SAND CITY WATER SYSTEM
WATER SYSTEM
All water service within Sand City is provided by the California American Water Company (Cal-Am) Monterey Water System. The Monterey Water System is a community drinking water system that includes the incorporated cities of Monterey, Pacific Grove, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Sand City, and portions of Seaside, the Hidden Hills Subdivision, the Ryan Ranch Subdivision, and the Bishop subdivision, including the area known as Laguna Seca Ranch Estates, and certain unincorporated areas in the County of Monterey.
Sand City Water Supply Project - Desalination Facility
Sand City is one of several Monterey Peninsula cities impacted by limited water resources. Regional efforts to address this issue have encountered difficulties, both financial and political, for more than twenty years. Due to this historic challenge, Sand City implemented its own water project in cooperation with the region’s public water utility, the California American Water Company.
The Sand City Water Supply Project (SCWSP) developed and constructed a 300 acre-feet per year (AFY) reverse osmosis (RO) desalination facility; or more specifically, a brackish water treatment plant. The system includes 4 brackish water feed wells, a concentrate disposal well and associated pipelines and appurtenances. Planning and development for the SCWSP was initiated in the late 1990’s as a means of providing the City with a source of potable water independent from the Monterey Peninsula supply to support future development, redevelopment, and other uses as specified in the City’s General Plan, and Local Coastal Program
The design of the project included features to avoid adverse environmental effects to coastal resources, including marine organisms, groundwater supplies, and sensitive habitat areas. The capacity of the facility allows for recovery and freshwater recharge of the shallow, brackish groundwater aquifer. In addition, “reject” water (concentrate) from the treatment facility does not exceed the approximate salinity of seawater and is very similar in chemical composition. Injection of the concentrate in a below sea-level horizontal well beneath the coastal bluff does not substantially alter the existing naturally occurring seawater/freshwater interface, or result in localized salinity increases in Monterey Bay.
In order to provide maximum operational efficiency and minimizing expenses, the City arranged a lease and management agreement with the Cal-Am. Cal-Am utilizes water produced from the desalination plant to reduce their current pumping from the Carmel River and the Seaside Groundwater Basin. As redevelopment in Sand City progresses, the City will recoup use of that water as needed.