FALL 2018

Monterey One Water (M1W) is dedicated to providing reliable, efficient wastewater services for the community. To ensure this, financial stability and stewardship are high priorities for the Agency. Each year, a detailed budget is prepared by our staff to reinforce the Agency’s mission, to support the goals of our strategic plan, and to prepare M1W for the coming years.

 

As a public, not-for-profit agency, we strive to keep our operating costs as low as possible. This includes ensuring right-sized staffing, energy conservation, smart materials purchases, and cooperative partnerships. About 90% of the power needed to operate the Plant is generated on site using collected methane gas from the treatment process, in addition to utilizing solar energy. 

For 2018-19, the Agency’s residential rate for treatment services is $19.15 per month. It is important to remember, however, that the provision of sewer services in the M1W service area is a shared responsibility. Collecting used water from homes and moving it the Regional Treatment Plant is the responsibility of individual cities and districts. Treatment and proper allocation of the treated water is the responsibility of M1W. This is reflected on customers’ bi-monthly bills with the following designations:

 

For a more detailed look at our financials, I encourage you to explore the updated “ Financial Matters ” page on our website. Reworked with easy drop-down menus and new categories, you can dive into the specific areas that interest you. For those looking for a quick snapshot of our revenues and expenses, we’ve created a new “ Budget in Brief ” document. In just two pages, it gives a quick and visual understanding of our budget basics.

 

Full transparency is a core value at M1W, and I hope you see this in our reporting and resources like the One Exchange . Enjoy this edition.

Fred Marsh

Chief Financial Officer 

Getting Connected:

Wastewater Project for Farmworker Housing Nears Completion

Monterey One Water’s new tagline, Providing Cooperative Water Solutions, highlights the Agency’s strategic approach: working together. Through this commitment to local and regional partners, new doors have opened for other opportunities such as converting a local farmworker housing complex from septic to sewer. This project will provide additional wastewater that can then be used for water recycling and is another step in becoming better stewards of groundwater resources. 

The farmworker housing complex houses a limited number of year-round workers plus a significant number of temporary laborers each year. While the project is expected to be complete by early 2019, the original conversations about this opportunity started in 2016. In addition to designing and managing the construction of a pump station and pipeline to get the small complex connected to the regional wastewater collection system, M1W worked with Monterey County LAFCO to get an administrative annexation of the property into the existing Agency’s service boundaries. The project’s importance and benefits were recognized in 2017 when M1W applied for and received a grant from the State Water Resources Control Board’s Small Community Wastewater Program to help fund the project.

The Agency would like to thank the staffs and employees from Monterey County LAFCO, Monterey County Environmental Health, the City of Salinas, Schaaf and Wheeler Consulting Engineers, and Monterey Peninsula Engineering for their efforts in making this program a reality.

Help Spread the Word

Transparency is an important value at Monterey One Water. Help us spread the word about our new eNewsletter by forwarding to those you think would be interested. And be sure to stay connected through these platforms:

Upcoming Dates & Public Meetings

Election Day: November 6, 2018

Budget/Personnel: November 9, 2018

Recycled Water Committee: November 15, 2018

Board of Directors: November 26, 2018

For minutes, meeting recordings, or future dates, click here.