DRA Reports

Download the DRA reports that Cal-Am doesn't want you to read
While Cal-Am would like you to believe that it’s a good corporate citizen and providing quality water service to Monterey Peninsula customers, the reality is a bit different.

In two recently released reports from the Division of Ratepayer Advocates (DRA) –  the public watchdog branch of the California Public Utilities Commission --
 the DRA challenges Cal-Am’s plan to make customers pay $75 million or more to reinforce the seismically unstable San Clemente Dam. In addition the DRA says customers should not have to pay Cal-Am’s costs for the Sand City desal plant, that Cal-Am should form at task force to address widespread customer dissatisfaction and that the company’s rate hike request is so riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies that customers could be required to pay for unnecessary costs.

Don’t believe us? Download the reports here and here and check out our full page ad in the Monterey Herald here.

Monterey Peninsula Water News
Hotels balk at Cal Am rate proposal: Company foresees a rate design that could quadruple a business's water bill
Monterey Herald, March 11, 2009
A rate formula that could quadruple a business's water bill would be "catastrophic," hotel operators told officials of California American Water at a public meeting Tuesday.

Cal Am's dam here to stay: Liability, budget issues end demolition plan
Monterey Herald, February 22, 2009
San Clemente Dam on the upper Carmel River won't be demolished because of a disagreement over project liability and a freeze in state funding

Cal Am says it can meet Ryan Ranch demand
Monterey County Herald, February 19, 2009
A manager for California American Water told the Peninsula water district board Wednesday that the company can meet the current demands of customers in Ryan Ranch with existing supply sources.

Report: Water plans need work: Hefty environmental impact review cites problems with all three proposals
Monterey Herald, January 31, 2009
A three-volume environmental impact review of potential sources of water for the Peninsula released Friday reveals snags in all of the plans.

Panel hears water woes: Cal Am claims it can provide for Ryan Ranch hookups
Monterey Herald, January 22, 2009
Water officials are debating a decision key to future development in Monterey's Ryan Ranch. The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District board began hearing arguments Wednesday about whether it should change the limits on how much water can be supplied to the business park. District staff members said last fall that California American Water cannot meet its customer demand and that the limit should be changed to reflect that.

Solution for Water Shortage in Pacific Grove
KCBA, January 7, 2009
PACIFIC GROVE, Calif. - The City of Pacific Grove is taking a pro-active approach in the Central Coast water crisis. The city is moving forward with a plan to restore a water reservoir.

Cal Am still overcharging
Monterey Herald, December 11, 2008 - Letter to the editor
Last year, we wrote a guest commentary about Cal Am's overcharges when the company made a mistake reading our water meter. It is still overcharging. Because of stair-step water rates, the more water you use, the higher the per-unit charge. It is important to be billed for the water units you use in the time period that you use them.

Monterey Approves Water Conservation Plan: Water Plan Includes 7 Stages
KSBW, December 9, 2008
MONTEREY, Calif. -- The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District approved a new seven stage conservation and rationing plan at a meeting Monday evening.

Water plan up for vote: Pacific Grove: Council to decide on credit transfers
Monterey Herald, November 17, 2008
Final approval of an ordinance allowing unused water allocations for businesses in Pacific Grove to be transferred to residential use will be considered Wednesday by the Pacific Grove City Council.

WATER WORKS: Cal Am demonstrates desal technology at pilot plant
Monterey Herald, November 17, 2008
California American Water says it's making progress on finding a new source to supply its customers on the Monterey Peninsula and meet state-mandated limits.

Pacific Grove water credits could flow from businesses to homes
Monterey Herald, November 8, 2008
Unused water allocations for businesses in Pacific Grove may be handed over to homeowners on the city's water waiting list.

Cal Am urges customers to turn off automatic irrigation
Monterey Herald, November 8, 2008
California American Water is urging its customers to shut off their automatic irrigation systems during the rainy months.

California American Water Begins Ambitious Meter Replacement Project: 5,700 Residential Water Meters, 20 Years or Older, To Be Replaced By 2011
PACIFIC GROVE, Calif., Oct 23, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- California American Water has started work on a new meter replacement program, aimed at reducing water loss in its Monterey distribution system, which has faced strict, government-mandated water restrictions for more than a decade.

