Water Scarcity in the Monterey County Aaron Kochman Alexis
Parker Ed Carapezza Evan Brunsfold Nick Parent
Slide 3
History of Water Scarcity in Monterey County
Slide 4
Facts and Figures: Monterey County uses 600,000 acre feet of
water annually. 1 acre foot is equivalent to a pool of water the
size of a football field one foot deep.
Slide 5
Facts and Figures: Monterey County: Northern border:
Watsonville Southern border: All towns north of Paso Robles
Population: 415,057 (2010 US Census) Square miles: 3,771.07
Slide 6
Slide 7
Facts and Figures: Agriculture uses 90%. Urban areas use the
remaining 10%. There are 3000 natural wells on the Central Coast,
1900 of which are used for agriculture. A good portion of the 3000
wells are no longer viable.
Slide 8
Slide 9
Water Sources Where does Monterey Co's water come from? Rivers:
(14 total) Salinas River Carmel River Big Sur River
Slide 10
Water Sources Where does Monterey Co's water come from?
Aquifers
Slide 11
Water Sources Where does Monterey Co's water come from?
Reservoirs: 1) San Antonio 2) Los Padres
Slide 12
What causes water scarcity? Human Consumption Natural
Processes
Slide 13
Causes of Water Scarcity Human consumption is the number one
cause of water scarcity. Examples of how Monterey County consumes
water: 1) vineyards 2) manufacturing 3) tourism 4) landscaping 5)
residential 6) agriculture
Slide 14
Causes of Water Scarcity Water is a limited commodity. Monterey
County is dependent on regular rainfall to replenish rivers,
aquifers and reservoirs. Two natural causes of water scarcity are
drought and salt water intrusion.
Slide 15
Salt Water Intrusion HistoryDefinition According to the
Monterey County Water Resources Agency, local governments have been
working on the problem of water scarcity for 65 years. As early as
1930, Monterey County cities began to discuss the problem of
saltwater intrusion. Underground erosion causing salt water to
leach into the ground water.
Slide 16
Salt Water Intrusion Salt water intrusion can occur for two
reasons. 1) Mother nature and time will cause slight changes in the
aquifers of tidal areas. 2) Human growth expedites the process by
pumping too close to the coast, thereby exasperating natural
erosion patterns and speeding up salt water intrusion.
Slide 17
Slide 18
Where Can the Water Come from?
Slide 19
Groundwater Groundwater is water that is stored underground in
what is called aquifers. This water can be pumped to the surface
for us to use. It is commonly used for agricultural irrigation.
Because it is so widely used for agriculture, it can contain
agricultural contaminants, like: Nitrates
Slide 20
Runoff Runoff is water that originates as precipitation, in the
form of rain or snow. Gravity causes this water to flow down
towards sea-level in rivers and streams. Rivers can be dammed to
collect that runoff water, so it can be used by people. Damming a
river, or pumping water directly from a river can have detrimental
effects on the river ecosystem. On the Monterey Peninsula, a
majority of the water we use is pumped from the Carmel River. State
regulators have restricted our use of Carmel River water, and we
must reduce our pumping from the river by 70% by 2016. Endangered
Steelhead trout use the Carmel River as a tributary to spawn. Our
pumping of water from the river leaves little left for the
Steelhead to swim in upstream to spawn.
Slide 21
Desalinization Desalinization is the process of taking water
from the ocean, and turning it into fresh water by removing the
salt and other minerals dissolved in it. This method is great for
coastal communities, since the oceans salty water constitutes 97%
of all of the precious life blood on the planet. The unfortunate
side of the desalinization process is that it requires massive
energy expenses to purify the water, and negative environmental
effects can result from poor management of: where the water is
pumped from where the salty brine that is left over after the water
is purified is disposed of Two main methods of commercial
desalinization: Distillation Reverse Osmosis
Slide 22
Distillation
Slide 23
Reverse Osmosis
Slide 24
Slide 25
Slide 26
Major Players for Conservation Methods Cal Am Desalination
Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA) Portfolio
approach as well as Ground Water Replenishment(GWR) and Regional
Urban Water Augmentation Project. (RUWAP) -Cal Am Proposal
(2011)
Slide 27
Major Players for Conservation Methods Marina Coast Water
District RUWAP Greater Monterey County Regional Water Management
Group Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP)
Slide 28
Monopolization
Slide 29
Slide 30
It is not a matter of IF people oppose water conservation It is
a matter of HOW the water will be conserved. Politics
Slide 31
Competing Arguments Against Water Conservation Methods Water is
renewable, thus conservation is not necessary Businesses prosper
from products that use/contaminate local water sources Desalination
facilities are not efficient enough
Slide 32
Major Players Against Water Conservation Advocates All of the
major players stated before want a monopoly over the water supply.
Cal Am Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency Marina
Coast Water District Greater Monterey County Regional Water
Management Group It is a legislative war that will come to a
conclusion before 2016
Slide 33
Costs Factors in Saving Water
Slide 34
New Ideas to get Water Desalination Iceberg Transport
Slide 35
Desalination -The process of removing any excess dirt, salt, or
anything else that makes water undrinkable. - Seen by most experts
as the best way to bring clean water to high drought areas
Slide 36
Iceberg Transport - Taking icebergs that have broken off of
glaciers and polar ice caps. - More of a theoretical solution to
getting water to Monterey - They are most often transported to keep
them from bashing into oil ships.
Slide 37
Slide 38
Iceberg Costs Very high risk Icebergs contain 20 billion
gallons of clean drinkable water, thats if you didnt have to move
it. As opposed to the modern supertanker that can hold 100 million
gallons. $1427.26 per mile in transport, and a portion of the
iceberg is lost every mile as well.
Slide 39
Cost for Desalination Adds up to around that $100 dollars a
year, for the households that receive the desalinated water. The
plant can run for $300-$600 million. To produce 50 million gallons
of drinking water a day.
Slide 40
Areas of Cost
Slide 41
Reverse Osmosis
Slide 42
Monterey County Decisions -June, 27 2012 : 6-1 vote taken in
favor of a new water fee -Sources say that the plan is to have a
desalination plant here in Monterey County. -It would be less
costly for the area than doing a regional desalination. - All in
order to produce more fresh water and to stop extracting water from
the Carmel River.
Slide 43
Water Conservation Conserving water is by far the most cost
effective way of increasing our water supply. Native plant
landscaping, subsidized replacement of water-using appliances, and
using gray water are all methods that can conserve a communitys
water supply. What else can you do? Turn off the sink when you
brush your teeth. Take shorter showers, or shower with a friend ;)
If its yellow, leave it mellow, if its brown, flush it down. *An
average American uses 2,000 gallons per day
