Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project

The Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project is a comprehensive desalination initiative located in northern Monterey County, including the City of Marina, the town of Castroville, and surrounding unincorporated areas. The project involves the construction of a seawater desalination plant and extensive infrastructure, including a source water intake system featuring four subsurface slant wells and the conversion of an existing slant well at the CEMEX property. Additional key deliverables include the installation of two Aquifer Storage and Recovery wells and a network of pipelines, specifically the Transmission Main, Castroville, Desalinated Water, and Source Water pipelines. The project is governed by a 24-year General Lease for Industrial Use approved by the State Lands Commission, extending through January 1, 2050. It is subject to rigorous regulatory compliance, including the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Endangered Species Act, with specific protections for the California tiger salamander under Incidental Take Permit No. 2081-2018-027-04. The California Public Utilities Commission served as the lead agency for the certified Environmental Impact Report, while the Coastal Commission provided approval for Phase 1 via a Coastal Development Permit. Construction is scheduled to be executed in two phases.