Protecting Mammoth’s Groundwater is our top priority

Our region continues to suffer from the effects of this historic drought, despite recent summer storms that have afforded a brief but welcome respite from our dry summer weather.

In response to Governor Brown’s 2015 drought proclamation, related emergency statewide mandatory water conservation measures, and concern over the reliability of our local water resources, the Mammoth Community Water District (MCWD) has targeted a 30 percent reduction in water use (relative to its 2013 water use) and has imposed various restrictions upon its customers to achieve this target.

Under these restrictions, all of which are listed at http://www.mcwd.dst.ca.us/assets/level-3-restrictions-english.pdf, customers are limited to irrigating their lawns two days a week, vehicles must be washed only at commercial carwash facilities, and washing of hard surfaces is prohibited except for health and safety reasons.  MCWD also has implemented fixture replacement rebate programs to assist customers in reducing their indoor water use.

Although we have made admirable strides in meeting this target (with MCWD customers’ water demand in June measuring at 31 percent lower than in 2013), our water supplies remain at critical levels. Surface water has been largely unavailable because flows in Mammoth Creek have been too low to divert for drinking water supplies and, as a result, MCWD has been almost entirely dependent on its groundwater supply since last year.

The need to protect the community’s groundwater supply is greater than ever. MCWD is dedicated to protecting this precious resource and, as you are all aware, is fighting to ensure that any project that potentially could affect this resource includes a plan that would guarantee the availability and reliability of MCWD’s water supply.

Our commitment to protecting the region’s groundwater resources prompted the difficult decision to pursue litigation against Ormat and the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District (GBUAPCD) challenging the adequacy of their evaluation of the potential impacts of the Casa Diablo IV Geothermal Development Project (Project) on the community’s groundwater supply. The Project will double geothermal pumping by Ormat near the Town of Mammoth Lakes.  That same commitment drives MCWD’s continued efforts to ensure that a monitoring and mitigation plan is put in place to address any negative impacts to MCWD’s groundwater supply that result from the Project.

It is extremely disappointing that the Mono County Superior Court denied MCWD’s challenge to the environmental review of Casa Diablo IV project.  MCWD and its well-respected hydrogeologists, who have been studying and monitoring the region’s groundwater resources for years, continue to believe that the project poses a potential threat to MCWD’s groundwater supply. The U.S. Geological Society (USGS) also has reported that the expanding tree kill area and heated soils near Shady Rest Park may be connected to Ormat’s existing geothermal pumping and should be monitored. The Board is in the process of exploring its options and remains committed to ensuring that MCWD’s concerns regarding the project are taken seriously and are fully addressed.

On behalf of the MCWD Board, I would like to assure the community that making investments to pursue litigation and related alternatives is carefully considered by the MCWD Board and is undertaken with the greatest respect for public funds.

While there has been some progress in MCWD’s discussions with Ormat and the federal agencies regarding the development of an adequate monitoring and mitigation plan, the very real concerns raised by MCWD’s experts and the USGS have not yet been addressed and remain outstanding.  The potential impacts of the Casa Diablo IV project on our groundwater resources are too significant, and the possible consequences too severe, for MCWD to walk away and cease its efforts in this matter at this time.

MCWD’s mandate is to protect your water supply.  The MCWD Board intends to do everything it can to do so.  The current drought is a stark and painful reminder of how important it is to carefully protect the State’s water resources so that there is sufficient water to meet our needs and the needs of generations to come.

We appreciate the community’s support of MCWD’s efforts and will keep you updated on our activities and decisions.  Thank you for your continued involvement.

Tom R. Smith currently serves as Board President of the Mammoth Community Water District.