[Magdalen] Sometimes, gov't works.

[M J _Mike_ Logsdon]

In today's paper:

Governor receives bill to allocate $10 million for County’s Interlake Tunnel Project 

The Interlake Tunnel Project, which is being developed in part to tackle the area’s water shortage, is one of Monterey County’s much-anticipated projects.

Now the SB 831 bill, which allocates $10 million from the state’s General Fund for the project, has gone to Gov. Jerry Brown for the greenlight.

Assemblyman Luis Alejo (D-Salinas) was a leader in moving the bill through the Assembly with a bipartisan 65-12 vote on Aug. 30. The Senate then approved SB 831 Wednesday with a 36-2 bipartisan vote.

If approved the money will go to the Monterey County Water Resources Agency in the form of a grant from the state’s Department of Water Resources for the project.

The $76.7 million Interlake Tunnel Project connects Lakes Nacimiento and San Antonio with a pipeline, allowing water from Nacimiento to funnel into San Antonio. The water is then recharged into the Salinas Valley groundwater basin. Both lakes are managed by the Monterey County Water Resources Agency. The project is part of groundwater management in Salinas Valley.