Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout12 WATER CONSERVATION UPDATE - MAY 2016Agenda AGENDA REPORT Reviewed: m —12 City Manager Finance Director �A MEETING DATE: JULY 5, 2016 TO: JEFFREY C. PARKER, CITY MANAGER FROM: DOUGLAS S. STACK, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS/CITY ENGINEER SUBJECT: WATER CONSERVATION UPDATE — MAY 2016 SUMMARY As a result of the drought, the City of Tustin is required to provide the State Water Resources Control Board with data that will be used to determine if the City is meeting the required 21% conservation target and the various methods being utilized to ensure compliance with the State's mandates. This report summarizes the information provided to the State for the month of May 2016 and provides the City Council and the public with general information on previous and upcoming actions taken by the City. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the City Council receive and file this report. FISCAL IMPACT There is no fiscal impact associated with this item. CORRELATION TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN This item contributes to the fulfillment of the City's Strategic Plan Goal D: Strong Community and Regional Relationships. Specifically, by implementing Strategy 2, which is to work collaboratively with agencies within and outside of Tustin on issues of mutual interest and concern. DISCUSSION AND BACKGROUND Staff has provided the Water Board with production data for May 2016 and calculated a 29% savings in water production when compared to May 2013. The Water Board is seeking a cumulative 21% reduction between June 2015 and June 2016. The City's current cumulative savings is 26%. The Water Board has established new regulations that provide a regional approach to conservation moving forward. Water agencies are required to evaluate their water supply and demand. Any agency that identifies insufficient water supply will need to determine the percentage of conservation required to ensure demand can be met by available water sources. This percentage then becomes the agency's new water conservation standard. The City of Tustin's regional groundwater supplier, Or, regional imported water supplier, Municipal Water Di; analyzed the regional water supply in accordance w Board. Both agencies determined they will have suff their service area for the next three years. Therefore, 0%. Staff notified the Water Board by of the City's 2016. nge County Water District (OCWD) and trict of Orange County (MWDOC) have th the formulas provided by the Water tient supply to meet the demand within the City has a conservation standard of ew conservation standard on June 16, Water Conservation Update — May 2016 July 5, 2016 Page 2 Although the water agencies located in the OCWD and MWDOC service areas have calculated a 0% conservation standard, most local agencies will continue to implement water use restrictions. Southern California is still in a drought. The 2015-16 water year marks the fifth consecutive year of below average precipitation for the region and local surface water reservoirs are at historic lows. Based on these conditions, MWDOC has adopted a resolution calling for continued implementation of conservation measures and a countywide water saving goal of 10% from the average annual demands of calendar years 2013 and 2014. Below is the City of Tustin's required report for the month of May 2016, which was submitted to the State on June 15, 2016. State Report Questionnaire 1. Which Stage of your Water Shortage Contingency Plan have you invoked? Stage 2 2. Does this Stage include mandatory restrictions on outdoor irrigation? Yes 3. How many days per week is watering allowed for outdoor irrigation? 2 4. How many complaints of water waste or violation of conservation rules were 23 received during the reporting month? 5. How many contacts (written or verbal) were made with customers for actual or 178 alleged water waste or for a violation of water conservation rules? 6. How many formal warning actions (e.g.: written notifications, warning letter, door 110 hangers) were issued for water waste or for a violation of conservation rules? 7. How many penalties (fines) were issued for water waste or for a violation of 9 conservation rules? 8. Optional enforcement actions: $goo in fines 9. This year's total potable water production for the reporting month (including 817.7 AF agricultural supply). 