M&A is the lead groundwater hydrologist for the Pure Water Soquel project designed to replenish the critically overdrafted Santa Cruz Mid-County Basin with purified recycled water to prevent seawater intrusion and help achieve sustainability.

Soquel Creek Water District

Location: Santa Cruz County, California
M&A supports Soquel Creek Water District on all groundwater hydrology aspects of Pure Water Soquel.

OVERVIEW

M&A has served as lead groundwater hydrologist for Pure Water Soquel from evaluation of the project for Soquel Creek Water District’s Community Water Plan through ongoing implementation by the District. M&A performed groundwater modeling to support the project’s Environmental Impact Report and address the Groundwater Replenishment Reuse Project regulations for the Title 22 Engineering Report. M&A also advised on development of a preliminary tracer study plan, authored and reviewed sections of the Title 22 Engineering Report, and prepared a Project Evaluation and Assessment Plan to monitor project benefits for the State Water Resources Control Board implementation grant. M&A is leading multiple field activities including design and installation of two new recharge wells; destruction of an inactive municipal well; and installation of 10 associated monitoring wells.

SERVICES

Groundwater Modeling

  • Revision of model to incorporate injection test results and particle tracking using multiple methods to estimate fate of purified water, underground retention times, and dilution of purified water at production wells
  • Modeling to inform monitoring well locations, calculation of response retention times, and definition of well construction control zones
  • Using the surface water-groundwater model of the Basin developed in MODFLOW to evaluate hydrology impacts for the project EIR and expected benefits to achieve sustainable management criteria defined in the Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Wellfield Services

  • Preliminary design and preparation of technical specifications of two new recharge wells and 10 monitoring wells
  • Contractor bid support and construction management services
  • Reporting
  • Planning the tracer study for startup of recharge of purified water as part of permitting requirements
  • Well rehabilitation of an existing recharge well

photo credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz