WATER RESOURCES PLANNING COMMITTEE SUMMARY

WATER RESOURCES PLANNING COMMITTEE
SUMMARY MINUTES
February 26, 2014
4:15P.M.
ATTENDANCE
Directors: James Gunther
Staff: Walt Wadlow, Steve Peterson, Eric Cartwright, Stephanie Nevins, and Sharene Gonzales
Public: Caroline Harris
f.,)<__t-___
DISCUSSION TOPICS
1. Public Information and Community Outreach Update: Staff provided a communications and
outreach update. The update included an overview of a variety of District communication and
outreach efforts, including: routine communications, local newsletters and news articles,
community events, community partnerships, program outreach, department-specific mailings
and public meetings, media coverage, press releases, and school programs. There was
extensive outreach conducted during the month of February, mostly related to drought
communications which included: a mailer to every address in the District service area, a
drought hotline, and online drought resource center. Samples of developed collateral and
printed materials were provided. Please see the attached monthly update for further details .
2. Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan Update: Staff provided information
about the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP Plan, or Plan)
Update. The Plan was first adopted by Bay Area agencies, including ACWD, in early 2007.
By adopting the Plan, ACWD was eligible to receive grants under the Proposition 50 and
Proposition 84 state bond measures for various projects. These statewide bond measures are
specifically designated to fund water and natural resource projects and programs, including
Integrated Regional Water Management planning activities. The Plan Update provides an
implementation framework that calls for tracking accomplishments, developing lists of
prioritized projects and periodically updating the Plan as warranted. It has also been updated
in the areas of environmental justice, technical project data, regional characteristics,
geography, water supplies, and coverage of Bay Area climate change and sea-level rise
scenarios. ACWD submitted projects that are incorporated into the Plan. The Plan's
Coordinating Committee (of which ACWD participates in) has completed the final updates to
the Plan and submitted it to DWR for review and approval. All participating agencies must
adopt the Plan Update by May 11 111 in order to continue to qualify and receive IRWMP
designated grant funds. ACWD has several projects that were awarded these grant funds
under the IRWMP Proposition 84 Round 1 (Kaiser Pond Project, Groundwater Wells project,
and Conservation projects)- with total grant funding of approximately $2.5 Million. ACWD
was also recently awarded an additional $173,000 for conservation projects through IRWMP
Proposition 84 Round 2 and is currently working with other agencies to develop conceptual
conservation program proposals for Round 3. A Resolution adopting the IRWMP Update
will be brought to the Board for approval in April.
3. Dry Year Planning Update: Staff reviewed the current hydrologic conditions, and the status
of the District' s State Water Project, Hetch-Hetchy and local water supplies. Because of the
continued uncertainties regarding water supply availability, and because supplies will not be
sufficient to meet the service area's full demands in 2014 (while also providing for a reserve
for 20 15), staff indicated that a Public Hearing will be held at the Board meeting on March
13 1h for the Board to consider adopting an ordinance declaring a water shortage emergency,
including water use regulations, restrictions and guidelines for the water shortage emergency.
It is the intent of this ordinance to achieve a District-wide water savings of 20% (as
compared with 2013 water demands). The goal is to achieve this level of water savings
through a combination of voluntary conservation measures (primarily through indoor water
use savings) and mandatory water use restrictions (primarily focused on less-essential and
non-essential outdoor water uses, including landscape irrigation restrictions) . The ordinance
applies to all customers in the service area, and was developed such that customers who
already are water efficient will not be penalized. The ordinance includes provisions for both
enforcement and for exceptions. Criteria for the review of exceptions include health and
safety, economic impacts, implementation complexity, and proposed mitigation or offsetting
measures. A complete review of the ordinance will be provided at the March 13 Public
Hearing.
4. Public Comments: There were no public comments received.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Topics discussed by the Committee were informational only and no recommendations are being
made.
2
Water Resources and Outreach Committee
Monthly Update- February 26, 2014
Routine District Communications
•
Bill message
o January 22- current- "Governor Brown has declared a statewide drought
emergency. All Californians, including ACWD customers , have been
asked to reduce their water use by 20 %. Here's how you can start: find
and fix leak~ , take shorter showers, and reduce landscape water use.
Find more water conservation tips at www.acwd.org ."
•
•
•
Aqueduct newsletter
o Winter 2014 - Mailer began February 1 Rate increase , District Requests
20% Reduction, Governor declares drought emergency, MRSUP
Website articles and updates
o Updated Homepage
• Winter Aqueduct
• ACWD asks customers to reduce water usage by 20%
• Water Savings Assistance Program
• Pipeline cleaning to result in brief period of runoff
o Drought Resource Center
• Developed online Drought Resource Center
o New webpage for Lago los Osos Pond Project
Social media
o Facebook- 76 followers
o Twitter- 133 followers
o Postings included: California drought KTVU interview with Robert Shaver,
District asks customers to reduce water usage by 20% , Pipeline cleaning
to result in brief period of runoff
ACWD Articles/Postings in Local Media
•
Tri-City Ecology newsletter- "The Drought: A message to our commun ity from
the Alameda County Water District"
Community Partnerships
•
Two District staff participated in Leadership Fremont
ACWD Program Outreach
•
Water Conservation Program
o February 19- Water conservation and dry year presentation at the
Church of Latter Day Saints in Fremont
Engineering/Operations/Finance Projects and Outreach
•
•
Special Mailings
o Engineering
• Letter- Resident notification for the Sabercat Project- February 11
o Operations - Groundwater
• Letter- Public Notice for Case Closure , January 22
Other
o February 5- National Public Radio (KQED) interview with Tom Berkins on
Low-Threat Underground Storage Tank Closure Policy
o Fish Passage Project signs - "Wondering About Water Levels" poster and
"Upcoming Creek Projects" poster
o Lago los Osos Pond- "Temporary Diversion Pipeline Project" banner
o Lago los Osos Pond- Project update to Niles Yahoo Users GroupFebruary 21
o February 19 - Human Resource staff attended Baywork job fair
Media Coverage of ACWD
•
Newspapers
o January 21 , 2014, Tri-City Voice , "Water Savings Assistance Program"
o January 23 , 2014, Contra Costa Times , "Barnidge : Anxious to dive into a
book about ACWD?"
o January 27, KTVU Channel 2, "SF utility to ask customers to cut ack on
water usage"
o January 27 , 2014 , San Jose Mercury News, "Calif. drought: Bay Area
water districts start asking urban residents to conserve"
o January 28 , 2014, Tri-City Voice , Reflections on Water- "Water Saver to
the Rescue"
o January 31 , 2014, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. drought: State Water
Project will deliver no water this summer
o January 31 , 2014, KTVU Channel 2, Tri-Valley region to be hit hard by
drought restrictions
o January 31 , 2014, KQED , 10% voluntary reductions water cut for Hetch
Hetchy's Peninsula customers
o February 1, 2014, News 10, DWR: State Water Project customers to
receive no allocations in 2014
o
February 3, 2014, KTVU Channel 10, Fremont: Locals already figuring out
how to save water
School Programs
•
Water education programs- Since the beginning of the 2013/2014 school year
o 79 water education programs conducted in local school classrooms
o 2,383 individuals participated in water education programs
o Over 54,000 pieces of printed educational material have been distributed
to teachers in the ACWD service area
o 28 ZunZun performances of water conservation assemblies at 15 schools
o 8,301 "Bird & Butterfly Garden Starter Kits" have been distributed to
students
o 37 educators at nine Tri-City Area high schools have received promotional
material regarding ACWD's new High School Video Contest
Special Mailings
•
All customer mailer: ACWD asks Tri-City residents and businesses to reduce
their water use by 20%
Other
•
•
•
•
Drought Resource Center
o Message to the community
o Current water supply conditions
o Finding and fixing leaks
o Order a free toilet leak detection kit
o Order a free water conservation kit
o Press releases
o Report water waste
o Special mailers
o Water conservation rebate programs
o Water conservation tips
Drought Resource Hotline- 510.668.4470
City of Fremont- City News newsletter
Water Use Ordinance- outreach meetings
o February 18 - City of Union City
o February 20 - City of Fremont
o February 21 -City of Newark
o February 24- Fremont Unified School District
•
WaterSmart proposal- February 11 -Software program to generate home water
use reports and to communicate usage and introduce tiered rate structure
f/(JfJ1~,
~~ wcwo
llli./U116Cllli'TJ'IIJITTI.IUSTJQC,
Alameda County Water District
43885 S. Grimmer Blvd .
Fremont, CA 94538
Please see inside
for important
information about
the drought and
reducing your
water use.
PRESORTED
STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
HAYWARD, CA
PERMIT N0. 2
IMPORTANT DRbUGHT UPDATE
I
I
PLEASE REDUCE YOUR WATER USE BY 20%
What You Can Do Right Now
Based on historical records-dating~tra~ck-to-the~l840s;-(-ai'ifornia has never
been drier than it is right~ow. Our state is currently facinb the worst
drought in its recorded history.
• Locate and fix leaks as soon as possible. See www.acwd.org/fixleaks
for tips on finding and fixing leaks.
drou~ht
As a result, Governor BroJ r has declared a statewide
emergency.
In response, we are requesting that all Tri-City residents and businesses
voluntarily reduce their f ater use by 20% ;
ACWD relies on local runq__f f from Alameda Creek, the State Water
Project, and San Francisco'~Hetch Hetchy ~stem1 or th ev\jater it delivers
to the Tri-City area. Even wifr recent rainfall, ":YQter !;iiJRQHes from these
three sources will remain uncertain.
les~ainf;ll over ~~~
• Our area received 80%
past year than it did
during the previous driest ye~ r 9n record. Rainfall creates runoff,
which accounts for 40% of our-•.water supply.
• The California Department of w l ;er-Re; o: rt es has inJorrhe~rus that
we may receive 0% of our yearly~lh;,cation from~ffie State Water;
Project, which typically accounts for ~0% of our supply.
• San Francisco has asked ACWD to redu ~e its use of Hetch Hetchy water
by 10%, and may request additional cutiJa'Cks in the future.
