Our last tour of 2019 is all new and will journey through a region grappling with limited local water supplies. Solutions to issues surrounding urban, agricultural and environmental water use on the scenic Central Coast involve potential lessons for all of California.

From the technology hub of San Jose to the coastal enclave of Monterey and the productive agriculture of the Salinas Valley, participants on our Central Coast Tour Nov. 6-7 will learn about efforts by water users to achieve sustainability. Topics discussed include ocean desalination, water recycling, seawater intrusion, dam removal, agriculture and groundwater management.

Among the planned stops:

• The Pure Water Monterey project, Northern California’s first water recycling project of its kind to include agricultural runoff in the mix for both domestic and agricultural indirect potable reuse, is slated to start delivering water in November. In addition to an overview of the project, you’ll get a tour of the facility’s technology and have an opportunity to sample the water.
• Get a firsthand look at the completed San Clemente Dam removal project on the Carmel River near Monterey. The restoration of the river reopened miles of spawning habitat for salmon and steelhead, and lessons learned from it are being applied to other dam removal projects across the state.
• With 2020 deadlines relating to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act on the horizon for many agencies, we’ll visit a vineyard near Paso Robles to learn about progress toward formal sustainability plans to preserve the local groundwater basins.
• The tour begins at Valley Water in San Jose, which sits by the Guadalupe River where the agency built a fish ladder and percolation ponds.

Click here to register for this tour that begins and ends in San Jose, with an overnight stay in Paso Robles. Contact Programs Manager Nick Gray via email or at 916-444-6240 with any questions.