title
PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER ADOPTION OF THE 2020 URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN AND THE WATER SHORTAGE CONTINGENCY PLAN
recommended action
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt two resolutions:
1. Approving and adopting the 2020 Urban Water Management Plan with any amendments adopted at the hearing and authorizing transmittal to the California Department of Water Resources.
2. Adopting the Water Shortage Contingency Plan consistent with 2018 Water Conservation Legislation requirements.
It is further recommended that the City Manager be authorized to take appropriate and necessary actions to carry out the purpose and intent of these resolutions.
body
Summary
An urban water supplier like the City of Stockton is required by the Urban Water Management Planning Act to update and submit an Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) every five years. These plans are prepared by California’s urban water suppliers to support their long-term water resource planning and provide a determination if adequate water supplies are available to meet existing and future water demands. The City, through the UWMP analysis, is required to assess the reliability of its water sources over a 20-year planning horizon and report progress on the 20 percent reduction in per-capita water consumption by the year 2020 as required in the Water Conservation Bill of 2009 (SBX7-7). In addition, an approved UWMP is required for a water supplier to be eligible for State water management grants and loans. The UWMP does not commit the City to additional expenditures; it serves to affirm and track water efficiency and conservation measures which the City has already implemented.
The 2020 Urban Water Management Plan (2020 UWMP), developed by the Municipal Utilities Department (MUD), discusses and documents the latest water supply planning and water conservation information and provides projections for future years. The 2020 UWMP considers projected water supplies and demand projections in normal, single dry, and multiple dry years. This can help the City understand how to best meet customer water supply needs now and in the future.
Furthermore, Water Shortage Contingency Plans (WSCP) are updated during the Urban Water Management Plan process and are included as an UWMP appendix document. The WSCP describes the City’s strategic plan in preparation for and response to water shortages with a goal to proactively prevent catastrophic service disruptions. It includes water shortage levels (also called “stages”) and associated shortage response actions that will be implemented in the event of a water supply shortage.
The 2020 UWMP was presented to the Water Advisory Group (WAG) and Council Water Committee (CWC) in advance of the June 8, 2021 Council action. A copy of the report with appendices was made available on the City’s website since May 17, 2021.
If approved, the City Council action will adopt the 2020 UWMP (Exhibit 1 to the 2020 Urban Water Management Plan Resolution) and the WSCP (Exhibit 1 to the Water Shortage Contingency Plan Resolution).
DISCUSSION
Background
The Urban Water Management Planning Act (Water Code Div. 6, Pt. 2.6, et seq.) requires urban water suppliers providing over 3,000 acre-feet of water annually or serving more than 3,000 or more connections, to prepare and submit an UWMP to the DWR every five years. The MUD provides potable water service to nearly 49,000 connections in north and south Stockton. The Urban Water Management Planning Act was adopted in 1982 to promote water conservation and efficient water use and has been amended several times by the California State Legislature (Legislature). Urban Water Management Plans are intended to provide a guide to manage urban water demands and the efficient use of water resources over a 20-year planning horizon including normal, dry, and multiple dry years.
In 2018, the Legislature enacted two policy bills, Senate Bill (SB) 606 (Hertzberg) and Assembly Bill (AB) 1668 (Friedman), to establish a new foundation for drought planning that adapts to climate change and the resulting longer and more intense droughts in California. The 2018 Water Conservation Legislation set new requirements for water shortage contingency planning.
On March 24, 2020, the City of Stockton entered into an agreement for Professional Services with West Yost Associates to prepare the City of Stockton’s 2020 UWMP.
Present Situation
With the assistance of West Yost Associates, the City completed its 2020 UWMP in accordance with the requirements of the California Water Code and Urban Water Management Planning Act. The 2020 UWMP addresses current regulatory requirements and reflects changes in the City’s water supply and water reliability that occurred since 2015. Additional changes to the Urban Water Management Planning Act require that water suppliers incorporate a description of all water supply projects and programs, including groundwater projects and water quality impacts on water supply reliability.
The 2020 UWMP also reflects legislation which requires a statewide per capita water use reduction of 20 percent by 2020. Senate Bill X7-7 requires water agencies to determine actual water use, a 2020 interim water use target, and a 2020 compliance water use target using one of four methodologies identified by DWR. The City is currently in compliance with water use targets of 130 gallons per capita per day for 2015 and 158 for 2020.
Additionally, the 2020 UWMP discusses and documents the latest water supply planning and water conservation information over the past five years and provides projections for future years. It is a valuable long-range planning document for water supply and is the foundation document for Water Supply Assessments (SB 610), Written Verifications of Water Supply (SB 221), and one of many building blocks for an Integrated Regional Water Management Plan in San Joaquin County.