ACWD staff is coordinating with officials frbm both the State and...San
Francisco regarding water supply condition ~that will impact the DIStrict.
limit~
Since our water supplies will be extremely
this year, we are
requesting that you voluntarily yet immediately cill~back on your"'w,ater
use by 20%. We hope the guidelines we've provided~ n the 'flier will help
you achieve this goal. Each week, District staff will be~evaluating precipitation patterns and District-wide water use to determine whether: mandatory restrictions will be necessary.
• Significantly reduce or eliminate landscape water use. Water no
more than one day per week, at most.
• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, washing your hands,
or shaving.
• Take shorter showers.
• Run dishwashers and washing machines with full loads only.
What We Can Help You With
• If you live in a home built before 1994, order a free water
conservation kit from ACWD.
• Take advantage of our rebate program for replacing water-thirsty
lawns with drought tolerant landscaping.
• Take advantage of our High-Efficiency Clothes Washer Rebate Program.
. ~Qualified
.
wa·t~r
customers can take advantage of our new Low Income
Savings Assistance Program.
Please'-visit,the Drought Resource Center at www.acwd.org for more
.rn f ormatr·on
' · '!-. a b out t hese programs.
\
If you have questions or would like to learn more about water
conservation programs designed to help you save water, please call
the Water Conservation and Drought Hotline at 510.668.4470 or
visit ACWD's website at www.acwd.org.
RIRHEDRCOUNTYII'RTERO/STH/CT
News and Information
the Alameda cmt.•v~
A
MESSAGE
FROM THE GENERAL
MANAGER
What does a 20% water
use reduction look like?
On January 17th, Governor Brown
proclaimed a statewide drought emergency, asking Californians to voluntarily
reduce water usage by 20%. ACWD
customers are already asking how they
can achieve a 20% reduction.
You can reduce your water use by
20% in a variety of ways. First, fix
leaks and reduce outdoor water use.
Some leaks, like a leaking toilet, can
waste 200 gallons per day. And even
during a dry winter, your plants do
not need as much water as the1 do
when the weather is warm; in fact
many plants can survive a dry winter
with no water at all.
There are other simple things you
can do to save water. Look for a list
of water conservation tips and water
conservation program information in
the Drought Emergency article in this
issue- these actions will help you
achieve a 20% reduction quickly.
We recognize that many of you have
already implemented conservation
measures and we thank you for your
efforts - they help lessen the impacts
of the dry conditions. However, we
are asking each one of you to adopt a
few new conservation habits during
what are now confirmed as the driest
conditions on record for California.
On january 9, 2014, the AC\VD Board of Directors adopted new rates and charges for the
2014 calendar year.
Beginning February I, 2014, the water commodity rate will increase by 7%, from $3. 152 to $3.373
per unit (one unit is equivalent to 748 gallons, or 100 cubic feet of water) . The bimonthly service
charge (which is based on the size of the meter serving the property) will also increase by 7%,
from $29.86 to $31.95 for customers with a meter size of 5/8 or 3/4 inches.
The new rates will result in an increase of about 12 cents per day (approximately 7%) for the average residential customer using 23 units of water bimonthly (about 283 gallons per day) and with a
5/8 or 3/4 inch meter.
In addition to offsetting rising operational and purchased water costs, the increases are required to
maintain existing service levels and create long-term financial sustainability by:
• Funding major capital projects needed to comply with public health
and environmental standards.
• Investing in technology needed to improve
productivity.
• Budgeting for long-term obligations, such as
employee pensions and post-employment
health care.
Among other factors, the proposed increases
were moderated through:
• Deferring capital projects, where possible, in
response to projected lower demands.
• Reducing future District staffing levels while
maintaining quality of service.
• Reducing purchases of water from the San Francisco Regional Water System,
ACWD's highest priced water supply.
• Avariety of cost-saving measures implemented through District initiatives.
• Requiring employees to contribute toward their health insurance benefits.
The following chart, comparing ACWD's new 2014 rates with existing 2013 rates for 30 other Bay
Area cities and districts, shows that even with these changes, ACWD's rates are in the bottom half of
30 other Bay Area water agencies.
2014 Cost Comparison - Average Water Bill
(Based on 23 HCF (or 283 gallons per day) Consumption Bimonthly and a 5/8 or 3/4 inch meter)
Comparisons based on September 2013 data.
CITY OF BURLINGAME
Even if we get significant late winter
rains , we 'll still have to play catch up
with some of our supplies, and we
don't know what next year will bring .
So, a concerted conservation effort
by each and every ACWD customer
is extremely important right now.
For more information please visit
www.acwd.org.
CITY OF PALO ALTO
CITY OF SAN BRUNO
NORTH COAST COUNTY WATER DISTRICT
MID-PENINSUlA WATER DISTRICT
CALIF WATER SVS. CO. - SEAR GULCH
CITY OF MILLBRAE
CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW
SAN FRANCISCO WATER DEPT (SFPUQ
CALIF WATER SVS CO. - MID-PENINSULA
CALIF WATER SVS. CO. - SOUTH SF (SAYSHORE)
CITY OF REDWOOD CITY
CITY OF HAYWARD
CONTRA COSTA WATER DIST
CITY OF DALY CITY
CITY OF EAST PALO AlTO (AMERICAN WATER)
DUBliN SAN RAMON SERVICE DIST
CALIF WATER SVS. CO.· LOS ALTOS
SAN JOSE WATER COMPANY
MARIN MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT
Walt Wadlow
General Manager
S1ot.5J
CITY OF liVERMORE
NORTH MARIN WATER OIST · NOVATO
EASTBAYMUD
CALIF WATER SVS. CO. • UVERMORE
CITY Of MllPITAS
CITY OF FOSTtR CITY ( ESTERO)
CITY Of SUNNYVALE
CITY OF SAN .lOSE MUNtOPAL WATER
OTY Of SAHTA CLARA
OTY Of PlEASANTON
(Dollars)
GOVERNOR DECLARES DROUGHT EMERGENCY
All Californians Asked to Reduce Water Use by 20%
• Install high-efficiency clothes washers.
On January 17, Governor Brown officially proclaimed that California is in a
drought emergency. In support of the Governor's action, ACWD is requesting that all Tri-City area residents, businesses, and institutions voluntarily
reduce their water use by 20%.
• Replace older, high water use fixtures and devices with water
efficient models (toilets, showerheads, faucet aerators).
• Reduce lawn areas and choose native and drought tolerant plants
for your landscapes.
For additional information regarding water conservation, a list of
Frequently Asked Questions, and information on ACWD's water
conservation programs, including rebates on turf replacement and
high efficiency clothes washers, please visit the ACWD website at
www.acwd.org.
Updates on the drought and ACWD's water supply conditions will
also be regularly posted on ACWD's website.
Because of t ncertainlies with bo!h local an imported water supply availability, we are requesting that yo voluntari y reduce your water use by 20%.
Below, you'll find some useful li p on ho you can accomplish this goal.
Water Mains along Hayward
Fault Undergo Major Upgrades
• Find and fix leaks.
In recent months, ACWD began work to increase water service
reliability with the upgrade of water delivery pipelines along the
Hayward Fault line. Between
October 2013 and December
2014, 15 1arge diameter pipelines Main Replacement and
at 12 sites along 8.5 miles of the Seismic Upgrade Program
Hayward Fault will be rep laced or retrofitted. The projects will help
improve water supply and flow by improving reliability in the event
of an earthquake. For more information, please contact:
inate landscape water
~
• Cover exposed soil with mulch.
• Operate clothes washers and dishwasher:; with full loads only.
• Take shorter howers.
• Get your car washed at a commercial car wash that recycles water.
Project Hotline: 51 0.668.4440
Project email: [email protected]
Project website: www.awcd.org/PipelineUpgrades
Water Savings Assistance Program
for Low Income Homeowners
ACWD has a new program to help low income single-family homeowners reduce water use and save money on the
water bill. And for a limited time only, qualified homeowners who participate in tllis program will receive a onelinle $50 credit on their water bill.*
AC\VD's new Water Savings Assistance Program provides income-qualified single-family homeowners witl1 FREE
water use efficiency upgrades. Homeowners must meet certain income and household size requirements to qualify.
Homeowners participating in the Water Savings Assistance Program will receive a free water use efficiency survey
to help identify water saving opportunities and to identify any
potential leaks. Some leaks, leaking flappers and overflow tube
WATE R SAVINGS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
adjustments in toilets, may be fixed right on the spot.
INCOM E GU IDELINES
Homeowners may also be eligible for additional water
use efficiency upgrades, such as:
• Free installation of high efficiency toilets (to replace older,
high-water use toilets).
• Free installation of water efficient showerheads.
(Annual income before taxes - Va lid t hrough
May 31, 2014)
Number of persons
lflhouMhold
Total combined
annual Income•
1· 2
$31,020
3
$39,060
• Free installation of water efficient faucet aerators.
4
$47, 100
Who is eligible?
5
For each add itional
$55,140
• Single-family residential homeowners who are customers of
ACWD and meet all Program Requirements.
• Program participants must live in their home and the water
bill must be in their name (or spouse's name).
$8,040
person, add:
. , . _ before tues buecl an •• current
' - - - . Total llousellold Income
must not ......
pldeiiMs
outiiMd ..,_ lo quaRfy.
the.._...
• Participants must meet the Program Income Guidelines.
The Progrmn will run until June 30, 2014 or until funds are depleted, whichever occurs first. Funding is limited
and applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. ACWD reserves the right to terminate the
Progran1 at any lime. ACWD will deny any application that does not meet all of the Program Requirements.
Please go to www.acwd.org/wsaprogran1to Jearn more and to see if you qualify, or you can caJISI0-668-4207.
"Credi t~
will be issued lo participants only. This one-time credit will be issued on the participanl's waler bill after all work
associated wilh the Progran1 is completed.
James G. Gunther
Judy C. Huang
john H. Weed
Board meetings are open to
the public and held In the ACWD
Board Room, 43885 South Grimmer
Blvd., Fremont. Please visit
www.acwd.org/lndex.aspx!NID=351
for 2013 Board meeting dates.
