Difference between revisions of "Marina Coast Water District (MCWD)"

Revision as of 15:39, 2 April 2015

Summary

The Marina Coast Water District (MCWD) is a special district that was established in 1960 and provides potable water and wastewater treatment services^[1]. The MCWD provides these services to the entire city of Marina, and the former Fort Ord (known as the Ord Community)^[2]. The MCWD administrative offices are located at 11 Reservation Road, Marina, CA, and the engineering and operations and maintenance offices are located at 2840 4th Avenue, Marina, CA^[1].

Figure 1. MCWD Service Area Map^[2].

History

According to the MCWD, About webpage, the MCWD has existed since 1958^[1]. The history of its service and functioning is provided below:

• 1958 - The Marina Community Service Corporation, a group of local citizens, proposed formation of a municipal-owned water system. Their intention was to create boundaries that coincided with the already existing Marina Fire District.

• 1960 - Two years later, formation of the Marina County Water District occurred through a vote of the then unincorporated city of Marina, California.

• 1966 - City of Marina voters authorized the sale of $950,000 in water bonds to acquire a privately owned water company for servicing the area.

• 1970 - The city of Marina voters responded to increasing septic failures and community requests by constructing a sewage treatment plant and disposal system, which was financed by $1.3M in sewer bonds.

• 1983 - The District abandoned pumping from the well that pulled water out of the 180 ft aquifer because of saltwater intrusion.

• 1982-1989 - The District drilled three new deep wells into the 900 ft aquifer in 1982, 1985, and 1989^[2]. This is what provides the city of Marina with its water, presently.

• 1993 - The District made agreement with the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA) to treat the city of Marina's wastewater at their Regional Treatment Plant (RTP). The District does, however, continue to operate and maintain the sewer system.

• 1994 - The Marina County Water District became the Marina Coast Water District (MCWD), replacing "county" with "coast" to avoid confusion of being a county agency, or that Marina was a county and not in Monterey County.

• 1997 - MCWD began operating a desalination plant located on the end of Reservation Road; however, this plant is no longer operational due to beach well damage associated with coastal erosion^[3].

• 1997 - The MCWD contracted with the US Army, when it closed the former Fort Ord, to operate its water and wastewater systems. Within this agreement, the Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA) established a Water and Wastewater Oversight Committee (WWOC)^[4].

• 2001 - The US Army officially transferred these systems to the MCWD^[5]. Since then, the MCWD has improved water distribution and storage efficiency with a variety of infrastructure projects

Board of Directors and Committees

Board of Directors

A five member board of directors (BOD) governs the MCWD, is elected, and serves four year terms^[1]. The BOD consists of Howard Gustafson (President), Peter Le (Vice President), Thomas P. Moore, William Y. Lee, and Jan Shriner^[6]. The BOD Regular Board Meetings are held every first and third Monday of the month at the Marina City Council Chambers, begin with an open session at 6:00 pm, and continue with a public, open meeting at 7:00 pm^[1].

Standing Committees and Commissions

The MCWD has standing committees that serve various functions^[1]. The current committees operating for the MCWD are the Water Conservation Commission, the Joint City District Committee, the Executive Committee, and the Community Outreach Committee.

The Water Conservation Commission

The Water Conservation Commission (WCC) consists of one BOD appointed Director and one BOD appointed alternate Director, one member from the City Council of the city of Marina, one representative from the US Army, one member from CSUMB, and five BOD appointed members of the public within the MCWD service area, for terms of two years^[7]. The WCC's mission is to provide input to the BOD that pertains to conservation, technological improvements, and policies relating to the MCWD's water resources.

The Joint City District Committee

The Joint City District Committee (JCDC) is a collaboration between the MCWD and the city of Marina. Its mission is to provide interaction between the city of Marina Councilmembers and the MCWD BOD for communication relating to projects within the boundaries of the city of Marina and the MCWD^[8].

The Executive Committee

The Executive Committee (EC) consists of the Board President and the Vice President^[9]. Meetings of this committee occur on an as-needed basis, and are a way to discuss the general nature of information flow between the BOD and the general manager.

The Community Outreach Committee

The Community Outreach Committee (COC) meets on an as-needed basis, and its role is to expand the current communication between the community and the MCWD^[9].

Funding

Where the Water Comes From

City of Marina

The water delivered to the city of Marina service area is supplied from three groundwater wells pumping from the 900 ft aquifer of the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin, which consists of two geologic formations: the Paso Robles and the Purisma Formations^[1][2]. These are wells MCWD-10, MCWD-11, and MCWD-12, and were installed in the 1980s to address seawater intrusion problems associated with pumping from the 180 ft and 400 ft aquifers. The disinfection of the water from these wells occurs at each well site for removal of hydrogen sulfide which can cause odor problems^[10].

Ord Community

The water being delivered to the Ord Community service area is supplied from three wells (MCWD-29, MCWD-30, and MCWD-31), constructed in 1985 by the US Army, located near the intersection of Reservation and Blanco roads, as well as two other wells (MCWD-34 and MCWD-Watkins Gate)^[2][10]. Collectively, these wells are pumping from all three aquifers: the 180 ft, the 400 ft, and the 900 ft aquifers. Disinfection of the water pumped from these wells occurs at the Ord Community chlorination treatment plant.