1o. Your 2013 water production for the same reporting month. 1147.7 AF 11. The quantity of water delivered for all commercial, industrial, and institutional 98.1 AF users for the reporting month. 12. The quantity of water used exclusively for commercial agriculture (this water will o be subtracted from the total monthly potable water production for purposes of determining compliance with conservation requirements). 13. The quantity of water used exclusively for commercial agriculture during the same o month in 2013. 14. You may optionally report the total amount of water (e.g.: leakage) calculated for 24.5 AF this past month for which you do not receive revenue. 15. Enter your estimate of the percentage going to residential use only for this 88% reporting month's production (loo%assumed otherwise). Water Conservation Update — May 2016 July 5, 2016 Page 3 16. Please include any information the Board should be aware of when using this data. CII use is estimate 17. Total Population Served. 67,700 18. Enter your estimate of the residential gallons -per -capita -day (R-GPCD). »z 19. You may optionally report any recycled water beneficially used during the reporting month. None The three charts below have been included to provide a comprehensive overview of the conservation that has been achieved since June 2015 and the citation and penalty data for the same time period. City of Tustin Water Production Kesioentiai water use - Per Person Per vay 250 200 0 d 150 m 0 130 100 -115 109 _11.3 44 102 A 87 83 87 50 12013 _ --11--Target -V[7 —Actual 0 Jun -15 Jul -15 Aug -15 Sep -15 Oct -15 Nov -15 Dec -15 Jan -16 Feb -16 Mar -16 Apr -16 May -16 1400 1200 1000 891.9 900 811A 931.1 800 ._8614.. .__... -843;4 - -4-2013 8177 7611 8159 782,6 1-2014 738.0 31_ ,( rte. 711.9 6� --651Y- - -x-2015 598 b43.4 635.9 —2016 400 200 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Kesioentiai water use - Per Person Per vay 250 200 0 d 150 m 0 130 100 -115 109 _11.3 44 102 A 87 83 87 50 12013 _ --11--Target -V[7 —Actual 0 Jun -15 Jul -15 Aug -15 Sep -15 Oct -15 Nov -15 Dec -15 Jan -16 Feb -16 Mar -16 Apr -16 May -16 40 35 d 30 Water Conservation Update — May 2016 July 5, 2016 Page 4 Monthly Citation and Fine Data $3,800 $4,000 $2,900 ■It -S2 600- 800 $3,000 Other Items 1. During May, the City reduced water usage by 71% and Tustin Unified decreased water usage by 56% compared to April 2013. Since June 1, 2015, TUSD has conserved 43% and the City has conserved 67%. 2. Code enforcement statistics for the months of March 2016, April 2016, and May 2016 have been provided as an attachment to this report. 3. The City's website has a page dedicated to water conservation and information on the drought. The page provides the public with a brief statement regarding the upcoming weather forecast, a summary of the City's monthly conservation results, and information on the City's Water Management Plan. Staff reviews the content weekly and updates the information as appropriate. This webpage is located at http://www.tustinca.org/depts/pw/water/drought.asp. Douglas4Public . Stack, P.E. Dir for Works/City Engineer Attachment: 1. Enforcement Statistics —March 2016, April 2016, and May 2016 2. U.S. Drought Monitor — California dated June 21, 2016 3. Articles on California Drought and Water Conservation S:1City Ceundl Items12016 Coundl Items107-05-2016 May Conservation UpdatelConservadon Update May 2016. d= $2,00 $1'g�$1,800$1,800$1 Number of 20 $2000 Citations i 15 — E fAmountof 10 $70 00 $1,000s Fines ° I 0 5 .yh !ti) tih ,tih yh .tih by ti10 tiIO tiIO -yD ti� i bac�a� Other Items 1. During May, the City reduced water usage by 71% and Tustin Unified decreased water usage by 56% compared to April 2013. Since June 1, 2015, TUSD has conserved 43% and the City has conserved 67%. 2. Code enforcement statistics for the months of March 2016, April 2016, and May 2016 have been provided as an attachment to this report. 3. The City's website has a page dedicated to water conservation and information on the drought. The page provides the public with a brief statement regarding the upcoming weather forecast, a summary of the City's monthly conservation results, and information on the City's Water Management Plan. Staff reviews the content weekly and updates the information as appropriate. This webpage is located at http://www.tustinca.org/depts/pw/water/drought.asp. Douglas4Public . Stack, P.E. Dir for Works/City Engineer Attachment: 1. Enforcement Statistics —March 2016, April 2016, and May 2016 2. U.S. Drought Monitor — California dated June 21, 2016 3. Articles on California Drought and Water Conservation S:1City Ceundl Items12016 Coundl Items107-05-2016 May Conservation UpdatelConservadon Update May 2016. d= Water Waste Enforcement Statistics March 2016, April 2016, and May 2016 tD l -4Q1 h N 0 N O fV 00 S co D o c O O 01 O .