Players

Main Characters

California-American Water (Cal-Am)  website

Investor-owned water utility company that provides water to consumers in the peninsula area. 

Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (MPWMD)  website

Public water agency mandated by state statute to provide integrated management of all water resources for the Monterey Peninsula. The MPWMD (aka "The District") manages the production of water from two sources: surface water from the Carmel River and ground water pumped from municipal and private wells in Carmel Valley and Seaside Coastal Area.

Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA)  website

Provides wastewater treatment services for the area (they run the sewage treatment plant).  MRWPCA was formed in 1972, replacing the individual sewage treatment facilities run by various municipalities and consolidating wastewater treatment into one agency.

Supporting Cast

California Coastal Commission

  website

A quasi-judicial, independent state agency that regulates the use of land and water in the coastal zone. Activities such as construction of buildings, division of land, any sort of development that changes the intensity of use of land or affects public access to coastal waters must obtain a permit from the California Coastal Commission. The CCC derives its authority form the California Coastal Act of 1976. Since any desalination plant drawing ocean water would likely be built within the coastal zone, and would certainly have pipelines running through it, a CCC permit would be required.

California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)   website

State commission responsible for the regulation of public utilities within the state. Cal-Am must obtain approval for any changes to its activities, including water rates and surcharges, from the CPUC. 

CDM Constructors

Selected by Cal-Am to design and build the desalinization component of its Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project. This company built the Sand City Coastal Desalination Plant.

DeepWater Desal Llc.  website

Deepwater Desal is also working on a plan to build a desalinization facility. It's desal plant would be located in Moss Landing, has a larger capacity (25 million gallons per day), and is intended to provide water to a larger region (Santa Cruz and Monterey counties). 

Office of Ratepayer Advocates (ORA)  website

Independent agency within the California Public Commission that advocates on behalf of investor-owned utility ratepayers. ORA represents the interests of ratepayers at hearings, legislative sessions, etc.

Public Water Now  website

Community-based organization dedicated to public-ownership of the water supply utility. It is sponsoring a ballot initiative for a public-buyout of Cal-Am's assets and infrastructure within the MPWMD area.. 

Ratepayers First  website

A grassroots community organization that advocates for ratepayers on the peninsula. Ratepayers First sponsors petitions, organizes town hall meetings, appears at hearings, etc. It has not taken a position on any specific water supply proposal, wanting to first obtain environmental impact reports (EIR) comparing the three proposals. It is pushing for public ownership of the water utility on the peninsula. 

Note: Ratepayers First has a Facebook page that does not appear to be updated frequently. The linked URL to its website doesn't work, and I have been unable to locate a website by searching. I am not sure how active this organization still is.

WaterPlus  website

A non-profit corporation originally founded during the Regional Desalinization Project period to advocate for community ownership of Cal-Am. It has since expanded its mission to support the interests of ratepayers on the peninsula, and specifically for a sustainable and affordable water supply. It continues to press for public ownership of Cal-Am.  Its president, Ron Weitzman, is extremely active on the issues, and is a frequent contributor in the Monterey Herald and other media.