Approvals Obtained For Monterey Plant
The California Public Utilities Commission authorized plans to develop a $400 million desalination plant on the California central coast north of Monterey after a protracted six-year process. That vote was followed by approval of the project by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors.
The public-private Regional Desalination Project will be developed by California American Water, along with the Marina Coast Water District and the Monterey County Water Resources Agency, two local public water utilities. The project will desalinate about 10 million gallons of brackish water from area wells each day to replace water currently taken from the Carmel River. A 2009 state order requires California America to slash its diversions by 70 percent by 2016. The Board of Supervisors’ resolution said the plant would diversify water sources, protect species and stop illegal diversions from the river.
Several steps remain before construction begins, but the project is expected to be complete by 2015. State commissioners said the region’s water customers would probably see their rates climb 63 percent to pay for the facility.