Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for Water Supply Project Pipeline

PACIFIC GROVE, Calif. (October 17, 2016) – A kickoff ceremony of the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project’s 7-mile pipeline construction project was held today on the front steps of historic Colton Hall in Monterey. The event featured Peninsula city mayors, key contributors to the project, and a portion of the of the 36-inch pipe that will one day connect the Monterey area to its new sources of water.

The pipeline will be used to transport water from the Pure Water Monterey groundwater replenishment project and a new desalination facility that will be constructed in Marina. These two sources will significantly reduce the amount of water taken from the impacted Carmel River. The pipeline’s construction also meets a requirement of the state Cease and Desist order on pumping from the river, which mandates demonstrable milestones be met in the project’s development.

“The construction of this pipeline represents the first, tangible step in bringing a new source of supply to the Peninsula that has for too long endured a painful water shortage,” said California American Water president Rob MacLean. “It also makes us compliant with the state ordered schedule of decreasing our dependence on the over pumped Carmel River. There were many people who made this possible including our elected officials, the cities departmental staff as well as state regulators. However, a special recognition is owed to the residents of the Monterey Peninsula who done their part by becoming one of the lowest-per-capita water users in the country and who have showed tremendous patience while this complex process played out.”

The project will run from November of this year to the end of 2017. The route will extend from just inside the boundary of Pacific Grove through Monterey’s city center, past Fremont Street to Seaside, going all the way down Hilby Avenue before stopping just before General Jim Moore Boulevard.