Walt Wadlow, General Manager
Spring is the Perfect Time to· Learn,
About Water EHicient Landscap es
ACWD in partnership with the Bay Area Water
Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) is
offering two local classes this spring:
Alternatives to lawll
CA 1t1tiYe Plaids f1lr tile Garden
When: Saturday, April 12
Time: 9:00 -Noon
Where: ACWD Headquarters,
43885 South Grimmer Blvd, Fremont.
Instructor: Leigh Grone!
Description: Discover how to create a sustainable, lowmaintenance, and water-conserving garden using native
plants that are right for your yard. Learn about the Bay
~ rea 's water cycle and the use of native plants to reduce
our water use, garden waste and maintenance time.
Business Office:
43885 South Grimmer Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94538
(510) 668-4200
Website address:
http://www.acwd.org
//HCWD
RLRMEDH COUNTYWHTERD/STRICT
Temporary Diversion Pipeline Project
These temporary pipes and pumps will help
to i·n crease groundwater suppl1es during
the drought.
On February 7, erosion caused two water diversion pipel ines
in this area to break .. This project will use temporary pumps
and pipelines to move water from Stevenson Pond to
lL~·~:~ los Osos ~o)nd aJld the Quarry l-akes:.. TMese
wateJ diversions are cri~ ti~ e~a l duri;r;l:~).:1hf s· ~rfB~ ~~ ~~~t~drot!.rgh t.
Upcoming Alameda County Water District Projects
Alameda Creek & Quarry Lakes Facilities
Providing Water Supply for the Tri-City Communities
Fish Ladder at
Rubber Dam (RD#3)
(f)
Nmth
Peralta-Tyson
Wcllficld
LEGEND
+- Diversion Pipe
~ Rubber
--f
--f
*
Dam Structure (RD #)
Completed Fish Screen Projects
Planned Fish Screen Projects
Fish Ladder at
Rubber Dam (RD#1
and Flood Control Structure
Rubber Dam (RD #1)
Replacement
F ish Passage Facilities
For more information on ACWD's upcoming projects, please visit the ACWD website at www.acwd.org
or call 510-668-4410.
//HCWO
RIH.,EIRCODVIYIIJ'f/ERIT/SIR/CI
Wondering About Water Levels?
Water Supply Construction Project Completed. Water Levels Will Recover Subject to Rainfall
During 2013, the Alameda County Water District allowed water levels in the Quarry Lakes to drop. This enabled ACWD to replace
an aging booster station to ensure the continued reliability of our local water supply and groundwater recharge operations. Now
that construction is complete, ACWD is once again filling the lakes and water levels are anticipated to slowly rise.
Typical Operating Conditions
Operating Conditions During Dry Periods
Water Diversion Reduced Due to Low Streamflows
'~
Aqu ift::r: Watcr·so.turated layers of sand (Uld grnvel found underground.
Groundwsller: The water fO und in an aquifer.
Water Tablt:: l :Oc top surface of the groundwater.
/l'fCJIID
For more information on ACWD's upcoming projects, please visit the ACWD website at www.acwd.org
or call 510-668-4410.
HfHIIEDHCDDI'FYHHJ'EHO/SJ'Jf/CJ'
part-ti me repo rters who can
Legal Secretary/Paralegal: .
Trainee
Full or part-time
Near Ohlone College
Excellent writing and
SReaking skills
Co~ puter !,iterate. See
vontill.com
E-mail resume to
[email protected] with
cc to [email protected]
attend , obs erve and repo rt in
an accu rate , honest a nd unbiased m ann~ r. Hours ~nd compensat ion are deter mined by
assignments accepted.These
positions involve
mont h com mitment.
Call Tri-CityVoice
. . 5 I Q-494-1 999
SUBMITTEn-'BY ACWD
t
lie.
f-
e to
ash
atwelve
.
.
Alame.da County Water District (ACWIJ) has launched a new water conservation
program that is geared toward low incom~ single-famyy homeowners to promote water
savings while _also helping these homeowners save mpney on their water bills .
. The Dis~rict's new program, the Water Savings Assistance Program, will provide in- .
come-qua'lifie<! single-faillily homeowners with 'a water use efficiency survey to help .
identify water saving 'op?o,rtunities, a le.ak check, aiidftx for common toilet leaks and,
baS'ed on the flow h te.5 of the existing water using fJXtures, free water efficient toilets,_
faucf;t caerators, and sliowerheads, installed at n.o cqst to the homeowner. All in-home
services will be provided by a 1icei:J.sed ,plumbing cdnrractor:
· ':AGWD h45 numerous water conservation programs available for our customers .but
·w~ found that many of these .pjqgraros are not tfully utilized by the District's low _income
· homeowners due to cost illnitations and ocher barriers," said ACWD Water Conservario!J. Sup.er:Visor Stephanie Nev.inS: 'ifhe Water Savings ASsistance Program. intends to
address these ban;iets by providing a full service water conservation program to help
these customers save warer."
fi.s an in~ntive, low jncoine homeowners who participate i:n this .Program will also receive a. ope-time $)0 credit on their water bill: Program participants mUst meet certain income and household size requirements, as well as <:amply with the Program's Terms and
COnditions.
· ·
.
.
'
"(;iven the ongoing dry conditions we app.reciate the cb.nservation efforts of our cu~­
tomers and the District is pleased to offer a new prog~am That makes implementation of
water conservation -m~asures more accessible .to our 1ow income homeowner customers,"
.
·
said ACWD Board President paul Sethy.
;fhe Pr:og!am will run until June 30, 20 Hi or until funds are depleted. Funding is
limited and applications will be accepted on a first-come, ftrst-served basis. Interested
cusrome~s should visit: www.acwd.org7wsaprogram to learp. more and to see if they
-qua:lif)r, 9r me.y
can
.
. callSl0-668-4207 or email [email protected].
Barnidge: Anxious to dive into a book about the Alameda County Water District?
Page 1 of 1
Barnidge: Anxious to dive into a book about the
Alameda County Water District?
By Tom Barnidge Contra Costa Times Columnist Contra Costa Times
Posted.·
ContraCostaTimes .com
-~~----
--------
• Just when you thought publishing was dead comes word of a bold new literary effort.
The Alameda County Water District, giddy over its upcoming 1OOth birthday, will spend
$280,000 to produce two books congratulating itself on its history. (Yes, books usually
are published to make money, not spend it. That's what makes this project so
innovative.)
If the district-- which just raised its water rates for the 12th consecutive year-- needs help
with a title, here's one : "100 Years of Soaking Alameda County."
• There sure are a lot of politicians who want to see state Sen . Mark DeSaulnier settle
into the 11th District congressional seat when Rep. George Miller steps down. I have
to keep refreshing my browser to follow all the new endorsements .
If you knew nothing before of DeSaulnier, you now know he has a lot of well-positioned
friends .
• Helpful readers have sent me several solutions for fixing the Contra Costa Fire
District's financial mess . Among those are (a) changing the retirement age for legacy
firefighters from 55 to 60; (b) reducing the rate at which pensions are calculated ; and
(c) lowering firefighters' salary levels. One tiny problem with these proposals is they all
violate the collective bargaining agreement firefighters negotiated with the district.
• Whatever you think of the Richmond City Council -- I admire members' intentions but
often question their judgment-- there's no underestimating their lofty ambitions . The
problems arise when intentions collide with reality.
Now comes the notion of a minimum-wage hike --jumping from the current $8 an hour to
$11, $12.30 or $15-- that Councilwoman Jovanka Beckles describes as "an economic
recovery strategy." If the biggest economic woe facing Richmond is unemployment (11.9
percent in August) , what's the likelihood more jobs will be created if the cost of labor goes
up?
• Affordable Care Act advocates are fond of pointing out that important preventive
measures such as flu shots are now free for anyone with health care coverage . An
insurance broker friend says to put quote marks around the word "free;" one reason
premiums have increased is to pay for all those measures that now are "free."
Contact Tom Barnidge at tbarnidge@bayareanewsgroup .com .
http://cpf.cleanprint.net/cpf/cpf?action=print&type=filePrint&key=Contra-Costa-Times&u... 1/23/2014
Page 1 of2
Fol low us on
Tuesday , Jan . 28 , 201418:27 a.m.
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Posted : 11:22 p.m. Monday, Jan . 27 , 2014
San Francisco utility to ask customers to cut back on
water usage
Related
By Jana Katsuyama
KTVU.com
SAN FRANCISCO- KTVU has learned tha t the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission plans to ask customers on
Friday for a voluntary 10 percent cutback in their water use.
The distri ct is the latest to request volu ntary conse rvation efforts as the state faces drought conditions and an historic lack
of ra infal l.
"We've been info rm ed by the California Department of Water Resources that we can expect little water from the State of
Ca lifornia ," said Walt Wadlow , the General Manager of the Alameda County Water District which receives about 40
percent of its water supply from the state to serve Fre mont, Newark and Union City customers .
http: //www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/san-francisco-utility -ask -customers-cut -back -water/... 1/28/20 14
Page 2 of2
Local reservoirs not being re -filled by rain or watershed runoff and the Sierra snowpack below normal right now are causing
concerns.
Many districts say they could move to impose mandatory water restrictions as early as mid-February.
Already , Marin has asked customers for a 25 percent voluntary cut. The Zone 7 Water District, covering Livermore, Dublin
and Pleasanton has asked for 20 percent reductions .
The Alameda County Water District also asked its customers in Newark , Fremont and Pleasanton for 20 percent
reductions .
Santa Cruz has put water restrictions on irriga tion and pools .
Areas that have not announced cuts include Ea st Bay MUD, Contra Costa , Sonoma , Hayward and Santa Clara Val ley
Districts .
Many people are already trying to find ways to conserve in side the hom e.
"Saving tap water, wash th e dishes not using th e dishwasher," Susan Duan of Fremont told KTVU .
"It's going to be hard cause we have kids. That's th e ma in thing Th e adu lts , it's easier for th e adults but th e kid s, you have
to stay on top of them ," said Lisa Preston of Newark .
Water cuts could mean high er rate s for some customers as distri cts try to recoup lower revenues . The Alameda County
Water District says they have a ra iny day or in this case a non-rainy day fund that they plan to tap into if needed.
"So I don't anticipate it will have a dramatic impact on rates ," Wadlow told KTVU .
