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County staff to draft ordinance and environmental review to allow point-of-use and point-of-entry water treatment for new homes and ADUs, with public review to
Summary
Environmental Health staff told the Board they have a draft ordinance and expect to begin environmental review; the county will work with a consultant and hopes to provide a draft ordinance and initial study by the end of the year. The board urged speed to reduce housing cost barriers.
Monterey County environmental health staff updated supervisors April 22 on a board referral to consider allowing point-of-use (POU) and point-of-entry (POE) treatment systems for new construction on legal lots, including accessory dwelling units.
Cheryl Sandoval and Nikki Fowler of the County Environmental Health Bureau described the local and state background: the county adopted a POU/POE ordinance for some uses in 2019 but litigation suspended parts of it. On Nov. 28, 2023, the board adopted an ordinance that allowed POU/POE for existing homes and for some small public systems, but it did not carry over to vacant lots or new builds. Staff said the purpose of the current referral is to draft an amended ordinance and to complete environmental review so POU/POE could be used on new construction where centralized treatment is infeasible or cost-prohibitive.
Sandoval said Environmental Health has finalized ordinance specifications and that county staff will soon enter a contract with a consultant to perform the environmental review. Staff expects an initial study and a draft amended ordinance by year-end, though the schedule could extend if a full environmental impact report is required.
Supervisor John Askew, who sponsored the referral, said the intent is to reduce barriers and costs for development where centralized treatment would be highly expensive; he and other board members urged staff to expedite the review. Supervisor Daniels and others asked for clarity on why centralized treatment was previously required; staff said an older county code (chapter 1504) mandated centralized systems — a rule that reflected older technology — and the proposed updates respond to improvements in POU/POE reliability.
Ending: Supervisors asked staff to continue and expedite drafting and environmental review; no ordinance was adopted at this meeting.
