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From the Monterey County
Herald New
board reconsiders P.B. plan The Monterey Peninsula's water board on Monday reopened the debate over a $22 million plan allowing the Pebble Beach Co. to sell water rights to pay for an overhaul of that community's water-recycling program. Under pressure from the Pebble Beach Co. and other Del Monte Forest water users, the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District's newly seated board of directors voted unanimously on Monday to reconsider the plan. Although company officials originally proposed the plan, they became displeased with modifications made by the previous board. The water board will discuss the matter again in March after the water district's staff works out issues with the Pebble Beach Co., the Carmel Area Wastewater District and a group of independent golf courses within Pebble Beach that uses the recycled water. The group, which would have to participate in the plan, had several objections to the plan that was passed last month. For the plan to go into effect, the company and the other water users must be willing to participate. Mark Stilwell, executive vice president of the Pebble Beach Co., said the board's decision pleased him. He said the plan's final passage is imminent. The proposal back under consideration allows the company to sell the rights to 150 acre-feet of water -- enough to supply 450 average Peninsula homes a year -- to property owners in the Del Monte Forest. The water could be used to allow new-home construction on 140 vacant lots and remodeling for 2,700 homes in the community. The water would be sold for between $150,000 and $175,000 an acre-foot, raising about $22 million. That money would be used to overhaul and expand a water-recycling project that supplies water to public and private golf courses in Pebble Beach. Pebble Beach Co. and the golf courses want the project to be overhauled because the water it currently produces, recycled from the community's sewage, is too salty to be used to irrigate local golf courses. The golf course had to use fresh water from the California-American Water Co. to flush the salt out of the courses. The proposed water-recycling project would add desalination equipment to the system and improve the Forest Lake reservoir to store the recycled water. The plan passed last month contained several items that Pebble Beach groups found objectionable. One of the items dealt with the emergency use of fresh water in case the recycling system failed, granting the golf courses less time to use fresh water than they desired. Another item changed the accounting system for monitoring of water use by those who purchase the water rights sold by the company. Stilwell said the monitoring provision would have made it difficult for the company to sell the water rights. Board members said that taking extra time to consider the deal would be productive, although there was some disagreement over the speed of the process. New board members Larry Foy and Michelle Knight want the board to review the matter quickly, while board veteran Judi Lehman and newcomer Kristi Markey say taking more time would lead to better legislation. "This reclamation project is one we all want to be successful," said Markey. "I have some concerns about reconsidering the public accountability pieces of the motion." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jonathan Segal can be reached at 646-4345. |
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