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http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/locallsan-francisco-utility-ask-customers-cut-back-water/... 1/28/201 4
California drought: Bay Area water districts start asking urban residents to conserve
Page 1 of3
California drought: Bay Area water districts start asking
urban residents to conserve
By Paul Rogers [email protected] San Jose Mercury News
Posted.
MercuryNews.com
SAN JOSE-- Moving up a decision they planned to make later this spring , the leaders of
Silicon Valley's largest water provider, in the face of the worsening drought, will vote
Tuesday on a host of new water conservation policies, including a reduction in water use .
The board of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, a government agency based in San Jose
that provides drinking water to 1.8 million people, is expected to approve a "preliminary
water use reduction target" of 10 percent lower than the county used last year.
"People have been asking me 'When are you guys going to do something?"' said board
member Brian Schmidt, who is also an environmental attorney . "I think the public will
respond well. All they have to do is step outside and see nothing coming down day after
day."
The district also will vote on Tuesday whether to spend $500,000 to expand a public
outreach campaign to urge Santa Clara County residents to conserve water and to broaden
programs that provide rebates to residents who install water-efficient appliances and replace
lawns with drought tolerant plants. The district has $5.2 million budgeted this year for
conservation programs and $220 ,000 for a water conservation campaign .
Schmidt and fellow board member Linda LeZotte have an additional proposal to double
spending on rebates .
Technically, the pending vote is a voluntary request for water savings . The district is a
wholesale provider that sells water to 13 retailers, including cities like Gilroy and Santa
Clara, and private companies like the San Jose Water Company. It will be up to each retail
provider to decide whether to go along with the 10 percent goal and how to enforce it, if at
all.
Other districts
Santa Clara is the latest Bay Area water agency to call for conservation after 2013 ended as
the driest year in California , dating back to 1850. Despite a chance of rain on Thursday , so
far, virtually no rain has fallen in January.
The Alameda County Water District, which provides water to 366 ,000 people in Fremont,
Newark and Union City , requested a 20 percent voluntary cutback on Jan. 17.
The Zone 7 Water Agency in Livermore, which provides water to residents of Livermore,
Pleasanton and Dublin , also requested a 20 percent voluntary reduction.
And last Tuesday, the Marin Municipal Water District asked for a 25 percent voluntary
http ://cpf.cleanprint.net/cpf/cpf?action=print&type=fi lePrint&key=San-Jose-Mercury-New... 1/27/20 14
California drought: Bay Area water districts start asking urban residents to conserve
Page 2 of3
reduction from its customers . Already , the Santa Cruz Water Department has banned
landscape irrigation between 10 a.m and 5 p.m . It also has forbidden the filling of newly
installed swimming pools and has ordered restaurants not to serve water unless customers
request it. Initial violations get a warning, but after that, fines begin at $100 .
Other large agencies, such as East Bay Municipal Utility District, the Contra Costa Water
District and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission , which operates the Hetch Hetchy
system , have yet to set a water reduction target.
Abby Figueroa , a district spokeswoman for East Bay MUD , said the board will hear an
update on the water supply from staff on Tuesday and may soon take action .
"In a typical dry year, the decision would have happened in May," Figueroa said . "But all
indications are the board is going to make a decision before that. "
Cost concerns
Water planners note that February, March and April could still bring large winter storms .
Added to that, when they call for water conservation , their agencies sell less water and lose
money .
If the Santa Clara Valley Water District's customers meet the 10 percent reduction goal , for
example, that would save 36,200 acre feet of water-- roughly twice the capacity of
Lexington Reservoir in Los Gatos-- and will cost the agency $15 million to $20 million in lost
revenue .
Although farmers and ranchers are so far suffering the most, urban residents have largely
escaped the drought's impacts. That's because after California's last big drought-- 1987 to
1992 --most urban water agencies put major conservation programs in place.
Santa Clara County, for example, uses the same amount of water now, about 350 ,000 acre
feet a year, as it did in 1980, even though the population has increased from 1.3 million
people to 1.9 million people. Los Angeles and other urban areas have similarly limited water
demand through low-flush toilets , lawn replacement programs and other conservation
efforts .
Some residents are already off to the races .
Doug Tinney, a retired graphic designer, and his wife , Joyce, started putting a bucket in the
shower last week. As they wait for the water to warm, they catch about three gallons each
shower.
"I went out and got a 32-gallon plastic garbage can with a lid," Tinney said . "I put it in the
side yard . I take the bucket out there and pour it in ." That method provides far more water
than he needs for his plants. "It's a great feeling to know that we are saving almost 50
gallons a week between the two of us. If you start multiplying that out, that could be millions
of gallons of water across the Bay Area."
http://cpf. cleanprint. net/cpf/cpf?action=print&type=fil ePrint&key=San-Jose-Mercury-New. .. 1/2 7/2014
january 28, 2014
'
I
WH.\T's
HAI'I'FNINC.'<. TRI-CJ
-
~Y-AGWD WATE~ C0NSERVxUON
SUPERVISOR STIPiiA:Nrn NEVINS
;Jle earnest ;oii:~·of a three year old 'boy rang out from the liv- ·.
'ing room, "S!-!perman tq ,fue rescue!", followed by a "thump";
the llistinp sound ·of :a small body lanllirlg q.o a p ile of cush~ ·
ions on the floor. I s~iled ':knowi~gly to mys~lf My son i s obsessed .
wit'h super heroes, talks about them constantly, dresses like rhein, illl.d
wants to be one. Little does he know, his mo~·has a few heroio talents
ofherciwn...
·
A couple of weeks ago, I returned home with a qrr full of,kids, backpacks, groceries and the miscellaneoi.Js accoutrements of a working mom.
.Af tBe car ·crossea the sidewalk into our driveW-ay cli~ tires foiled thro~
what apn.eared to be a stream ofv,:ater; rippling down the sidewalk, 'turning intotrhe lowe~ driveway. anq emptying into the street." · ·
·
. .• Gur driveway, th~ [o,.;, point OI). our street, serves the o~ilet for
all of the JUn-off from our neighbor's yards, side\ya).ks and driVoeways.
So wh·en it rains~ there is J.iterallyra ri':er running ,across and dow~ our
drive: But this was more of a babbling brook, and it wasn't raining and
had.ii t .for -~eekS.
A small. group of neighbors was gathered along the sidewalk, ·scratching
the ir. heads ann pointjng as they said thi.ngs like "musi: be an underground
spring" and "looks like ~tis coming up from und~r the house."
I Kn.ew wl:lat r had to do - ~o I; sprang into action. Well, first I safely
unloaded precious cargo (sm:ill children) and men r approached the
crowd ~lowly, lookipg;a_fO'un<t with my weJl-honed leak-alert senses
fully ~!!gagdL · .
' .
· The w~ter appeared·to be su!facing from underneath my immediate-neighbor's hmdscaping, and ,out onto the s~dewalk-from men;.- But
uRon further in¥estigation, it [odked like iit was moving onto thJir
p~o.l;'~riy from above.
·.
.
"LooKS like someone:has a leak," ! stated. "Let's check the water
meters' md see whqse it is." .
'Ifow do we do that?" questioned one.of ~y neighbors.
"~t'~ eaw," 1 said. '"f'll deinopst;rate with mine.~ ·
'
,
I lifted the lid to .,my water meter box. We all peere-d down. iri.to the
T
as
.
'
.
~;,:w.,.to
U>:>J..i),,._mp=.e
...I-1=-~-- _
:
plained that it is important to make sure that no one i!l t:9.e house is
using water and all water using appliances are off when you perform
this check. We looked at the small triangle "pointer" on my met r dial
- it's the most sensiti~e flow indidror - and it was perfectly still.
:<No leak.here," I an'I).otmced.
We proceeded to my next door neiggbor's meter box. Itillso indicated:
·the.re was n0ieak Theri we mpved on to her next door neighbor's meter
bo . When we oyened thelid we-saw :the~tri~gle spinning Wildly.
·"Well; it looks like the leak is probably yours~" I said apologetically.
I turned roY,.arCl his house and started walking, listening carefully, as I
followed the trail of soggy earth. 'When I approached the-side of his house
I ~ould hear the unmistakable.sound of flowing water.and I was able to ·
. isolat~ the leak to a pipe running off to.his landscape irrigation System.
It wrns out that one of the pipes that irrigate his lali.dscap.ing had
rlif!tured. Left unchecked, it could have wasted tens of th 0 us~ds of .
.-gallons per day. Fortunately, we found 1t early.and he was able to turn
th~ line off until he had time to get it repaired. He was gushing with
-thankfulness. He everi called me a "water saving hero". · '
The truth is that the~e is a V'{ater saving hero in all of us. Armed
with a little leak detection insight and the right tools anyone can iden.,. city and fiX' leaks in ~d around the house. Md sine~ l diks can ~aste a
lot of water, frx.ing leakS is one:of the most J.mpo,rtant things you can
·do _co save w~ter. and money! :
,
'At ACWD we recogtiize your "P.eroic potenti~ and we're'happy to prqvide info;;madon ·and llp.plements to help.you develop your own leak detection·power,s. Acwp offers.brochures that describe how to ·rdd your , .
water meter and how to £nd ana Ex leaks around ym,1r. hom~. We offer
leak detection n1blets fo,r ~toilets and free flapper x.U:ves (to ~>olve the most
common toilet leaJ< pro~em) and we <;U:e exploring new te&n:o'logies,
as l,\dv~ced MetednfrastruCQ.J.re (AMI), to help~our larger corrimercial
GUsto'mers idenPi)r unuS_ua:i spikes in water flSag~.
· ·,
;
··
Btit AGWD's arsenal for h'elping customers combat leaks does not
stoR there. We part.ner,wirh HomeServe USA to ~ffer a w~ter s~~ice
line insuran,ce..prograrp. to customers - so far over a hundred of
/ ACWD:s CUStoJUe~s have utilized this program for wa~.er servi~e line
repairs/ reRlatemerits. 0ur :n~~ Water Sa~ngs Assistan~e Progr'!-ffi, a
water survey and fix.ture/device retrofit prograrri {or low jnco!fie customers, featur,es a lea.IC check and fix. Alld, did you know that 1\.CWD
meter readers are trained to identifY uilU.sual readings and will contact ·
you op the spot if they suspect c.deak?_
.
