PACIFIC GROVE, CA—California American Water issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) this week, the first step in selecting the design-build (DB) contractor for the desalination infrastructure component of its Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project.

The approximately $400 million water supply project, which is currently under review by the California Public Utilities Commission, will provide water to residents of the Monterey Peninsula through a combination of seawater desalination, aquifer storage recovery and groundwater replenishment. The project is needed to replace current diversions from the Carmel River as ordered by the State Water Resources Control Board in its 2009 Cease and Desist Order. The RFQ pertains only to the desalination portion of the project.

“This desalination project provides an excellent opportunity for qualified firms interested in taking part in one of the most innovative water supply projects in the country,” said California American Water Director of Engineering, Rich Svindland.

The desalination facility, which will be located in Marina, will treat water drawn from subsurface slant wells along the coast. The resulting brine will be discharged to the ocean through the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency's existing outfall.

The content of the RFQ is the result of a collaborative process between the company and members of the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project Governance Committee, a local oversight group made up of representatives from the Monterey Peninsula Regional Water Authority, Monterey County Board of Supervisors and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District.

California American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), provides high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 600,000 people.