Water Utilities 

Local Water SupplyPacific Grove’s water comes from California-American Water Company (Cal-Am).

The Monterey Peninsula is served by groundwater sources from the Santa Margarita, Paso Robles, and Carmel Alluvium aquifers as well as surface water from the Sand City Desalination Plant. Drinking water treatment technologies used are reverse osmosis, iron and manganese removal, hydrogen sulfide removal, corrosion control, and disinfection to ensure the bacteriological quality. The water supply is distributed for residential and commercial use in the communities of Carmel-By-the-Sea, Carmel Highlands, Carmel Valley, Del Rey Oaks, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Sand City, and Seaside. Water enters Pacific Grove along Congress Avenue through a 30-inch steel main that transports it to the Cal-Am pumping facility at Sinex and Eardley Avenues.

Water Quality Annual Reports

Pursuant to federal regulations mandated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, all water consumers are to be provided annual information about their water and its sources. The report is distributed to customers each June for the prior calendar year.

Cal-Am Current Annual Water Quality Report

MPWMDThe Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (MPWMD) is a regulatory public agency serving Monterey, Seaside, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Carmel-by-the-Sea, the Carmel Highlands, Pacific Grove, and Del Rey Oaks, Sand City and Pebble Beach. Staff represents the City on the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District’s Technical Advisory Committee.

The MPWMD was created by an act of the California Legislature in 1977 (MPWMD Law, Assembly Bill No. 1329) following the drought of 1976-1977, and ratified by the voters of the Monterey Peninsula area in 1978. The District was formed in response to a recognized need for conservation and augmentation of water supplies on the Monterey Peninsula. The MPWMD Law provides authority for integrated management of the ground and surface water resources within the Monterey Peninsula area, encompassing the waters of the Carmel River and Seaside groundwater basin. The District’s integrated management responsibilities include control over both water supply and demand, a combination which calls on the District to act both as a planning agency and a regulatory body. The Legislature viewed this integration of management responsibilities as critical in light of the Monterey Peninsula’s scenic, cultural, and recreational resources, which are particularly sensitive to the threat of environmental degradation. The District was thus established with boundaries encompassing the service area of the peninsula’s largest water purveyor and most of the Carmel River watershed and Seaside groundwater basin areas.

MPWMD issues water permits for construction projects. Please see the Community Development Department for more information.