AGWD t~es these pesky,: v.ill'ainous leaks 'Very seriously and we're
actively worlci:ng to find ways., ihr:ough these programs and. others, .ro
reduce the damage they can cause. In fact, we'll be fo riling a dynamic
duo with the Environmental Protection Agency to promote the WaterSense Pmgranis ~'.fix a Leak Week" i&op1 MarchJ?th to 23~d- so
, keep an ey_e, otitf?r ore le~ ~filfuting gadgets and information.in the
.
corning months.
If you want to learn mo.re ab'out the programs inention'e d above,
please vis~t A~WD's we.bsite"at wwW.acwd.org (where you can also
·ordetthe brochureS mentipned above) or call one o£ olir water conservation staff at 5i0-668~01' o.r. §l0-668-6534~ We look forward to
helping you ~a_g into ¥0UI OWn water saving super powers!
. ~for my neighbor, he fixed the leak and is c.ill-snii.les these days. In
fact, tlie wh'o1e neighborhood fe_e1s a 1irde mo~e neighborly. And wh.ile
my soris ·obsessl.on w:ith super her~es li~es o~ ~d probably will for a
m?m's water sav~g su~ipowers will remain unknown to
whil,e,
him fo.J now. _
'But thats ok with me -1 geF the feeling that he_thinks
I'm pretty ,c ool as is- and who knows, I'may have to r~erve thatl'evelatiop. for
when he's a teenager.
.,
such
his
'
California drought: State Water Project will deliver no water this summer
Page 1 of3
California drought: State Water Project will deliver no water
this summer
By Paul Rogers progers@ mercurynews.com Sa n Jose Mercury News
Posted:
-
~-~~
- --·
~-~--- ~-
MercuryNews.com
------------
For the first time in its 54-year history , the State Water Project, a backbone of California's
water system , will provide no water to urban residents or farmers this year because of the
severe drought, state officials said Friday.
The announcement does not mean that communities will have no water this summer. But it
does mean that every region is largely on its own now and will have to rely on water stored
in local reservoirs , pumped from underground wells , recycled water and conservation to
satisfy demand.
Silicon Valley and parts of the East Bay-- particularly residents of Livermore , Pleasanton
and Dublin , who receive 80 percent of their water each year from the State Water Project-will feel the impact the most in the Bay Area .
Hardest hit, however, will be the state's huge agriculture industry.
"We expect hundreds of thousands of acres of land in the Central Valley to go unplanted ,"
said Paul Wenger, president of the California Farm Bureau Federation. "That will cause
severe economic problems in our rural regions -- loss of jobs and economic activity , with all
the heartache that entails."
The state's decision to turn off its main spigot will be re-evaluated every month and could
change if California sees significant rainfall in February , March and April , state water officials
said at a Friday morning news conference.
Still, the news highlighted how California is in uncharted territory this year. Last year was the
driest in the state's recorded history back to 1850. The Sierra Nevada snowpack is at 15
percent of normal, even after a storm this week. And January set more records for lack of
rainfall.
"Today's action is a stark reminder that California's drought is real ," said Gov. Jerry Brown .
"We're taking every possible step to prepare the state for the continuing dry conditions we
face."
Bay Area impact
The State Water Project, approved by voters in 1960 and a key legacy of former Gov. Pat
Brown , the governor's late father, is a massive system of 21 dams and 701 miles of pipes
and canals that moves water from Northern California to the south. It essentially takes
melting snow from the Sierra Nevada, captures it and transports it from Lake Oroville in
Butte County through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta all the way to San Diego . In
doing so , it provides drinking water for 23 million people from Silicon Valley to the Los
http://cpf.cleanprint.net/cpf/cpf?action=print&type=filePrint&key=San-Jose-Mercury-News.. . 2/3/2014
California drought: State Water Proj ect will deliver no water this summer
Page 2 of3
Angeles basin and irrigates about 750 ,000 acres of farmland .
In November, because of the drought, officials at the state Department of Water Resources
announced that summer water deliveries from the project would be only 5 percent of the
amount that the farms and cities who buy water from the project have under contract. By
comparison , the project allocated 35 percent last year and 65 percent in 2012 .
But even that proved to be too optimistic.
"Simply put , there's not enough water in the system right now for customers to expect any
water this season from the project," said Mark Cowin , the department's director.
There are 29 water districts in California that receive allocations from the State Water
Project, including the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the Metropolitan Water District in
Los Angeles and the Alameda County Water District.
"We anticipated this was a distinct possibility," said Marty Grimes , a spokesman for the
Santa Clara Valley Water District. "It makes a challeng ing year even more challenging ."
The Santa Clara Valley Water District board voted this week to ask its 1.8 million customers
to cut their water use by 10 percent voluntarily. The district has a year's supply of water
stored in underground aquifers in Santa Clara County, nearly another year's supply banked
underground near Bakersfield , and a $50 million recycled water plant under construction in
Alviso to provide up to 10 percent of the county's water demand when it is finished in May. It
also has 10 local reservoirs that are 32 percent full.
The roughly 200,000 residents of Livermore, Pleasanton , Dublin and part of San Ramon
who are under the authority of the Zone 7 Water Agency will take a bigger hit.
By pumping more groundwater, the district will have sufficient water to meet basic health
and safety needs , said board President Bill Stevens. But reductions for other purposes may
be necessary, he said . The agency accelerated plans to build two new wells, and owners of
some vineyards in the area are concerned that water shortages could damage their crops.
Another 330,000 residents of Fremont, Newark and Union City receive 40 percent of their
water from the State Water Project.
"It's a big deal ," said Robert Shaver, assistant general manager of the Alameda County
Water District. "Our planning is based on 1977, which had been the worst year ever. This
year is worse ."
Shaver said the district will pump more groundwater, buy more water from the Hetch Hetchy
system and already has asked residents for 20 percent conservation , as has Zone 7.
Other Bay Area communities are not affected because they receive no State Water Project
water. They include Marin County, Santa Cruz County and customers of the East Bay
Municipal Utility District and the Contra Costa Water District. Also not affected are the 2.6
http://cpf.cleanprint.net/cpf/cpf?action=print&type=filePrint&key=San-Jose-Mercury-News... 2/3/2014
California drought: State Water Project will deliver no water this summer
Page 3 of3
million residents served by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission in San Francisco ,
San Mateo, Santa Clara and Alameda counties , who receive Hetch Hetchy water.
Other tough actions
Meanwhile Friday, state and federal officials also announced they will withhold water from
three reservoirs in Northern California that normally would be released to provide fresh water
for salmon , smelt and other fish in the Delta .
The release of that fresh water also helps reduce salinity in the Delta , ensuring better quality
drinking water for the Bay Area and other regions . The reservoirs -- Oroville, Shasta and
Folsom-- are now releasing a combined 5,050 cubic feet per second for fish and drinking
water quality. They will continue doing that, but will not release an additional 2,000 cubic feet
per second as had been planned.
State officials also announced Friday that they will curtail 5,800 junior water rights holders in
the Central Valley-- nearly all farmers-- from diverting water from streams . In many cases,
they can pump groundwater to make up the difference.
Federal officials who run the state's other large water system , the Central Valley Project,
have not yet made an allocation announcement, but are expected to by mid-February , and
that number also will be very low, further impacting farmers and some cities.
Staff writer Denis Cuff contributed to this story . Paul Rogers covers resources and
environmental issues. Contact him at 408-920-5045. Follow him at
Twitter.com/paulrogerssjmn.
http://cpf. cleanprint.net/cpf/cpf?action=print&type=fil ePrint&key=San-Jose-Mercury-News. .. 2/3/201 4
State Water Project customers to receive no allocations 2014
Page 1 of3
Trench Plate Rental Co
'"''''·.tprco.com
Excavation Shoring Equipment Spec ialists for over 30 years
DWR: State Water Project customers to receive no
allocations in 2014
News lO
3.'35 p.m. EST February I , 2014
(Pho to : News10/KXTV)
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SACRAMENTO- In a move to protect residents from more severe water shortages , the Ca lifornia Department of Water Resources (DWR) ann ounced
Friday it was taking several actions to conserve the state's water supply.
"The harsh weather leaves us little choice ," DWR Director Mark Cowin said . "If we are to have any hope of coping with continued dry weather and
balancing multiple needs, we must act now to preserve wha t water remains in our reservoirs''
Calif. Dept. of Water Resources halts allocation amid worst-ever outlo ... (http ://www.news1 O.netlstorv/news/20 14/01 /3 1/dwr-drops-water-allocatio nto-zero/5084783/)
According to Cowin , customers of the State Water Project (SWP) will receive no water deliveries in 2014 barring additional pre cipitation. Twenty-nine
water districts up and down the state contract with SWP.
"It would need to rain and snow heavily every other day from now until May to get us back to average annual rain and snowfall . Even then , Californ ia sti ll
would be in a drought, because normally wet December and January have been critically dry- and follow a record dry 201 3 and a dry 20 12," Cowin sa id.
As such , SWP cu stomers will only receive a small amount of carryover from 2013 , and if dry conditions persist, agricultural districts with long-sta nding
water rights in the Sacramento Valley may be cut 50 percent, Cowin stated .
Affected are these Northern California and San Joaquin Valley mun icipalities/districts: Sola no County Water Agen cy; Yuba City; Butte County; Plu mas
County Flood Control & Water Conservation District ; Napa County Flood Control & Water Conservation District; Alameda County Flood Control & Water
Conservation District, Zone 7; Alameda County Water District; Santa Clara Valley Wate r District; Empire West Side Irrigation District; Kings Coun ty ;
Dudley Ridge Water District; Kern County Water Agency; Oak Flat Water District and Tulare Lake Basin Water Storage District. The remaining
contractors , including the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California , are in Southern California .
"Simply put, there's not enough water in the system right now for customers to expect an y wate r th is seaso n from the project," Cowin said .
According to a release from the DWR, 2014 is shaping up to be the driest year in recorded state history.
