Draft EIR for the Watsonville Slough System Managed Aquifer Recharge and Recovery Projects

Draft EIR for the Watsonville Slough System Managed Aquifer Recharge and Recovery Projects

Throughout much of the Pajaro Valley Groundwater Basin, groundwater levels have declined as a result of long-term groundwater overdraft. Overdraft conditions result in seawater intrusion, groundwater quality degradation, and groundwater storage depletion. The primary purpose of the Watsonville Slough System Managed Aquifer Recharge and Recovery Projects (comprised of the Harkins Slough Facilities Upgrades Project and Struve Slough Project) is to help balance the groundwater basin, prevent further seawater intrusion, and help meet the water supply needs in the Pajaro Valley. The Projects are located in Unincorporated Santa Cruz County. The Harkins Slough Project would include upgrades at the Harkins Slough pump station, installation of filter screens, installation of a backwash and raw water pipeline from the filter plant at the Harkins Slough pump station to an existing gravity sewer in West Beach Street, and construction of two new recharge basins and associated recovery wells, monitoring wells, and pipelines. The Struve Slough Project would develop Struve Slough as a water supply source by installing a new screened intake, new pump station, a pipeline to connect the new pump station at Struve Slough to the Harkins Slough pump station, a pipeline to connect the Harkins Slough pump station to the recharge basins, and a new recharge basin and associated recovery wells, monitoring wells, and pipelines.

Watsonville

Santa Cruz

Unincorporated

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Coastal Commission (CCC), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bay Delta Region 3 (CDFW), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marin Region 7 (CDFW), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Transportation, District 5 (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics (DOT), California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Natural Resources Agency, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Coast Region 3 (RWQCB), California State Lands Commission (SLC), Department of Toxic Substances Control, Office of Historic Preservation, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Rights, California Department of Water Resources (DWR)

California Department of Water Resources (DWR)