RMC is a recognized leader in water resources, integrated water supply, and recycled water planning in California, and we have been involved in strategic water supply planning since our founding in 1998.

Monterey Bay Regional Water Supply Project

Marina Coast Water District, and Monterey County Water Resources Agency, California American Water Company

RMC is leading planning activities for a new, $350-million Regional Water Supply Program aimed at increasing urban water supplies and preserving agricultural water supplies. The planning effort:

• Is designed to overcome institutional hurdles while addressing long-term water supply needs for northern Monterey County
• Includes stakeholder processes, alternatives development, prioritization, phased project implementation, and environmental review
• Incorporates sustainability; reliability; economics; public, legal, and institutional acceptability; and environmental impacts
• Incorporates enhanced conservation, desalination of combined ocean and brackish groundwater, expanded use of recycled water, groundwater banking, new surface water supplies, and possible future potable reuse

 

Groundwater Reliability Improvement Program (GRIP) Alternative Analysis and Groundwater Basins Master Plan

Water Replenishment District of Southern California

RMC is managing a GRIP Alternatives Analysis, which has evaluated more than 100 opportunities to meet a reliable source of replenishment supply for the Central and Main San Gabriel Groundwater Basins. As a companion effort, RMC is further exploring regional groundwater replenishment and supply using the West Coast and Central Basins for future supply augmentation as part of the Groundwater Basins Master Plan (GBMP). RMC:

• Modeled the relationship between regional supplies and demands to determine supply alternatives
• Developed meaningful and obtainable near- and long-term supply targets in major groundwater basins
• Generated multiple benefit projects by forming regional partnerships to integrate supply sources
• Worked with stakeholders to improve project concepts and validate benefits
• Used a triple-bottom line approach to consider costs and benefits (economic, environmental, and social)

 

Integrated Regional Water Management Plan

Los Angeles County

RMC was an integral part of a consultant team that led more than 50 agencies, municipalities, and stakeholder groups through an Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP) process to address water supply, runoff water quality, and other environmental issues. RMC:

• Facilitated the decision-making and stakeholder process in the two coastal sub-regions
• Helped obtain a $25-million grant from the California Department of Water Resources to implement integrated projects
• Led the recycled water and water conservation technical areas
• Helped develop project integration, benefit assessment and prioritization methodologies
• Wrote the Stakeholder Outreach, Project Integration and Implementation sections of the IRWMP

 

Water Supply Management Program 2040

East Bay Municipal Utilities District

The program provides a strategic, long-term plan for meeting future demands under a variety of hydrologic conditions. The master plan incorporates established and new plans for conservation and water recycling; programs for reducing demands during severe droughts; and recommendations to develop new supplies. As a subconsultant to another firm, RMC:

• Conducted an extensive evaluation of alternatives for meeting long-term demands
• Incorporated potential climate change impact scenarios into alternatives evaluation
• Used a model to better mimic and understand how conservation yields can be incorporated into alternatives with supply options

20x2020 Plan

California Urban Water Conservation Council

RMC worked collaboratively with state conservation leaders to develop a significant state-wide conservation plan that sets forth strategies for reducing per capita potable water demand 20% by the year 2020. We helped develop:

• Conducting five separate planning efforts in the areas of: indirect potable reuse, non-potable reuse, satellite treatment, system reliability, and long-term recycling vision
• Envisioning rapidly expanding on L.A.’s recycled water systems through indirect potable reuse via groundwater recharge
• Investigating possibilities for expanding recycled water use to significantly reduce the need for imported water in the future

San Benito/Pajaro River Watershed Groundwater Demineralization Feasibility Study

San Benito County Water District and Santa Clara Valley Water District

RMC investigated the sustainability and benefits of reverse osmosis desalting of high salinity, non-potable groundwater in the San Juan subunit of the Hollister groundwater basin. We developed:

• A methodology for determining baseline demand for 10 regions within the state
• Conservation potential, interim and final targets
• An implementation plan for next phases of the plan