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10 Percent Voluntary Water Cut for Hetch Hetchy 's S.F., Peninsula Customers I KQED N ... Page 6 of 13
San Francisco Public Utilit ies Comm iss ion Ge neral Manager Harlan Kelly announces a voluntary I 0 percent cutback in water usage for Hetch Hetchy custome rs on Jan. 3 1, ;
drought continues. (A lex Emslie/KQED)
4 p.m . Friday Upd ate: The San Franctsco Publi c Utilit ies Comm issiO n fin alized a voluntary 10 percent cutbac k on wate r use fo r all Hetch Hctc hy custo mers today as
officials warned that wit hout precipitation, mandatory ration ing could be coming.
"There's still a wi ndow of opportunity whe re we can gel some precipitatio n and snow," SF PUC General Manage r Harlan Ke lly said. " We use very little water in the Bay
Area, but if things persist, we may have to go to more stri nge nt requirements - to a mandatory. We will know in a mon th or so if we have to ratchet this up."
Kel ly said the Bay A rea's populat ion has grom1 by 90,000 ove r the pas t 10 yea rs, but dail y gall ons used have dropped by 45 mill ion ove r the same time period.
Hetch Hetchy water system customers last saw mandatory rationing in the late ' 80s and earl y ' 90s, according to Michael Carli n, SF PUC Deputy General Manager.
" We wen t to I 0 to 20 perce nt, and we were actua lly conside ring num be rs greater than that. In fact , San Fra nci sco was looking at 45 percent mandatory ration ing," he said.
" The season's no t over yet, so we' re still evaluating whe re we stand. It' s not so much that it rains in San Francisco. It's more important that it snows in the Sie rras."
T he Sierra snowpac k is currentl y 12 percent of ave rage. Precipitatio n in the regional system watersheds is at one-quarter of norm al, according to the SFPUC, and that' s the
driest in recorded history .
SF PUC Assistant Ge neral Ma nager for Wa ter Steve Ritc hie said it could all turn aro und with a few good storms, however.
Ritch ie said the Alameda County Water Distri ct, which re lies on the now o fli ciallv dn State Wate r Project, may need more wate r from its sister di strict.
"They've al ready indi cated they ' re goi ng to need more San Francisco water,even if they get to 20 percent rationing, which is what they ' re calling fo r in their di strict," he
said.
T he SFPUC offe rs free water-saving dev ices like fauce t aerato rs and e ffi c ie nt shower heads to San Franc isco res ide nts. Reque s t the item s at 525 Go lde n Gate Ave ., and
bring proof of add ress.
KQED 's Alex Emslie contnbuted to this report.
Originall'ost (Tuesda y):
San Francisco offi cials are issuing a request for all c usto mers of the Hetch Hetchy wa ter system - that's everyone in the city, plus roughly 1. 8 mill ion custome rs in San
Mateo, Santa Clara and Alameda counti es - to reduce water use by 10 percent, effecti ve this Friday .
Tyrone Jue, a spokes man fo r the San Francisco Publi c Utiliti es Commi ssion, said the age ncy is as king only for a I 0 percent reduction, rather than a 20 perce nt voluntary cut
requested by Go v. Jerry Brown, because the wate r district's customers are already " very conscious about their wa ter use."
The SFP UC says San Franc isco 's water use is about 88 gallons per capita per day -
less than hal f of the statewide average of 197, according to the SF PUC.
The comm ission has published a li st of now-fam iliar conservation tips coverin g every thing from taking shorter showers and shutting off the tap wh ile brushing your teeth to
planting drought-resistant species.
Meantime, the East Ba' Municipal W at~r Dist rict, which serves 1. 3 million customers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, says it ' s conside ring whether to tap an
e mergency wate r source: the Sacramento Rive r. As the Contra Costa Times noted over the weekend, it would be the first time EBMU D gets to use a source of supply it
began paying for even before the devasta ting drou ght of 1975-77.
The district signed a federal contrac t in 1970 fo r the secondary supply from the federal Bureau of Reclamation, a nd it has paid the bureau $ 17 million, required
whethe r or not the water was taken.
Plans for a water delivery pipeline plan were blocked for decades by res istance from Sacramento Coun ty and environm entali sts.
A truce was reached in 200 I when the East Bay district and Sacra mento County agreed on a $900 milli on jo int proj ect to deli ver water to both Sacramento
County and the East Bay. EBMUD put up $460 mi lli on as its share.
Under the contract, the East Bay temporarily can take up to I 00 mi lli on gallons a day of Sacramento Rive r water. The di stri ct ty pically uses about 170 million
gallons per day of Mo kelumne River water.
The Associati on of" Califo rn ia 1X ater
i\~enci e~
sa vs the foll owing ci ties a nd di stricts have taken measures to cut water consumptio n:
Ala meda C ou nt\· Wate r District: The district, w hich serves 336 ,000 people in Fremont, Newark and Unio n City, is as king c ustome rs to cut consump tion by 20 percent.
C loverd a le (S onoma County): Has imposed Stage 2 Wate r Em e r~e n c ', requiring 25 percent in wate r consumption.
Heald sburg (So nom a Co unty): City Counci l has app roved manda ton · 20 percent cut in water use.
Marin Municipal \ Va ter District:: Has as ked customers for an imm ediate 25 percent vo luntarv reduction in water use by district customers. As o f Jan. 16, the di strict is
pumping wate r from a reserve reservoir. Depending on the reservoir storage levels on A pril I, MMWD may need to adopt mandatory reductions in wate r use.
Santa Clara Va lley \ Vater District : District, which serves 1.8 mill ion people, says it ·s monitoring wa te r resources with the current conditions meriting a yel low
" cautionary" tag.
Sa nta C ru z: Starre I water restrictio ns adopted last yea r remain in place. Asking reside nts to turn off automati c irrigati on systems and make concerted effort to reduce
water use. The San Lorenzo Ri ve r, the city ' s primary source of water supply, is fl owing at near-record low levels last seen in 199 1 during a six-year droug ht.
So noma Co u ntv W a ter Aoe ncv won app roval from the State Water Resources Contro l Board to reduce flo ws from Lake Mendoc ino into the Russi an Ri ve r in order to
conserve the surface water supply.
This post contains report ingfrom Bay City News.
Explore: California drou !!ht, drought, Drou ght Watc h
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CKTVU.COM
San Jose 44°
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Oakland 42 °
StormTrack e r 2
5-Day Forecast
Weather Webcast
Posted : 9:04a .m. Saturday, Feb . 1, 2014
Tri-Valley region to be hit hard by drought restrictions
Associated Press
Related
By Debora Villalon
KTVU.com
LIVERMORE , Calif. - People in downtown Livermore expressed surprise Friday evening that state cuts to water
allocations would hit the Tri-Valley area harder than any other part of the Bay Area .
80 percent of the water reaching Livermore , Pleasanton , and parts of Dublin comes from the State Water Project. Those
communities will see their allocation trickle to zero and must turn to storage , groundwater and "carryover" water unused
from last year to meet demand .
"1977 is the drought cond ition agencies plan for in a dry year . And this is worse ," Robert Shaver of the Alameda County
Water District told KTVU .
http://www. ktvu.corn/news/news/1ocal/water -allocation -1i verrnore/nc9Bc/
2/3/2014
Page 2 of2
Shaver said customers are being asked to conserve beyond the 20 percent reduction Governor Brown has already
recommended .
Some locals KTVU spoke with in Liv ermo re Friday night weren't su re how the y will do that.
"We don't water our lawn anymore . We don't do anything li ke that anymore , so I'm not sure how we can cut furth er, " area
resident Matt Norman told KTVU . Norman was having dinner with friends in downtown Livermore .
"One shower a week , I guess , " he added , to the laughter of his dining companions .
Sharan Judge, the owner of the Thai resta urant where th e group wa s dining , said she's read y to make changes . On
Saturday , she may stop bringing glasses of water to customers unl ess they ask. Some refuse it already.
"Two peo pl e said 'We don't need water' and put their glass down ," Judg e explained . "And ag ain , at dinner ti me, people sa id
they don't need water. So maybe the drought is why ."
Alameda County Water District officials sa id that the situation is dire, but didn't want people in the East Bay to go overboard
with their conservation.
"We want to make sure our customers know they can bru sh their teeth an d take showers ," reassured Shaver.
Howeve r, showers should be short and landscape watering should be elim inated or curtailed to once a week .
The dried-up water allocations are also a blow for agriculture , which depends on the State Wate r Project. At th e First Street
Wine Company in Livermore, owner Linda Allen said she is hearing from local vintners about how the drought points to
disaster.
"The grape growers are very concerned ," Allen told KTVU . "They're worried about what it's going to do to th e vin tage. 2014
is going to be almost nil if we don't get rain."
The Sierra snowpack is at fifteen percent of norm al and la st year was the driest in record ed state history.
If customers aren't stingy on their own , the district could be forced to take more serious steps.
"We could even go to mandatory rationi ng , but we're not there yet ," Shaver said . "And we're not through the wet winter
period yet , as well ."
Th e State Departm ent of Wate r Resources will continue to review allocations as the months pass .
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http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/water-allocation-livermore/nc9Bc/
2/3/2014
Page 1 of 5
California drought: State's water deliveries to be halted - SFGate
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California drought: State's water deliveries to be halted
Melody Gutierrez and Jill Tucker
Updated 10 :43 pm, Friday, January 31, 2014
Most Read
1. Sedate Super Bowl ads upstaged by a coat
2. Bob Oylan Just Oid A Chrysler Commerctal At
The Super Bowl, And Nobody Can Believe It
3 . Napa woman, boyfriend arrested in slaying of
daughter, 3
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age l1 mit
5. 10 regions where tech workers earn t he most
6. Philip Seymour Hoffman fans mourn, t out his
ta len t
7. Private S.F . museum a real fun house
YWCA of San Fran cisco res id ent Wa i Yin g Pang , uses an aerator, in stalled by th e SFPU C, while fill ing a
bowl w ith w ater t o cl ean v eg etables on Tu esday, January 28, 2014 in San Franci sco, Calif. Pang was
dem onst ratin g h ow sh e puts water into a bow l, in st ead of letting th e wa t er run , to clea n ve get abl es
w hi ch help s save wa t er. Ph ot o : Le a Suzuki, Th e Chronicle
National Well
Surveying
www . nationalwel lsurveying .com
SACRAMENTO-6
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As drought conditions worsen, California is
Share
Find Well Water Before You Drill
Using Seismo- Eiectric Technology
taking the unprecedented step of cutting off
water to contractors that serve 25 million
people and 750, 000 acres of farml and.
