According to Board President Joan Cobin and a press release on the CCSD website, The Army Corps of Engineers has awarded the contract (it doesn’t say to whom it was awarded) for the geo-technical investigation of the beach adjacent to Shamel Park. The point of this activity is to determine the best place for drilling the wells for pulling in ocean water to be desalinized. Previous plans had the wells being located further north, offshore across from the San Simeon Campground. The Army Corps of Engineers will be dealing with all the requisite permitting processes as desal goes forward.
Below is the press release posted on the CCSD website.
CONTRACT AWARDED FOR CAMBRIA DESAL GEOTECHNICAL INVESTIGATION
October 17, 2008
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently awarded a contract to complete a geotechnical investigation in support of the CCSD’s seawater desalination project. The contract will be funded with Federally appropriated funds from an earlier Water Resource Development Act authorization.
According to CCSD Engineer Bob Gresens, the investigation effort will focus first on the near-shore area of Santa Rosa Creek. “Geophysical measurements completed along that area earlier this year found one or two buried channels that may facilitate the installation of subterranean well. By utilizing subterranean wells, the CCSD will be better able to avoid environmental impacts often associated with desalination, such as the entrainment and entrapment of marine organisms at the intake,” said Gresens.
The CCSD and Army Corps staffs have worked closely in developing an approach towards the next phase of investigation. A project kick-off meeting is planned later this month with Army Corps consultant Diaz-Yourman to review environmental clearance processing, permitting, and other related investigation requirements.
