CASE STUDY
The North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program
Project Summary
The Del Puerto Water District, City of Modesto, and City of Turlock collaborated to address water supply shortages in the northern San Joaquin Valley. The North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program (Program) delivers up to 59,000 acre-feet per year of recycled water, produced by the Cities of Modesto and Turlock, directly to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Delta-Mendota Canal. This recycled water is conveyed to agricultural users in the San Joaquin Valley and National Wildlife Refuges to meet their water supply needs.
Our Role
Montrose (Formerly Horizon Water and Environment) played a crucial role in supporting the project’s Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS), certified in 2015. Our contributions included:
- Conducting a Biological Assessment and wetland delineation over a 1,100-acre study area.
- Preparing permit applications for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
- Providing construction monitoring deliverables for the Program.
- Acquiring an incidental take permit for Swainson’s hawk for the Program’s Turlock segment.
- Managing ongoing construction monitoring needs.
Challenges
We worked closely with the Del Puerto Water District, City of Modesto, and City of Turlock to navigate the complex regulatory landscape and ensure environmental compliance. This involved:
- Ensuring all environmental constraints were considered during project planning.
- Successfully working with regulatory agencies to obtain all needed approvals.
- Addressing environmental monitoring, reporting, and coordination needs during project construction.
Outcome
The construction of the Program’s Modesto segment was successfully completed in June 2018, followed by the Turlock segment in 2019. Montrose has continued to support the Program with regulatory permitting and environmental compliance as needs arise.