As a result, Californians who have not yet felt
the effects of what could be the state's worst
,d rought in modern history may soon begin to experience the pain. Across the state, more
cities are expected to begin implementing mandatory restrictions on water use.
"Today's action is a stark reminder that California's drought is real, " Gov. Jerry Brown said
Friday. "We' re taking every possible step to prepare the state for the continuing dry
conditions we face."
The California Department of Water Resources announced Friday that if dry conditions
continue, water agencies will not receive any water from the State Water Project, a system
that serves two-thirds of California's population usi ng reservoirs, aqueducts, power plants
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http ://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Califomia-drought-State-s-water-deliveries-to-519452 1.... 2/3/2014
Page 2 of 5
California drought: State's water deliveries to be halted - SFGate
With Solar Booming , T h is
Oakland Company Is On
Th e Verge Of A Solar
and pumping plants. Water is sent to 29 water suppliers throughout the state, including
four in the Bay Area, which then provide the water to agencies sening homes and farms .
"'~~~~:§j;tl Revolution
San Francisco, the Peninsula and other parts of the Bay Area would not be directly affected
by the 1vater cutoff because they get water from other sources, such as Hetch Hetchy. But
as water becomes scarce, less fortunate agencies may turn to healthier ones for assistance.
Department Director Mark Co11i n said at a news conference that if the dry spell continues,
only carryover water from last year 11ill be channeled to the farmers and several towns that
get their water from the State Water Project. Those users 11ill have t o rely on groundwater,
local reservoirs and other supplies.
"''
7x7
Ph ot o Galle ries
Super Bowl Ads
"Everyone- farmers, fish, people in our cities and towns- 11ill get less water as a result, but
these actions will protect us all better in the long run," C011in said. "Simply put, there is
not enough water to go around, so 11·e need to eonsen·e."
Displaying 1- 3 oF 40
Ala Romana
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10 citi es .,.,.here
tech workers
ea rn the mos t
Manmng G1v1ng Saattle the lead plajed
tnto thetr hand .
Threat of running out
The announcement comes after state health officials said 17 communities and water
districts are in danger of running out of water 11ithin 100 days, including Cloverdale
and Healdsburg.
The list is expected to grow.
The snowpack in the Sierra is 12 percent of normal for t,his time of year, the lowest since
the state began keeping snowpack records in 1960. California 11ildlife officials banned
fishing in several ri1•ers to protect salmon and steelhead trout.
California's other large water management system, the federally run Central Valley
Project, is expected to announce allocations in mid-February. The Central Valley Project
irrigates more than 3 million acres of farmland, provides drinking water to nearly 2
million people and sen·es as a critical water source for fish and "ildlife.
With its rese rvoirs also running low, contractors of the federal water system are bracing
for low to no allocations. Those federally managed reservoirs included Shasta Resen•oir
north of Redding, which is at 36 percent of capacity, and Folso m Lake, which is at 17
percent, enabling lisitors to see a preliously submerged abandoned town from the
19th century.
The State Water Project's largest resen·oir, Lake Oroville in Butte County, is at 36 percent
of capacity.
With two-thirds of the wet season having passed, there is little hope that enough rain and
snow will fall to lift California out of the crisis.
"The state would haYe to experience heavy rainfall and snowfall every other day through
May to get back to average precipitation levels," Cowin said.
Bay Area water agency officials said they planned for the worst, but this is "worse than the
worst, " said Robert Sha1·er, assistant general manager for the Alameda County Water
District, one of four Bay Area agencies that gets its water supply from the State
Water Project.
The district typically gets 40 percent of its water from the State Water Project for its
customers in Fremont, Union City and Newark.
Other sources
Without that water, it 11ill have to rely more on local groundwater and the water it gets
from the Hetch Hetchy to meet demand, which is at about 45 million gallons per day.
Farther east, the situation is just as bad, if not worse.
The Alameda County Flood Control & v\'ater Conscn·ation District, Zone 7, which sells
water to Live rmore, Pleasanton, Dublin and San Ramon, gets 8o percent of its water from
the State Water Project.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/California-drought-State-s-water-deliveries-to-519452 1... . 2/3/2014
Page 3 of 5
California drought: State's water deliveries to be halted - SFGate
While Zone 7 would have enough water to meet health and safety needs, it would have to
rely on sto red supply in local grou ndwater basins and Lake Del Val le. The district also
planned to explore getti ng emergency supplies from other Bay Area water agencies.
FROM OUR HOMEPAGE
Customers in the Alameda County Water District have been asked to voluntarily cut water
usage by 20 percent, but the board of directors will be talking about mandatory
conservation and other scenarios at its meeting this month, Shaver said.
In the mea ntime, Shaver said residents should be aware of two things: The district won't
run out of water, but the si tuati on is very serious.
Who ' s affected?
Four Bay Area water agencies that supply 15 cities and Napa County rely on the State
Water Project. The cities are:
Joe's coat steals the show
Namath's fur attire grabs more attention than
mediocre ads.
-- Ameri ca n Canyon
--Benicia
-- Calistoga
Pl an to help SF's evicted
--Dublin
Ellis Act victims would get aid to stay in the city
under th is proposal. But will it go through?
--Fremont
-- Li vermore
--Napa
--Newark
-- Pleasanton
Critics : No more BART cops
In wake of friendly-fire death. some say t he
system should have guards, not armed officers.
--San Ramon
--St. Helena
-- Union City
--Vacaville
--Vallejo
--Yountville
Chro nicle staff writer Kurtis Alexander contributed to this report. Melody Gutierrez and
Jill Tucker are San Fmncisco Chronicle staff writers. E-mail:
[email protected],[email protected] Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez,
@jillt11cker
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(q~CWD
· HLHHEDHCDUAITYWHTER0/SFR/CF
43885 SOUTH GRIMMER BOULEVARD • P.O. BOX 5110, FREMONT, CALIFORNIA 94537-5110
(510) 668 -4200 • FAX (510) 770:1793 • www.acwd.org
February 11, 2014
Dear Occupant I Owner:
Subject:
Notifi cation of Riparian Enhancement of Sabercat Creek at Becado Place, AC\VD Job
2351
This letter is a fo11ow -up letter to one sent on December 13, 2013, regarding enhancement work
planned for the Sabercat Creek riparian corridor adjacent to Becado Place. Alameda County Water
District 's (ACWD 's) contractor will remove approxi mately 22 non-native elm trees from the
Sabercat Creek riparian corridor adjacent to Becado Place_ These elm trees range in height to
approximately 30 feet. In their place, approximately 25 nati ve Coast live oak trees (15 gallon size),
and 35 native blue elderberry and toyon shrubs will be installed . The work is scheduled to occur
during the last 2 weeks of Febmary, and should last approximately 5 days. During AC'WD' s project,
residents of Becado Place may experience unavoidable constmction-related noise, lirriited street
parking, and traffic control, as needed, in the vicinity of the _wm:k._ ____ _
The actual work will be performed between the hours of 8:00 a.m_ and 5:00 p.m. , Monday through
Friday. Traffic control, as needed, is expected to occur from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Mo nday
through Friday_
ACWD 's Project Engineer for this projec t is Chris Delp. If you have any questions or need
additional informati on, please contact him at (510) 668-4422 during normal business hours_
ACWD 's Contrac tor for this project is Engineered Soil Repairs, Inc. , and the subcontractor for the
work is Superior Hydroseeding, Inc. Engineered Soil Repairs, Inc's project manager is Morgan
Anderson. You may contact him at (925) 210-2150 for the duration of the project. ACWD ' s
Contractor will use its best efforts to minimize traffic impacts, noise, or any other constmctionrelated inconveniences.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Robert Shaver
Assistant Ge neral Manager -Engineering
cd/mb
cc : Robert Gonzales, ACWD
Anna Lloyd, ACWD
Andrew Warren, ACWD
Engineered Soil Repairs
0
RECYCLED PAPER
2/2 1120 14
~CWO
HLHHEDHCOU;IIFYH'HFEHO/SFH/CF
Managing Water Resources in a
Time of Drought
Managing Water Resources in a
Time of Drought
~CWD
"'-"'"'"r HI,aFI/1:/
• Current Water Supply and Demand Overview
• ACWD water operations adjustments
• Water Savings Targets and Considerations
• Declaration of a Water Shortage Emergency and
Water Use Ordinance Measures
• Conservation programs
• Outreach efforts and possible partnerships
• City-Specific Issues
• Questions
1
2/21/2014
!OJ/ncwn
JIIIIW£111"1/t'IYIIIT/,61./'S/8/t:l
ACWD Water Supply Sources
• Alameda Creek
Watershed Runoff
• State Water Project
San Francisco PUC
~CWD
1
District Facilities
and Water Supplies
U/Rit:f
2
2/2 1/2014
~CWD
1
MII.INIII&'IIIJ/YIIIIIFII/SII/&'1
Customer Profile
Busi ness
14.1%
(= 6,000 AF)
Industrial
8.8%
(= 4,000 AF)
Residential
70.4%
(= 31 ,000 AF)
Institutional
6 .7%
(=3,000AF)
January 31 , 2014
Statewide Average Precipitation - by water year
Average Prectpita~on (Inches)
45 ~---------------------------------------------------------------40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2014
Water Year (October 1 · September 30)
3
2/2112014
Northern Sierra Precipitation : 8-Statlon Index, February 12, 201 4
Percent of Average for this Date: 40%
88.5
1982-1983 (wettest
___ __ _,2,00!0::..
5·:2::..
, 0!!:
06" -"
0"'ai,..
l '-'P'-'r'-"e::..
c•,..
· "---
_
80 1
"0
2009-2010 Call Precl
63.6
Average (1922-1998)
50 0
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.:1
Q.
