Difference between revisions of "Salinas River Diversion Facility (SRDF)"

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==Water Use==
 
==Water Use==
The SRDF is operated by the [[Monterey County Water Resources Agency ]] (MCWRA) <ref name="MCWRA Salinas River Diversion Facility (SRDF)"> [http://www.mcwra.co.monterey.ca.us/salinas_river_diversion_fac/salinas_river_diversion_fac.php MCWRA Salinas River Diversion Facility (SRDF)]</ref>.  When the rubber dam is in operation, water is diverted from the created reservoir to MRWPCA's [[Regional Treatment Plant]] (RTP).  There, diverted river water is treated and mixed with recycled water from the [[Salinas Valley Reclamation Plant]] (SVRP).  The reclaimed and diverted water is then distributed to growers through the [[Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project]] (CSIP) <ref name="Overview of the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA)"> [http://www.mrwpca.org/lhmp/03_lhmp_2014_intro.pdf Overview of the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA)] </ref>.
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The SRDF is operated by the [[Monterey County Water Resources Agency ]] (MCWRA) <ref name="MCWRA Salinas River Diversion Facility (SRDF)"> [http://www.mcwra.co.monterey.ca.us/salinas_river_diversion_fac/salinas_river_diversion_fac.php MCWRA Salinas River Diversion Facility (SRDF)]</ref>.  When the rubber dam is in operation, water is diverted from the created reservoir to MRWPCA's [[Regional Treatment Plant]] (RTP).  There, diverted river water is treated and mixed with recycled water from the [[Salinas Valley Reclamation Plant]] (SVRP).  The reclaimed and diverted water is then distributed to growers through the [[Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project (CSIP)]] <ref name="Overview of the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA)"> [http://www.mrwpca.org/lhmp/03_lhmp_2014_intro.pdf Overview of the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA)] </ref>.
  
 
==Special Status Species==
 
==Special Status Species==

Revision as of 08:59, 6 April 2015

This page gives an overview of the Salinas River Diversion Facility.

Summary

The Salinas River Diversion Facility (SRDF) is part of the Salinas Valley Water Project (SVWP) and was created to help mitigate seawater intrusion in the Salinas Valley. The facility consists of a rubber dam located 5 miles upstream from the mouth of the Salinas River. The dam is designed to retain water released from the Nacimiento and San Antonio Reservoirs in a 100 acre foot (AC-FT) detention pond. The intended use for this water is to help recharge the Salinas Valley Aquifer and to be used in irrigation. When the dam is activated, it creates a 100 acre-foot detention pond with facilities designed to extract 23 million gallons of water per day (GPD) for use in irrigation (1 GPD= 0.0000015 cubic feet per second (CFS)). The diverted water is mixed with recycled waste-water to be used on crops during high irrigation periods[1].

Planning and Construction

The SVWP and the SRDF were developed to accomplish two primary goals

  • Halting seawater intrusion.
  • Provide a flexible fresh water supply adequate for current and future (2030) needs[2].

Construction for the dam finished in May of 2010. The potential liquefaction of substrate during earthquakes required costly foundation considerations.

Costs

The initial cost of the facility was $14 million out of the $33 million Salinas Valley Water Project budget. The other funds were in part spent to upgrade the Nacimiento spillway to be able to increase available discharge [3].

Timeline

The project was activated in May 2010, following the completion of construction.

2012 Repairs

In June 2011, a high flow event caused erosion around the dam, requiring repairs estimated at $1.8 million. Repairs were completed in 2012, with most of the costs being charged by project contractors led by the Don Chapin Company [3].

2014 Drought

During 2014, the MCWRA suspended all water diversions from the SRDF due to low water storage in the Nacimiento and San Antonio Reservoirs as a result of ongoing drought conditions [4]. The reserviors' diversions are maintained through operational rule curves. The established operating rules developed to assure diversions from storage meet the total number of conservation release days. [5]

Water Use

The SRDF is operated by the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA) [6]. When the rubber dam is in operation, water is diverted from the created reservoir to MRWPCA's Regional Treatment Plant (RTP). There, diverted river water is treated and mixed with recycled water from the Salinas Valley Reclamation Plant (SVRP). The reclaimed and diverted water is then distributed to growers through the Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project (CSIP) [7].

Special Status Species

The Salinas River is designated as critical habitat for the threatened steelhead trout. To mitigate impacts the rubber dam on the steelhead, a fish ladder was incorporated into the rubber dam to bring it in line with local steelhead recovery plans.

Links

References

  1. Design and Construction of the Diversion Facility
  2. SVWP Flow Monitoring
  3. 3.0 3.1 Salinas River rubber dam repair costs soar
  4. 2014 Greater Monterey County IRWM Drought Grant Proposal - Drought Impacts
  5. Reservoir Operational Criteria
  6. MCWRA Salinas River Diversion Facility (SRDF)
  7. Overview of the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA)

Disclaimer

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