Pure Water Monterey expansion nears completion as desal opponents ask CPUC to stand down
The recycled water project grows from 5 to 7.6 million gallons a day into the Seaside Basin. A ribbon cutting is scheduled Thursday, Oct. 2.
The expansion of Pure Water Monterey, the recycled water project that purifies wastewater into drinking water for the Peninsula, is nearing completion, with a ribbon cutting scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 2. The expansion grows the project from 5 million gallons a day to 7.6 million gallons a day, injecting the additional supply into the Seaside Basin.
The milestone lands in the middle of the region's long-running water fight. On Sept. 22, the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, the Marina Coast Water District and the City of Marina filed a motion asking the California Public Utilities Commission to set aside its Aug. 14 approval of the Peninsula's water supply planning and its projected 2050 demand figures.
At issue is whether the Peninsula still needs a desalination plant. The CPUC approved a 6.4 million-gallon-a-day desalination project in 2018, and the California Coastal Commission approved a smaller 4.8 million-gallon-a-day version in 2022. Opponents argue the expanded Pure Water Monterey supply makes the expensive desal plant unnecessary.
Dave Stoldt, the water management district's general manager, has framed the moment as one of abundance rather than scarcity. "Let's lift the guardrails and see if we can handle prosperity," Stoldt said, according to the Monterey County Weekly.
The Oct. 2 ribbon cutting is scheduled, not yet held. What happens next depends in part on the CPUC's answer to the Sept. 22 motion: whether the state's demand projections, and the desal plant built on them, survive the arrival of 2.6 million more gallons a day of recycled water.
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