The City’s long-range water supply outlook to 2045 is illustrated in the following table. The table demonstrates that for normal water supply years through 2045, the water supply available to the City significantly exceeds the demand.
Normal Year Supply and Demand Comparison (acre-feet/year)
|
Water Supply |
2025 |
2030 |
2035 |
2040 |
2045 |
|
San Joaquin River |
23,400 |
24,800 |
25,000 |
25,000 |
25,000 |
|
Groundwater |
23,100 |
23,100 |
23,100 |
23,100 |
23,100 |
|
Woodbridge Irrigation District |
6,500 |
13,000 |
13,000 |
13,000 |
13,000 |
|
Stockton East Water District |
24,300 |
24,300 |
24,300 |
24,300 |
24,300 |
|
Supply Total |
77,300 |
85,200 |
85,400 |
85,400 |
85,400 |
|
Demand Total |
34,789 |
37,878 |
43,161 |
48,444 |
48,444 |
|
Supply Minus Demand |
42,511 |
47,322 |
42,239 |
36,956 |
36,956 |
Most of the City’s water supply comes from the Delta Water Treatment Plant (San Joaquin River) during a normal year. The 2020 UWMP also analyzes single dry and five consecutive dry water year supplies and demands for the City.
Fourth Consecutive Dry Year Supply and Demand Comparison (acre-feet/year)
|
Water Supply |
2025 |
2030 |
2035 |
2040 |
2045 |
|
San Joaquin River |
20,700 |
21,900 |
22,100 |
22,100 |
22,100 |
|
Groundwater |
23,100 |
23,100 |
23,100 |
23,100 |
23,100 |
|
Woodbridge Irrigation District |
4,500 |
9,000 |
9,000 |
9,000 |
9,000 |
|
Stockton East Water District |
6,700 |
6,700 |
6,700 |
6,700 |
6,700 |
|
Supply Total |
55,000 |
60,700 |
60,900 |
60,900 |
60,900 |
|
Demand Total |
36,642 |
41,048 |
46,331 |
48,444 |
48,444 |
|
Supply Minus Demand |
18,358 |
19,652 |
14,569 |
12,456 |
12,456 |
In the event of a fourth consecutive dry year condition, the water supplies available to the City exceed the water demands for the population projections from 2025 to 2045.
The City’s WSCP has been updated to be consistent with the 2018 Water Conservation Legislation requirements. The MUD is planning to revise the SMC Chapter 13.28 and SMC Chapter 13.32 to support these updates and will seek City Council approval in the future. The City intends for this WSCP to be adaptive, so that it may assess response action effectiveness and adapt to emergencies and catastrophic events. Refinement procedures and adoption requirements are provided in this plan to allow the City to modify this WSCP outside of the Urban Water Management Plan process.
Furthermore, the 2018 Water Conservation Legislation mandates that water suppliers plan for six standard water shortage levels that correspond to progressive ranges of up to 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 percent, and greater than 50 percent shortage levels from the normal reliability condition. The table below indicates the six levels:
|
Shortage Level (Stages) |
Target conservation (water savings) |
Shortage Response Actions |
|
1 |
Up to 10% |
Mandatory Water Conservation |
|
2 |
Up to 20% |
Water Shortage Emergency |
|
3 |
Up to 30% |
Water Shortage Emergency |
|
4 |
Up to 40% |
Water Shortage Emergency |
|
5 |
Up to 50% |
Water Shortage Emergency |
|
6 |
50%+ |
Water Shortage Emergency |
Urban water suppliers are required to hold a public hearing (Water Code §10642) to provide the public an opportunity to provide input to the UWMP before it is adopted.
In accordance with Water Code §10621(b):
• A 60-day notice of the preparation of the 2020 Plan was provided to all applicable agencies on June 15, 2020.
• A 60-day notice of the preparation of the WSCP was provided to all applicable agencies on February 17, 2021.
• The 2020 Plan and the WSCP were made available for public inspection prior to consideration for adoption.
• A notice of the time and place of the public hearing was provided in the Stockton Record on May 17, 2021 and on May 24, 2021.
In addition to fulfilling the Water Code §10621(b) requirements, the 2020 UWMP was presented to the WAG and CWC in advance of the June 8, 2021 Council action. The 2020 UWMP was also made available on the City’s website for public review on May 17, 2021.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
There is no impact to the General Fund, or any other unrestricted fund, from this action.