Regional Water Supply Issues
Over the past several years, the Monterey Chapter has been engaged in efforts to identify a water supply project for the Peninsula, and has sought to drive the effort in a direction that minimizes adverse impacts to our beaches, near-shore water quality, and marine species, while also seeking to gain positive benefits such as pollution prevention through the reuse of waste-water and expansion of water conserving measures. So, what does this mean?
Our Chapter Supports:
- wastewater recycling (CSIP, Groundwater Replenishment Project)
- stormwater capture (Ocean Friendly Gardens (permeable surfaces & water retaining features), City of PG stormwater project, rainwater catchment)
- water conservation (expansion of the Water Management District’s existing programs, Ocean Friendly Gardens (native plants))
- small-scale desalination using subsurface intakes, IF NEEDED once the above measures are implemented
- further study of impacts of brine discharge
Our Chapter Opposes:
- ocean desalination using open ocean intakes, which kill marine life
- large-scale, energy-intensive desalination projects
- discharge of brine without proper dilution and/or diffusion to avoid degrading marine habitat and negative impacts to marine species.
Our Chapter Supports:
- wastewater recycling (CSIP, Groundwater Replenishment Project)
- stormwater capture (Ocean Friendly Gardens (permeable surfaces & water retaining features), City of PG stormwater project, rainwater catchment)
- water conservation (expansion of the Water Management District’s existing programs, Ocean Friendly Gardens (native plants))
- small-scale desalination using subsurface intakes, IF NEEDED once the above measures are implemented
- further study of impacts of brine discharge
Our Chapter Opposes:
- ocean desalination using open ocean intakes, which kill marine life
- large-scale, energy-intensive desalination projects
- discharge of brine without proper dilution and/or diffusion to avoid degrading marine habitat and negative impacts to marine species.