MCWD Ord Community Service Area Background

In 1991, the closure of the Fort Ord military base was announced. The Fort Ord military base was a part of the Monterey Peninsula since 1917, and closure of the over 28,000-acre facility was significant to Monterey County.  In order to minimize the impact on Monterey County of the base closure, the Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA) was formed, and a base reuse plan was developed and adopted. As part of the base closure, MCWD (the selected water purveyor) was awarded the existing Fort Ord entitlement to Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin supplies; however, the allocated supplies are insufficient to completely supply the adopted redevelopment plan. In part, the Regional Desalination Project was developed in order to supplement groundwater supplies necessary for approved Fort Ord redevelopment.

Specifically, the District’s 2005 Urban Water Management Plan (pages 2-21 through 2-26) identifies the need for an augmentation of existing groundwater supplies through either recycled or desalinated water in accordance with the District’s approved Regional Urban Water Augmentation Project (“RUWAP”).  The RUWAP project was a multiyear, regional effort to identify alternative sources of water to supply the approved redevelopment plans for the former Fort Ord.  A key finding of the RUWAP alternatives analysis process was recognizing the advantage of working together for regional water solutions.

The RUWAP and its certified EIR (certified October 2004) evaluated two primary water supply augmentation alternatives that MCWD could implement itself (i.e., without broader involvement by water suppliers and regulators in the larger regional area) that will provide 3,000 AFY of new water supply: (1) a local seawater desalination alternative, and (2) a recycled water project alternative.  The RUWAP EIR also included a hybrid of the two primary water supply alternatives, which consisted of a combination of a 1,500 AFY seawater desalination project and a 1,500 AFY recycled water project. In June 2005, the District and FORA approved the RUWAP alternative consisting of a total augmentation supply of 3,000 AFY, including 300 AFY to be delivered outside existing areas served by MCWD, to be supplied by a combination of a seawater desalination project and a recycled water project.  After conducting more detailed project design and environmental review for the recycled water component of the RUWAP, MCWD approved changes to the RUWAP Recycled Water Project in December 2006 and February 2007, and adopted Addenda Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, to the certified EIR.  The desalination component of the RUWAP is proposed to be replaced by MCWD’s involvement in the Regional Desalination Project.