BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:
Title
Receive Update on Water Shortage Emergency Condition and Call for Conservation.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Receive information on Water Shortage Emergency Condition and Call for Conservation.
Body
SUMMARY:
On June 9, 2021, the Board declared a water shortage emergency condition pursuant to California Water Code §350 and called for a countywide water use reduction of 15% compared to 2019 in Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) Resolution 21-68. Urged by this resolution, the County proclaimed an emergency due to drought on June 22, 2021. California’s Governor included Santa Clara County as part of a drought emergency proclamation on July 8, 2021.
Reflecting critically dry conditions across the state, the Central Valley Project and State Water Project have drastically reduced imported water allocations, which comprise half of Valley Water’s typical annual water supply. Valley Water has been negotiating purchases of emergency transfer water supplies; however, potential state regulatory actions pose significant uncertainty to water transfers.
Furthermore, Valley Water is impacted by the unavailability of Anderson Reservoir as a surface water storage facility for the duration of the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project, which is expected to last 10 years. The loss of Anderson, lower imported water supplies, and uncertainty over emergency water transfers can result in rapid and significant drops in our groundwater levels and resulting in the potential for subsidence and dry wells. In South County, groundwater is the only drinking water supply.
Consequently, water conservation is an important strategy to help alleviate these negative impacts. Valley Water has been conducting a wide array of efforts to meet the water use reduction target of 15% compared to 2019, including public messaging and water conservation program implementation and expansion. An update on these efforts will be provided (Attachment 1). The progress of Gilroy and Morgan Hill towards achieving the call for water use reduction will also be presented. Both City Councils of Morgan Hill and Gilroy adopted resolutions declaring water shortage conditions on June 16, 2021 and August 2, 2021, respectively.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact related to staff’s recommendation to receive information on the water shortage emergency condition and call for conservation.
CEQA:
The recommended action does not constitute a project under CEQA because it does not have a potential for resulting in direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: PowerPoint
UNCLASSIFIED MANAGER:
Manager
Kirsten Struve, 408-630-3138