Since 2014, AMS has conducted monthly CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) water column profiles in Monterey Bay adjacent to the Monterey One Water (M1W) wastewater outfall. This monitoring has gathered a distinctive time-series of monthly water-column conditions in the vicinity of the M1W outfall.
The Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project (MPWSP) is a desalination project in Monterey Bay that plans to replace or supplement existing water supplies with desalinated water and convey it throughout the existing California American Water (CalAm) distribution system. Following release of the April 2015 MPWSP Draft EIR, a Brine Discharge Settlement Agreement was filed by the resource and management agencies, which in-part established a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MRP). As a component of the Agreement, CalAm agreed to conduct ongoing baseline monitoring of ocean conditions until the future MRP needs are established. Since 2015, AMS has held a key role in aiding CalAm in meeting their current ocean monitoring and reporting requirements.
On a monthly basis, AMS conducts CTD water column profiles at five locations in Monterey Bay and provides a field report documenting the cruise and the CTD results. The five locations represent conditions in the immediate vicinity of the discharge outfall, at the point of future compliance with the California Ocean Plan, and locations further afield from the outfall. On an annual basis, AMS has documented the ongoing time-series in an annual report that has observed seasonal variation in water quality, and shifts in salinity and temperature that have been linked to drought conditions.
AMS Contact:
Aroon Melwani currently serves as the Project Manager for CalAm’s ocean monitoring. Aroon has over 20 years’ experience supporting regulatory and resource management agencies in quantitative monitoring design and assessment.