Community Leaders Celebrate Completion of Monterey Pipeline Project

A ceremony was held today to celebrate the completion of the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project pipeline. The $50 million, 36-inch pipe runs from General Jim Moore Boulevard in Seaside to just inside Pacific Grove’s boundary near David Avenue. The project took a year and a half to complete, having begun in November 2016.

The event took place at the Eardley roundabout in Pacific Grove, the termination point of the new pipeline that also served historically as a key distribution hub for water delivery on the Monterey Peninsula dating back to the late 1800s. Elected officials and key contributors to the project were in attendance.

The pipeline completion ceremony follows the California Public Utilities Commission’s September 13 approval of the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project, which includes desalinated seawater and water from the advanced-treatment project, Pure Water Monterey, currently under development by Monterey One Water and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District. The new pipeline will carry water from these new sources to Cal Am customers in the region.

Weather depending, the pipeline may carry, as early as this year, additional water from the existing Aquifer Storage Recovery project, which captures excess winter flows from the Carmel River for storage in the Seaside Groundwater Basin. PureWater Monterey is expected to deliver water in late 2019. The desalination project is scheduled to be online in 2021.

“This is a crucial milestone in the development of a new water supply for the Monterey Peninsula,” said California American Water President, Richard Svindland. “We would like to thank everyone who has participated in the pipeline’s construction. It would not have been possible, and completed as it was – on budget and on time for ASR injection season -- without the combined efforts of California American Water, local City staff and an engaged and supportive public.”

California American Water communicated construction updates and information on the pipeline project through watersupplyproject.org, community meetings, and direct notifications to impacted customers. California American Water has also worked cooperatively with city governments to limit the effects of road closures and increased traffic.

Pure Water Monterey, a recycled water project being developed by Monterey One Water and Monterey Peninsula Water Management District is expected to start flowing through the pipeline in 2019. Pure Water Monterey will contribute 3,500 AFY to the area’s water demand of approximately 14,000 acre-feet per year. An expanded aquifer storage and recovery project is also expected to start operating in late 2019 and contribute a significant amount of water to the system.

For updates on the project visit the project’s website: www.watersupplyproject.org.

California American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), provides high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to more than 690,000 California residents. Information regarding California American Water’s service areas can be found on the company’s website www.californiaamwater.com.

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,900 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in 46 states and Ontario, Canada. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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