PACIFIC GROVE, CA — California American Water announced on October 6 that work has begun on a pipeline in Del Rey Oaks that will help to address water supply issues on the Monterey Peninsula, where residents face threats of severe rationing from the state. The state of California has placed strict limits on the community’s primary water supply, the Carmel River.

The pipeline is one component of an “ambitious” aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) project, which captures excess winter flows from the Carmel River and delivers them to the groundwater basin in Seaside. There, the additional water will be available for withdrawal during the dry summer months, while also helping to recharge the basin, according to the company.

“This is a small, but significant step toward finding new sources of water that will protect this community from severe cutbacks and restore the Carmel River,” California American Water General Manager Craig Anthony is quoted saying. "This project marks important progress in our mission to deliver a new, reliable, environmentally sensitive and affordable water supply to our customers in the Monterey area."

In addition, the state has ordered California American Water to come up an additional water supply of 11,285 acre feet per year to replace current pumping from the Carmel River and the Seaside Basin. A project to accomplish this, which includes a desalination facility, is now under review by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), whose final environmental impact report on the project is expected this October, the company said.

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