--4 O `8 �8 LL ® O O N C) O d v1 N O N 3® � o W N O rljC ti N O 2 1-1t0 C N 10 N M C � ?: 00 0 0 F®m eN-� CNO O 'w V 4j o 2®o�rvoo V — c®N N Q nao LnLn N r4 m 0 0 r / W v 3�0 O ^� 1 0 0 ... IN F�N 000000 Q 0 O O O Q c��n W a�pooaoQ 3©� M Ln o 0 N M M O Z7 - u N cu N :3 Y Vf � � N Q O c v Y 0 Q NLL O N y v V Q O F G N c c @ Q 0 O N L 3: E v +° � v L fd u o N p u > Ci '° o p �_ c 0 — o LL V LL V W O N 0 -4 � ry oo i ®0 ~ N 00 N O 1,41 O O 3 N p1 Cy' r'I O 00 � lD I, N N o® H m rn o 0 c�N LL®��cn�o ® N rl O O 8 0 0 00 0 'B O 000 O 0 '� ri M V1 O O `B iYw,�4-1 N � B LL ® / m N O O V >. F- O _ �, m� p 3®o�o�m0 41® r+ N V1 ri O QO c o m 1.1 O c� W Ll m o o p�00moo oc �po0^I-qo W .-.I 'N-1 M N O Q c 3 N i© O 00 0 O Z -4 _ F— a n 7 Y DC N � M Q O C C E v m LL ~ `a g O cn c c o v N = o > E N Y J 'Q 0 u C 7 Z C LL U LL V W w G m co o F® •-+ � �n 0 0 0 0 0 c� c� LL O00 U1 0 0 0 0 0 v 3 N ti a o o o o 0 FB. -i r, 0 0 0 0 0 0 c 0 c LL e 0 00 tD m 0 0 0 00 M F 0 0 0 0 O O O O 0 C N 8 N Ln 0 0 0 0 0 Qc � 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O IwA, C W V o LL O L—I1 0—" 0 0 0 0 N _® 0 Q1 Ol O O O O O m00 0 0 0 0 Y / c W©00000000 ~ c0 N a �p LL�o��00000 N W CD 3- Q ©.- 1 in 0 0 0 0 0 0 © N W LO O O O O O 1 � Z a `� ( ro G r (N m` v o v a v v N N O N2LL C U V1 VNI a O i- U! G cc C C a 0 0 0 o a cu O N N N w Y R 0m � p •S > > > C Z u C 9 LL VW ATTACHMENT 2 U.S. Drought Munitor California June 21, 2016 O O Cal O N N c Q r OR 0 N M v to N N r v N a N O to 1 r- 0 0 0 W Ci o � LO N m 00 C-) o LO Lq � � I w w p cMo 0 rn � m Q C! ro g I? m w co o C) n 06 n u E cu O O 000 O N N L O E r OR Op M O O O N r v N It 1n in O to 1 r- 0 0 0 co � Ci o � LO ��Co 0) o LO Lq � � I w w p cMo ccoo rn rn m m C! n g I? m w co o C) n 06 n u E cu O O C O O O Cp O O r w O O Z O O O O Y '40 d OO O> Q cc N w d ^ O 0) Q Lei O O cc fi U E m c co 10 ri U O Lo Hw,^"roN L O E o� � 7 O O ,� e 0 o a x d E � N z U � w w o CU P o. u E cu O C m fi U E co 10 COT 83s Q oa� O ISMO j �y O N o O N 9) L o > C d � +� c .Q ro d Q CIO CD 04 CY) co co °40- Q W :0 ATTACHMENT 3 Articles on California Drought and Water Conservation Conservation sticks as Californians cut water use 26% - SFGate Page 1 of 4 SFGATE http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Conservation-sticks-as-Californians-cut-water-use-7966863. php Cone�t' n iticki i Californians cut water 126% rva io a By Peter Fimrite Updated 8:00 pm, Monday, June 6, 2016 ADVERTISEMENT Photo: Jae C. Hong, Associated Press A sprinkler waters the lawn of a home on Wednesday, May 18, 2016, in Santa Ana, Calif. http://www.sfgate.comlbayarealarticlelConservation-sticks-as-Californians-cut-water-use-7... 6/7/2016 Conservation sticks as Californians cut water use 26% - SFGate Page 2 of 4 The latest conservation figures — which compare water used this year with 2013, before the height of the drought — came just as the State Water Resources Control Board began easing some of the short-term restrictions that were in place over the past year. Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the water board, said the numbers demonstrated how Californians have joined forces in pushing conservation. BAY AREA NEWS ADVERTISEMENT 'Butt crick bandit' plunder plant in Turlock Ilan Majeo County el tion official ruh to f* 140 machine Cool but clear Bay Area weather for election day "These results definitely show strength in numbers," Marcus said. "We need to keep it up over the summer months." The average residential water customer saved 77 gallons per day in April compared with the same period three years ago. That's more than the 66 gallons a day that Californians saved in March, but well below the go gallons a day people saved in April 2015. Cumulatively, residents have cut water use 24.1 percent since June 2015, meaning enough extra water to supply 7.2 million Californians for a year, the state board said. Marcus and others warned against slacking off, especially with 6o percent of the state still suffering severe drought conditions. Conservation sticks as