and economic-related cost associated with nitrate pollution. In many cases DACs can’t afford to address drinking water pollution, don’t qualify for available funding, and have difficulty navigating the myriad of drinking water related funding and regulatory programs. This concept proposal is focused on a three-pronged strategy to address the immediate needs of DACs who currently do not have access to a safe and affordable drinking water supply. The three-pronged strategy includes collaborating with regional environmental justice and drinking water organizations to: 1) comprehensively and uniformly identify the Safe, Clean and Affordable drinking water problems and associated needs of DACs with the Greater Monterey County IRWM funding area; 2) ensure the provision of interim Drinking Water for safe drinking water supplies (e.g., bottled water, etc.) to residents until more permanent solutions are implemented; and 3) the evaluation and Central Coast Regional Disadvantaged Communities implementation of long-term safe and affordable drinking solutions (e.g. treatment, new water supply, consolidation, etc.). This concept proposal is Water Quality Control and the Human Right to focused on prioritizing projects that resolve drinking water contamination problems with an emphasis on, but not limited to, nitrate pollution and Board Water DACs.

25 concept proposals