Water woes could dry up development in Monterey's Ryan Ranch: District to review Cal Am limits for Ryan Ranch
Monterey Herald, October 14, 2008
A moratorium has been placed on water connection permits for new development in Monterey's Ryan Ranch because it appears there is not enough water to meet existing or future demand.

Deny Cal Am credit
Monterey Herald, September 24, 2008 - Letter to the Editor
California American Water is gambling millions of dollars of ratepayer money in a high-stakes game with the Seaside Basin Watermaster Board.

Lawyer blames delays on environmental reviews; calls on state to help with new water supply
Monterey Herald, August 9, 2008
The decades-old hunt for new water supplies for the Peninsula is no reason to order California American Water to sharply reduce pumping from the Carmel River, a company attorney told state water officials Friday.

State grills local water officials: Explores effects of cutbacks on Carmel River pumping
Monterey Herald, August 8, 2008
Peninsula water district officials were on the hot seat much of the day Thursday as state water regulators explored possible impacts of a sharp crackdown on Carmel River pumping.

Environmentalists outline water plan: Sierra Club recommends Cal Am pumping reductions based on river flow levels
Monterey Herald, July 26, 2008
Environmentalists presented a report Friday saying a proposed order that would require California American Water to reduce its pumping on the Carmel River is needed to motivate the company to comply with a 13-year-old order.

But the cease-and-desist order should be modified to balance the protection and restoration of the river with the impact and expense to Cal Am customers, John Williams of the Ventana Chapter of the Sierra Club said in testimony to the state Water Resources Control Board. The club presented its own plan for reducing water pumping as an alternative to the state's order.

Mayors oppose water order: Say cease-and-desist of river is unjust
Monterey Herald, July 25, 2008
The mayors of four Peninsula cities Thursday told officers of the state Water Resources Control Board that they oppose a proposed cease-and-desist order about California American Water's pumping of the Carmel River because it is unjust.

Cal Am, board criticize order: State water panel to decide if it should take action against company
Monterey Herald, July 24, 2008
Attorneys for California American Water and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District on Wednesday attacked the practicality of a proposed cease-and-desist order against the water company.

No ruling on Cal Am compliance:Water company president defends efforts to reduce river pumping
Monterey Herald, June 21, 2008
SACRAMENTO — California American Water's top official on Friday responded to allegations the company has failed to comply with state water codes to reduce pumping from the Carmel River for the last 13 years by presenting what he says is a long track record that demonstrates otherwise.

State looks at Cal Am's use of Carmel River water: Carmel River: Company says it hasn't done anything wrong
Monterey Herald, June 20, 2008
SACRAMENTO — The state Water Resources Control Board is trying to determine if California American Water has violated water rights law for the past 13 years by taking more water than allowed from the Carmel River. In what is essentially a court trial, the board's hearings committee Thursday began listening to arguments to determine if Cal Am has violated the law.

Cal Am defends river pumping - Carmel River: State sets hearings
Monterey Herald, June 1, 2008
Thirteen years after the state ordered it to develop a new water source and strictly limit its pumping from the Carmel River, California American Water will essentially face trial this month to determine if it has violated the decree.

Cal Am to sell Felton system: Water district agrees to $10.5M deal
Monterey Herald, May 31, 2008
FELTON — California American Water has tentatively agreed to sell the Felton water system to the San Lorenzo Valley Water District for $10.5 million, signaling the likely end of a six-year David and Goliath fight between a grass-roots citizens group and the former multinational corporation.

Click here for past local water news

Desalination Newsletter
85% of all water utilities in the U.S. are publicly owned. Local control and ownership of the Monterey Peninsula's water system will benefit everyone and keep water affordable for generations to come.

The North Monterey County Water Management District (Sunny Mesa) has proposed developing a desalination plant on the former National Refractories site in Moss Landing. Click here to download the newsletter that provides information on the plant and why this proposal is superior to the proposed private desalination plant.

Photo of Carmel River in Monterey FLOW Coalition masthead is courtesy of Paola Berthoin. Cal-Am has repeatedly been cited for overpumping the Carmel River.