Water and Sewer Costs to the Consumer

Consumer costs differ depending on the service area that the ratepayer lives within^[1]. The areas serviced by the MCWD and their associated water and sewer costs are elaborated below. It should be noted that these rates are for residential units, not commercial, and that taxes and surcharges are not included in the values presented.

Central Marina

The monthly base fee in the city of Marina is $20.46 for a 5/8 or 3/4 in water meter, and increases with a larger meter size^[11]. Additionally, rate payers are required to pay for each unit of water consumed (1 unit = 748 gal). The rates differ depending on how many units are consumed at each residence. Units one through eight will cost the rate payer $2.55 per unit. Units nine through sixteen will cost the rate payer $2.92 per unit above the first eight units. The rate payer shall pay $5.15 per unit for any units consumed above sixteen. The wastewater collection rate is a flat rate and is determined by dividing the annual system budget by the equivalent number of residential units in the service area. For the city of Marina, this value is $11.11^[11].

Ord Community

The monthly base fee in the Ord Community is $31.48 for a 5/8 or 3/4 in water meter, and increases with a larger meter size^[12]. Additionally, rate payers are required to pay for each unit of water consumed (1 unit = 748 gal). The rates differ depending on how many units are consumed at each residence. Units one through eight will cost the rate payer $2.60 per unit. Units nine through sixteen will cost the rate payer $3.98 per unit above the first eight units. The rate payer shall pay $5.37 per unit for any units consumed above sixteen. Any un-metered residential units will be required to pay a flat rate of $112.65 per month. The wastewater collection rate is a flat rate and is determined by dividing the annual system budget by the equivalent number of residential units in the service area. For the Ord Community, this value is $27.55^[12].

Comparison to Other Water and Sewer Districts

The California American Water Company (CalAm) also delivers water and wastewater services, and are currently delivering their services to the Monterey District which includes the Monterey Main and Small Systems, the Toro System, and the Garrapata System^[13][14]. The Monterey Main and Small Systems base meter fee is $10.51 and $15.76 per month per meter, for a 5/8 in and 3/4 in meter, respectively. Additionally, rate payers are required to pay for each 'block' of water consumed (1 block = 10 ft³ = 74.8 gal). The rates for Block 1, Block 2, Block 3, Block 4, and Block 5 (which is anything over 40 ft³) are $0.4392, $0.6589, $1.7571, $3.5140, and $4.3926, respectively.

Current Water Conservation Efforts

The MCWD is involved with a variety of programs that aim to conserve water within the District^[1]. Those programs include:

• Recycled Water: The MWCD will receive recycled water from the RTP, which is managed by the MRWPCA. Certain areas, including Gloria Jean Tate Park and the Comfort Inn in Marina, have already been piped to receive recycled water. As the infrastructure to move this water comes online, further recycled water piping will be constructed in the area.
• Rebates: The MWCD provides rebates after purchase and installation of energy efficient clothing washers that are Energy Star rated. Rebates are also provided for installation of high efficiency toilets and water-free urinals (high efficiency toilets have flush capacities of 1.28 gal or less). Another rebate that the MCWD provides is for hot water system retrofits that install a hot water recirculation element.
• Construction Requirements: According to Ordinance Number 40, the MWCD requires that new construction incorporates zero-water urinals, high efficiency toilets, high efficiency washers, water efficient landscaping, and evapo-transpiration-based irrigation controls. The ordinance also outlines requirements for retrofits, both public and commercial. Residential retrofits must meet 1.6 gal maximum flush capacity for toilets, and maximum flow capacity of 2.5 gal per min for new showerheads. Commercial retrofits must meet zero water use for urinals, high efficiency clothing washers, and adherance to the same toilet and showerhead requirements as the residential retrofits.
• In-School Education Program: This program aims to conduct science based classroom activities that teach water science and conservation to kindergarten through grade 5. The MWCD has been involved with this program for over twenty years, and chooses activities to meet the science standards established by the State of California and taught by an experienced Water Science Instructor.
• Tips and Useful Conservation Information: The MCWD provides a conservation tips webpage

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8} MCWD, Home Page
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} MCWD, Urban Water Management Plan
3. ↑ NOAA, Desalination Feasibility Study for the Monterey Bay Region: Final Report
4. ↑ FORA, Annual Report for FY 2012-2013
5. ↑ MOU: Department of the Army, MRWPCA, FORA, and MCWD
6. ↑ MCWD, BOD Board Meeting - March 16, 2015
7. ↑ MCWD, Excerpt from Procedures Manual
8. ↑ MCWD, Joint City District Committe, Procedures and Scope
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} MCWD, BOD Procedures, Final
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} MCWD, 2013 Consumer Confidence Report
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} MCWD, Marina Rates
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} MCWD, Ord Community Rates
13. ↑ CalAm, Home Page
14. ↑ CalAm, Rate Schedule

Disclaimer

This page may contain student's work completed as part of assigned coursework. It may not be accurate. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of CSUMB, its staff, or students.

Links

• special district
• aquifer
• saltwater intrusion
• Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA)
• Regional Treatment Plant
• Monterey County
• desalination plant
• Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA)
• California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB)
• groundwater
• California American Water Company