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Q.
i
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s
~
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1976-197712nd driest & driest tnru Aug)
A pr1
May 1
Jun 1
Water Year (October 1 • September 30)
Jul 1
Aug 1
Sep 1
Oct 1
ALAMEDA COUNTY WATER DISTRICT
RAINFALL REPORT
FISCAL YEAR 2013-2014
40
35 '
-
WITrEST YEAR
-
• IWERAGEYEAR
- - - • DRIEST Y!AR
( 1981.-8:1) 38.89 in.
18.37 in.
(197 5--7&) 7 .n in.
- - ACTUAl RAINFAll
- ·- ·- ·- ·
--- ......... ----
s '
M ONTHS
4
,
2/21120 14
State Water Project Supply
• ACWD receives 40% of supplies from the SWP
• Lake Oroville is the largest SWP reservoircurrently at 38% capacity
• 2013 was the driest year in recorded history
• January 17 Gov. Edmund G. Brown , Jr. declared a
drought state of emergency
• January 31, Dept. of Water Resources announced
zero allocation for customers of the State Water
Project- first time in 54-year history
Previous State Water Project
Allocations
~CJIID
.fi{NJUIIfalf/l'lti/£11/SFIN:I
5
'
2/2112014
State Water Project
Challenges/Opportunities
Jo;,cwn
l!f/HII£1/!f &#IIWYIIJf/FII/S/R/1:1
• 2014 Water Delivery Challenges
• Currently working with DWR, South Bay Contractors,
Semitropic, and other State Water Contractors to
coordinate deliveries
• 13,500 AF of Semitropic water planned to be used in
2014
• 2013 carryover water currently being pumped into
Del Valle for use by South Bay Contractors
Alameda Creek
Watershed/Groundwater
,J~cwn
#IIJNM&#/I.UJ'IIIIlii/SFII/t:l
• 2014 Water Recharge Challenges
• ACWD receives 40% of supplies from the Alameda
Creek watershed
• Alameda Creek diverts to Quarry Lakes and
surrounding ponds- currently at 10-20% of normal
• Water recharges the groundwater basin
6
I
2/21/2014
~CWD
1
Hetch Hetchy
(San Francisco Public Utilities
Commission)
• ACWD receives 20% supplies from Hetch-Hetchy
Reservoir
• Hetch-Hetchy's source is spring snowmelt from the
Tuolumne River
• Sierra snowpack at 28% of normal
• SFPUC has requested a voluntary 10% reduction
20°/o Water Use Reduction Target
• On January 31, ACWD issued a request for
20% voluntary reduction
• Declaration of a Water Shortage Emergency
• Water Use Ordinance
• Behavioral-Based Approach
• Public hearing scheduled for early March
• Be Mindful of Public Perceptions
7
2/21 /2014
Supply Uncertainty
• Average Demand
i~cwo
NINiffiHrlli't'FYIIJf/£11/SFH/C/
• 48,000 acre-feeUyear (pre-drought)
• 38,400 acre-feeUyear (20% conservation goal)
• Range of Supplies
• 2013 Carryover: 0 AF- 10,400 AF
• Semitropic returns: 0 AF - 13,500 AF
• CCWD Transfer: 0 AF- 5,000 AF
• SFPUC deliveries: 9,000 AF -16,000 AF .
• DYTP: 0 AF -1000 AF
• Groundwater: 5,000 AF - 15,000 AF
• 2014 supplies remain variable
i~cwo
#IHNFIIft:tllltFI' Iti,£11D'F/UCI
Typical vs. Target Water Demands
Draft -Projected Monthly Demands with 20% Conservation
AU!ImflPtoposrd~NOWf91mp!~~tltariotl(lkmPttMnttdtol.Aff~oJfJ/]C/l4
"
.
8
2/21 /2014
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#IHWII&tlltFI' III/Fin$/"811:1
ACWD Water Operations Adjustments
• Water Production Adjustments
• Hardness
• Delta Salinity
• Desalination
• Temporary suspension of the Main
Cleaning Program
• Reduction in fire hydrant flow testing
Water Savings Target and
Considerations
~CWD
INKIUI#I:ft'IIJ' Ifi/£11/'SFI/C/
• Water Savings Target. ..
• 20% District-wide reduction (annual)
• Reduce peak summer month demands
• Considerations ...
• Protect health and safety
•
•
•
•
Minimize impacts to jobs/economy
Understandable; Easy to implement
Fairness; Don't penalize efficient water users
Uniform; Applies equally to all customers/customer classes
• Exceptions; Considerations for special conditions
• Minimize impacts; short-term and long-term
9
2/2112014
idJncwo
How Can We Continue to Reduce "'·""'"""''Y*HIIHI/SIHICI
Demands and Meet 20°/o Reductions
• Recommendation of reductions:
• 40% for ALL outdoor water use
• Residential , multi-family, municipal , business,
and industrial customers
• 10% for ALL indoor water use
• Residential, multi-family, municipal , business,
and industrial customers
Water Use Ordinance - Approach
• Focus on :
• Minimizing waste and non-essential uses
• Minimize landscape irrigation, while still maintaining
landscape plants and turf viabi lity
• Approach:
• Mandatory restrictions on certa in water uses
• Mandatory restrictions on frequency of landscape irrigation
• Voluntary guidelines to improve indoor water use efficiency
• Provide water savings assistance - enhanced conservation
• Communicate frequently and regularly with the Community
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Proposed Water Shortage
Emergency Ordinance
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• Declaration of Water Shortage Emergency
• Mandatory Water Use Limitations
• Restrictions on Water Use
• Enforcement
• Exceptions
• Voluntary Water Use Guidelines
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Mandatory Restrictions on Water Use
•
•
Use of water in an irresponsible manner that results in wastage
Irrigation resulting in flooding or excessive runoff in gutters
•
Wash ing sidewalks , walkways , driveways, patios, parking lots,
tenn is courts, building exteriors, other hard surfaces
•
Use of a hose without a quick-acting positive shutoff nozzle
•
Draining and refilling of swimming pools
•
Non-recirculating systems in new conveyer car wash and
commercial laundry systems
•
•
Non-recycling decorative water fountains
Serving water to customers at restaurants if not requested
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Mandatory Restrictions on Landscape
Irrigation Frequency
Month
Days
per
Month
week
Apr
May
Days
per
Month
week
Jun
2
Aug
2
Sept
week
Oct
Jul
Days
per
Nov
Days
per
Month
week
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Landscape irrigation
during this period should
be avoided except during
an extended dry period.
During this period
landscape irrigation while
it is raining is prohibited.
Turf Replacement and DroughtTolerant Landscaping
•
Use of water for irrigation of new landscapes installed after
January 1, 2014 cannot be more frequent than three times per
week, provided that new landscape:
• Replaces turf
• Uses Drought-Tolerant plants : Follows the District's Turf
Replacement Program
• Irrigated solely by drip or hand watering w/quick-acting
positive shut off nozzle
• Uses mulch to minimize evaporative losses
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Enforcement of Restrictions
Progressive enforcement process:
• Written Warn ing
• On-Site Notification : Field Service Visit Charge
• Termination of Water Service: Reconnection Charge
Pursuant to California Water Code Section 31029, use of water in violation of the restrictions on
water use set forth in Section 4 of this Ordinance is a misdemeanor.
The goal will be to work proactively and cooperatively with our customers to achieve the
needed water reduction target while minimizing the needs for enforcement!
Exceptions will be considered ...
Exception process:
•
Written request for exception
•
•
Drought Management Coordinator reviews/grants exceptions
Considerations include:
• Health and safety
• Economic factors
•
• Other factors may be considered
Written appeals to General Manager
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Voluntary Guidelines
Guidelines Incl ude ...
•
Replacement of inefficient plumbing fixtures
•
•
•
Toilets , showerheads , clothes washers
Reduce indoor water use
•
•
Turn off the tap while brushing teeth , shaving and washing hands
Run washing machines and dishwashers with full loads
•
Take shorter showers
Landsca pe Guidel ines
•
Irrigate before 1O:OOam
•
Check and maintain irrigation systems
•
Use drought-tolerant landscaping; avoid planting turf grass
•
Use non-potable (graywater and/or rainwater) for irrigation
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Municipal Customers- Reducing IWHNF""""Y*'"'-'11/~,
Usage by 20°/o
• Development - Continued requirement
of a Water Supply Assessment and
Verification
• Public safety- No reduction in supplies
for firefighting or supplies necessary for
public health and safety
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Municipal Customers - ACWD Prograffi's""/S/"''"'
to Assist with Conservation
• Landscape Water Use Reports
• Parks with dedicated landscape meters in the
District's service area currently receive semiannual water use reports with allocated water
budgets
• Rebate Programs
• High efficiency toilets/urinals
• Water efficient landscaping that replaces turf
• Weather-based irrigation "Smart" controllers
• Water Use Efficiency Surveys
Water Use Ordinance - Next Steps
•
Public Hearing Sometime in Early March
•
Publish Notice of Public Hearing - 7 days in advance
•
Publish Draft Ordinance- 5 days in advance
•
Outreach!
•
•
Media Advisory
•
•
Meet with Cities of Fremont, Newark and Union City staff for input
Meet with School Districts
•
Provide notice of draft Ordinance on web-site, social media
Conduct Public Hearing and Receive Public Input
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ACWD's Comprehensive Water
Conservation Program
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• Covering all customer types (residential,
business, parks, schools, etc.)
• Multi-pronged approach - incentives,
education, technical assistance
• See handout for details
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Public Outreach
• Press release requesting 20% conservation
• Drought update- all customer mailer week of
Feb 10
• Aqueduct newsletter- bill insert Feb-Mar
• Website and social media updates
• Water Shortage Emergency- all customer
mailer to be mailed
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City-Specific Issues
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• Public Perception
• Parks and other irrigated areas
• Distribution system vs. well water
• Variances?
• Other Issues?
• Potential Future Issues
• Additional Water Use Restrictions
.Needed/Approach? .
• New Development
• New Landscaping
• Partnership opportunities?
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Drought Resources
• Drought Resource Center
• www.acwd.org
• Drought Hotline
• 668.4470
• Report water waste
• www.acwd.org
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Questions?
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