California American Water receives approval to build test slant well for desalination plant in US

California Coastal Commission in the US has approved the application from the local water utility, California American Water, for construction of a test slant well for its proposed desalination project.

California American Water is a subsidiary of American Water Works Company.

Planned to be a temporary project, the test well project has received permissions to collect data for up to two years.

The proposed well will be constructed on an already disturbed area of the beach inside an active sand mine located in North Marina. It will draw seawater through the sand so that marine life is not affected.

California American Water president Rob MacLean said: "This approval represents a tremendous step forward for the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project.

"We now have the opportunity to study the feasibility of the preferred intake location and method, as selected by a broad group of stakeholders, and to confirm modelling work that supports that selection."

The approval was based on a number of hearings from environmental, business and community-based groups, who all stressed the need for a water supply project for the Monterey Peninsula.

The community is presently dependent primarily on the Carmel river, and faces the state-imposed cutback schedule, which necessitates the water project set up in the region.