Californians cut water use 26% - SFGate The savings report comes after the water board scrapped the emergency 25 percent conservation mandates that Gov. Jerry Brown set last year, instead adopting new regulations that went into effect June 1. ADVERTISEMENT Page 3 of 4 The revised regulations don't require water districts to meet strict numeric targets but instead mandate reporting water use, with a goal of keeping enough water in reserve to accommodate three dry years. The board will conduct what it calls "stress tests," with agencies having to prove to the state that they have the needed reserves. The new regulations continue a statewide ban on wasteful practices, such as hosing off sidewalks and driveways and watering lawns in a manner that causes runoff. Homeowners' associations are still barred from requiring people to water lawns. The new regulations are set to run through January, at which time Brown has ordered the water board to develop permanent water rules. Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter,; pfimrite O 2016 Hearst Communications, Inc. H EARST Print Article: Due to La Nina, drought could get worse this winter Page 1 of 3 ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER Due to La Nina, drought could get worse this winter By AARON ORLOWSKI 2016-06-05 22:54:00 Last month, state water officials eased conservation mandates in response to slightly above-average winter rain and snow in much of California, leading many to speculate that the state's long-running drought has tapered off. If only. f The EI Nino winter that forecasters said could drench the state with rain and snow veered north instead, striking mostly the Pacific Northwest. IN The amount of rain and snow that hit Northern California was a tick above average and looked impressive mostly because it contrasted sharply with the extreme drought of the previous four years. Southern California was wetter than in previous years, but not by much. Now, conditions are shifting, and EI Nino's counterpart, La Nina — a seasonal period marked by lower Pacific temperatures that shrivel rainfall in California — is expected to arrive around early fall and could prolong the dry times in California. "I would be concerned about the drought continuing," said Dave Pierce, who does EI Nino and La Nina forecasts at the Climate Research Division of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla. Another dry winter could hit at a time when the sources that provide Southern California with imported water — the Colorado River and the Sacramento—San Joaquin Delta region — face existential threats. The Colorado River is overallocated, meaning there are more demands on the river's water than there is water. Levels at the river's biggest reservoir, Lake Mead, hit a record low last month, after dropping in 14 of the past 17 years. While Nevada and Arizona face cutbacks on river water before California, that might change. Negotiations are underway to distribute cuts more evenly among the three states early on to avoid more severe restrictions later. Meanwhile, in Northern California's delta region, environmental protections are increasing. This could mean healthier populations of fish and better water quality, while restricting the volume of water that can be pumped south and the time periods it can be sent. Without a pair of tunnels to withdraw water from the delta in a less ecologically damaging way, Southern California could lose 440,000 acre-feet of water supply annually, or roughly the amount of water Orange County uses annually now, said Rob Hunter, the general manager at the Municipal Water District of Orange County. A decision on the tunnels, championed by Gov. Jerry Brown, is expected before the end of 2017. "That (will have) a huge impact on Southern California in terms of water supply and the cost of water," Hunter said. 