California American Water releases addendum to study of Monterey Peninsula water supply alternatives

California American Water has issued an addendum to the technical memorandum concerning water supply alternatives designed to meet the Monterey Peninsula’s water supply. The original memo, which was prepared by RBF Consulting, examined 11 water projects capable of meeting the area’s water deficit.

The addendum, which was also prepared by RBF Consulting, complements the memorandum by developing information on the possible timelines of each of the 11 projects, including environmental review, permitting and construction. The findings will be presented today at a public forum planned by the City of Monterey.

California American Water must develop a replacement water supply for the Monterey Peninsula in order to comply with state-ordered water cutbacks. In 2009, the California State Water Resources Control Board issued a Cease and Desist Order that reduced the amount of water that can be drawn from the Carmel River, the community’s primary water source, by nearly 70 percent over the next six years.

“The analysis and timeline provides us with an objective look on an equal basis at each of the possible projects,” said California American Water Director of Engineering Richard Svindland. “The likely timing of each project is vital to any analysis due to the requirement to reduce the draws of water from the Carmel River incrementally in each of the coming six years.”

An updated technical memorandum was also issued today to correct an error in the original memorandum. Due to a spreadsheet error, the costs of California American Water’s aquifer storage and recovery facilitieswere overestimated for one of the alternatives in the original report. The error was identified late last week during review of the memorandum by Monterey Peninsula Water Management District staff and has been corrected to ensure that the report provides an objective look at each of the 11 options.

“The technical memorandum strives to level the playing field and provide an apples-to- apples comparison of each project to ensure we are making informed decisions based on sound design principles,” Svindland said. “When the error was identified this week, we informed other community stakeholders and promptly updated the report to reflect the correct data.”

California American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), provides high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 600,000 people.

Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to approximately 15 million people in more than 30 states, as well as parts of Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.

In 2011, American Water is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a yearlong campaign to promote water efficiency and the importance of protecting water from source to tap. To learn more, visit www.amwater125.com.

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