Seaside officials ask how Marina Coast will produce their Fort Ord water.

It was a famous rallying cry for British colonists hankering for American independence 250 years ago: “No taxation without representation.”

Now, that theme is bubbling up in conversations about how Marina Coast Water District supplies water to developments on the former Fort Ord – and whether the decision-making process is democratic.

Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA) contracts with Marina Coast for water delivery and wastewater services on the developed portions of Fort Ord. Based on historic Army water use, Marina Coast has rights to draw 6,600 acre-feet from the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin to supply the Ord Community. But full Fort Ord buildout, according to the Regional Urban Water Augmentation Project (RUWAP), requires 9,000.

The 2,400 acre-foot deficit between current water rights and future water needs factors into the FORA board’s budget deliberations. “Finishing development in Seaside [and other jurisdictions] will require augmenting the water supply,” FORA Executive Officer Michael Houlemard says.

The RUWAP calls for Marina Coast to produce 1,200 acre-feet of potable water through seawater desalination, estimated at $3,000 per acre-foot; and 1,200 acre-feet of non-potable water through wastewater recycling, at $4,000 per acre-foot.

But Marina Coast isn’t moving on either of those goals. As the FORA board considers its budget, officials are asking Marina Coast how it intends to produce that water.

“We still have to figure out the when and the how,” Marina Coast Interim General Manager Brian Lee says.

Lee argues it doesn’t make sense to start investing in a new water supply right away. Although FORA developer fees would ultimately generate $24 million for water-supply plans, Lee says, Ord Community ratepayer bills could double or triple.

Yet Marina Coast doesn’t really need new water yet. Last year, it used only 2,300 acre-feet of its Ord Community groundwater credits – leaving more than 4,000 to spare. He says entities with Fort Ord land but no immediate plans to build could share their water allocations with Seaside in the meantime.

“It doesn’t seem like good planning or good use of resources to [produce water] at a higher cost per acre-foot, when if you look at the entire Ord Community right now, it’s not needed,” Lee says. “If FORA tells us to build it, we will build it. But we will collect the money for it as well.”

Seaside officials have known for some time that they don’t have enough water credits for their Ord Community plans. Marina Coast estimates Seaside will be 1,084 acre-feet short of its needed water supply in 2030. Much of that could flow to the proposed equestrian-themed project, Monterey Downs, which needs an estimated 853 acre-feet.

Another issue: Seasiders in the Ord Community pay for Marina Coast water but don’t vote for board members.

“Currently there’s not representation of Seaside residents on the Marina Coast board,” Seaside City Engineer Tim O’Halloran says. “That’s an issue that needs to be resolved.”

Lee says it’s being addressed: Marina Coast plans to ask the Local Agency Formation Commission to annex the Ord Community into its political boundaries within five years.