Joint Press Release

 


Monterey Peninsula Water Management District            Carmel Area Wastewater District           

Pebble Beach Community Services District                    

 

Date:  December 2, 2004

                                                

u Expansion of CAWD/PBCSD Recycled Water Project to Take Del Monte Forest Golf Courses Off Potable Water

 

During meetings earlier this month, the elected boards of directors of the Carmel Area Wastewater District (CAWD), Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (MPWMD), and Pebble Beach Community Services District (PBCSD) approved agreements that will enable a significant expansion in the use of highly treated wastewater on all the golf courses and certain outdoor field use facilities located in the Del Monte Forest area.   In addition to these three public agencies, private entity partners in this recycled water expansion project include the Pebble Beach Company (PBC) and Independent Recycled Water Users Group (IRWUG), a group of Del Monte Forest golf course owners consisting of Cypress Point, Monterey Peninsula Country Club, and Poppy Hills.  The goal of the expanded project is for the golf courses to be fully dependant on recycled water, thus saving significant additional amounts of potable water.  Directors of the three agencies praised the expansion project as a “win-win” situation for the community, the environment, and Del Monte Forest irrigation users and residential property owners.

 

The agreements are the result of many months of diligent work prior to and following MPWMD Board May 2004 adoption of the project’s enabling legislation, Ordinance 109, and a “marathon” effort in recent weeks by all the participants to complete negotiations on these complex agreements.  Under the agreements, PBC will fund the currently estimated $22 to 24 million recycled water expansion project from the sale of a portion of its legal Water Entitlement to Del Monte Forest residential property owners, many of whom have already subscribed to purchase these water rights.  PBC will also continue its debt repayment guarantee on the existing CAWD wastewater reclamation and PBCSD  distribution facilities built in 1994.  The agreements commit PBC and IRWUG to use and pay for recycled water for irrigation; make provisions for beneficial use of any surplus recycled water; and establish standby interruption procedures in the event of emergency conditions.   

 

The agreements pave the way for addition of advanced micro-filtration/reverse osmosis treatment equipment at the CAWD wastewater treatment plant, and PBCSD’s refurbishment of the Forest Lake reservoir to allow storage of enough recycled water in the winter to meet the year-round needs of the golf courses.  The combined improvements are expected to solve water quantity and quality problems experienced by the golf courses that have limited the performance of the existing wastewater reclamation facilities, and should eliminate their use of Cal-Am water.  The agreements also specify that surplus water could be used to increase water levels in the Carmel River Lagoon during dry periods to benefit steelhead trout habitat, similar to actions that took place in Summer 2004.  --end--

 

 

For further information contact:

 

 

(831) 624-1248 ext. 204

 

(831) 647-5605

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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