Tell the State Water Board to Lift the Ban on New Water Meters!

On November 5, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) will hear comments from the public on modifying the Carmel River Cease-and-Desist Order (CDO) to allow the setting of new meters. This is a very important fight! Public comment shows the SWRCB our community is paying attention and demands this moratorium be lifted.

MPWMD’s Application to Modify the CDO states:

• There is no current violation or threat of violation of Orders WR 2016-0016 or WR 2009-0060 in the foreseeable future.
• Diversions from the Carmel River have remained within the authorized limit for the past five years due to new water supplies and conservation efforts.
• The Pure Water Monterey Expansion project provides an additional water supply sufficient for Cal Am to avoid future violations. 

What does this mean for the Peninsula?
Thanks to Pure Water Monterey, the Peninsula now has surplus water to support decades of growth, but it can’t be used for new housing and business expansion until the SWRCB modifies the CDO to lift the moratorium on new water meters. Our public agencies have given us a new water supply. We should be allowed to use it for new housing.

This ban on new meters has been in place since 2009 and is one of the reasons we have a housing shortage. Lifting it is essential and it’s personal for hundreds of folks who have not been allowed to build on their empty lots for nearly two decades.

Lifting the meter ban to allow the use of this new water will also prove Cal Am’s desal is not needed. Cal Am claims they do not object to modifying the CDO, but they have conditions. 

Please Sign Up to Speak on November 5
The State Water Board needs to hear from all of us on this critical issue. To comment, you need to register, then a Zoom link will be sent between 8:00am and 9:00am on November 5. Register by November 2.

You must register to speak: click here
Under notices click:
Information for Providing Public Comments and Policy Statements on November 5th
Then scroll down to the bottom of page 4 How to Present a Policy Statement Using Zoom and click on the link under 1. Registration. Comments are limited to five minutes or less depending on the number of speakers.

You should only address the two questions the SWRCB is asking below:
1.Should Condition 2 of State Water Board Order WR 2009-00602 be modified to lift the moratorium on new service connections?

2.If Condition 2 is modified, is the following trigger appropriate for reimposing restrictions currently in Condition 2 such as the moratorium on new service connections? “Upon Cal-Am reporting diversions exceeding 3,376 acre-feet under the water rights described in Order 95-10 in any water year, the moratorium on new water service connections described in Condition 2 shall immediately be reimposed with no further action required by the Board.”
If this trigger is not appropriate, what would be appropriate conditions to reimpose Condition 2? 

Melodie Chrislock
Managing Director, Public Water Now