'RIDICULOUSLY RESILIENT' Print Article: Due to La Nina, drought could get worse this winter Page 2 of 3 During the drought, a persistent high-pressure ridge off the coast of the Pacific Northwest has bent the track of storms away from Southern California. Forecasters predicted that EI Nino -related, record-breaking warm water temperatures in the central Pacific would collapse that ridge. Instead, it re-formed intermittently during the winter and blocked the sort of parade of storms that hit Southern California during past EI Nino winters. Only the strongest storms were able to break through. The rainy season was "a pretty modest response" to the unusually warm ocean, said Pierce, the Scripps forecaster. Now, conditions in the Pacific are cooling and shifting again. Forecasters at the Climate Prediction Center say the odds of a La Nina hitting this winter are about 75 percent. That means more dry times and a potential revival of the high-pressure system that weather experts call the "Ridiculously Resilient Ridge." A La Nina year in Southern California is typically 25 percent drier than an average year, and La Nina has a similar effect on the Colorado River basin. In Northern California, the difference is just 15 percent, and further north the condition produces above-average rainfall. Scientists are unsure why the local high-pressure ridge is so stubborn. Pierce said it could have to do with melting Arctic sea ice, or it could be a result of disruptions in weather patterns in the tropical Pacific, near Japan and Indonesia. FIRE STARTER A La Nina, even as it builds up for winter, figures to bring an extra threat — fire. Four years of dry times have left the region with a buildup of dead, highly combustible shrubs and trees. As a result, forest managers say the summer could be a particularly difficult fire season. "Even if the EI Nino had brought us normal rain, or even twice as much rain as we normally get, it's still a cumulative effect; the dead stuff is still dead," said Gordon Martin, the fire management officer at the Trabuco Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest. "To get out of four years of drought, it takes four years of above -normal rainfall," Martin said. "We didn't get that." Years of drought also have rendered living trees, such as Orange County's oaks, vulnerable to attacks by beetles and less able to withstand fire as well as they have in the past. "A normal, healthy tree can often fight off an attack by beetles. But if you stress it with a drought, then attack it with beetles, the trees will often die because of that," Martin said. Martin noted that oak trees can take 50 to 100 years to grow to a decent size. "You're not going to see it come back in your lifetime." FALLING GROUND For years, farmers and others in the Central Valley have pumped groundwater to supplement the rain and river water. But between 2014 and 2015, they pumped an unprecedented 11.5 million acre-feet of water out of the earth, causing the ground surface in some parts of the valley to collapse by as much as a foot per year. "Groundwater has been overpumped for decades, and the recent acceleration of pumping has only made things worse," said Tom Farr, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, who uses satellites to measure how much the ground rises and falls as a result of extraction and recharge of groundwater. The water is still down there, but it's getting harder to pull out, with both the number and depth of drills increasing. "If we have another dry winter, there may be some hard choices to be made," Farr said. Print Article: Due to La Nina, drought could get worse this winter Page 3 of 3 In Orange and Los Angeles counties, the groundwater basins are closely managed and regularly refilled after they've been drawn down. Farr said there isn't much risk of ground surface collapsing here. California can and should rely on groundwater during droughts, said Jeffrey Mount, a senior fellow at the Water Policy Center at the Public Policy Institute of California. But the amount of water withdrawn during the current drought has surpassed what can be recharged, he said. "We still have all the hangovers of drought. We have had a dramatic lowering of groundwater basins," Mount said. "We likely mined that water. We went to the bank and we wrote a big check and drained our bank account, which is groundwater. There's no putting that back." Public attention has zeroed in on water issues in an unprecedented way, Mount said, largely driven by the mandates handed down by the State Water Resources Control Board. "We will never look at green lawns the same. We will never look at golf courses the same again," Mount said. "We are in a new era that looks at lavish use of water on outdoor landscaping as not socially beneficial." Contact the writer: aorlowski(a�ocregister.com. Twitter: @aaronorlowski © Copyright 2016 Freedom communications. X! Rights Reserded. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service I Copyright I Site Map