NEW CAL AM PIPELINE TO INCREASE CAPACITY
SEASIDE >> Construction is underway in Seaside on a major water pipeline that will help deliver recycled water to California American Water Co. customers along the Monterey Peninsula.
The $5.5 million pipeline will run parallel to an existing line that is carrying water north from the Carmel River as part of the Aquifer Storage and Recovery system, or ASR. The program sends water north from the river during peak winter flows that is then injected into the Seaside Basin as a type of savings account that can be used later.
The new pipeline will be carrying water south from the basin that has its origin from recycled water injected into the basin from the Pure Water Monterey project and in coming years from the Pure Water Monterey Expansion. The recycled water is not directly pumped into the pipeline, rather it is filtered to the degree that is potable and then pumped through injection wells into the underlying basin.
The two pipes, however, are not mutually exclusive, explained Catherine Stedman, the Central California external affairs manager for Cal Am’s Central California region. For example, if peak winter flows warrant a higher volume flow, both pipes can be utilized in a single direction.
Construction on the 1.3mile pipeline is already staged at the intersection of General Jim Moore Boulevard and Eucalyptus Road in Seaside.
The pipeline is important because, at the end of this year, a state ceaseand-desist order will force severe curtailing of the water Cal Am can pump from the Carmel River aquifer. The dramatic cut will drop the roughly 8,000 annual acre-feet of water being pumped out today to 3,376 acre-feet at the end of this year.
“This pipeline is such a critical component of our community’s future water supply,” said Chris Cook, Cal Am’s director of operations, about the historic process of pumping water from the south. “Going forward, the greater part of our supply will be coming from the north, such as recycled water pumped from wells in the Seaside Basin and distributed southward to our customers.”
In addition to construction of the parallel pipeline, Cal Am is also building two pump stations, one in Pebble Beach and one in Carmel Valley that will further support the “reverse-flow” conditions needed to bring new sources of water to the Peninsula.
Presently water headed north needs to be pumped up to Pebble Beach at which point it is gravity fed to Peninsula customers. The new pumping stations will pull water from the north into the high area in Pebble Beach and then gravity fed from there.
“The changes we’re making today are helping to restore the river and its species and helping us meet customer water demand while additional water supplies are developed.”
The contractor, Monterey Peninsula Engineering, plans to work from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Both the northbound and southbound directions of General Jim Moore Boulevard will be diverted to the western side of the boulevard during construction.
The work is expected to take between five and six months to complete.