JOINT PRESS RELEASE
Monterey Peninsula Water
Management District
Carmel Area Wastewater
District
Pebble Beach Community
Services District
Date: December 2, 2004
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 (CAW), 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 C A W 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-filtrationheverse 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 Carrnel River
Lagoon during dry periods to benefit steelhead trout
habitat, similar to actions that took place in Summer 2004.
--end--
For further information contact:
- MPWMD: Dave Berger, General
Manager, (83 1) 658-5650
- Carmel Area Wastewater District:
Ray Von Dohren, General Manager, (831) 624-1248 ext.
204
- Pebble Beach Community Services
District: Dick Andrews, General Manager (83 1)
647-5605
- Pebble Beach Company: Mark
Stilwell, Exec. Vice President (83 1) 625-8449
- Independent Recycled Water Users
Group: Mike Bowhay, General Manager, Monterey Peninsula
Country Club (83 1) 333-2200
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