BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Government Code § 84308 Applies: Yes ☐ No ☒
(If “YES” Complete Attachment A - Gov. Code § 84308)
SUBJECT: Title
Adopt the Water Supply Master Plan 2050.
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RECOMMENDATION: Recommendation
Adopt the Water Supply Master Plan 2050.
Body
SUMMARY:
The Water Supply Master Plan (WSMP) is Santa Clara Valley Water District’s (Valley Water) guiding document for long-term water supply investments to ensure water supply reliability for Santa Clara County. Updated approximately every five years, this long-range plan assesses projected future county-wide demands and evaluates and recommends water supply and infrastructure projects to meet those demands to achieve Valley Water’s level of service goal through the planning horizon. Valley Water’s Level of Service (LOS) goal, as established in Board Ends Policy E-2, is to “Meet 100 percent of annual water demand during non-drought years and at least 80 percent of demand in drought years.”
Over past two years, Valley Water has developed the WSMP 2050 to address both existing and emerging challenges. The WSMP 2050 updates the previous plan by assessing and adapting to changing conditions and identifies strategies to maintain the reliable water supply system for Santa Clara County through 2050. During the plan development, staff have presented five updates to the Board of Directors (Board) as well as appropriate committees and advisory committees. Following the September Board update, which incorporated public and Board comments received, staff finalized the plan in response to feedback from the Board. The final WSMP 2050 is attached (Attachment 1).
Water Supply Strategy
Valley Water’s current system and sources of water supply can meet demands during wet and normal years, but extended droughts remain the biggest water supply challenge. In 2050, modeling analysis indicates that average shortage over a six-year drought could be as much as 70,000 Acre-Feet per Year (AFY), depending on the projected demand and imported water supply conditions. Valley Water needs to invest in new projects to address those shortages to ensure long-term water supply reliability for the county.
Valley Water considers and evaluates a broad range of projects in the WSMP 2050 to address future water supply needs. In addition, the WSMP 2050 includes updated water conservation and reuse goals. Through portfolio analysis and evaluation, potential investment strategies were developed based on three themes to help outline investment options and present tradeoffs - Lower Cost, Local Control, and Diversified. One representative portfolio for each strategy was selected and summarized in Table 1, along with the total lifecycle cost in 2025 dollars and expected supply or storage benefits. These portfolios can all meet future water supply needs and serve as the basis for an adaptive management framework.
Adaptive Management
Since there are different strategies to achieve future water supply reliability and given uncertainty in project development and future supply and demand conditions, an adaptive management approach was developed to provide the Board with flexibility and ability to make incremental investment decisions. The adaptive framework includes a roadmap and annual reporting. The roadmap outlines near- and mid-term actions and defines indicators and conditions to guide project decisions. The annual reporting tracks project progress as well as indicators such as demand and supply, and provides up-to-date information to help inform decision-making.
The roadmap includes recommended actions at different timelines, especially immediate actions as the starting point of the adaptive management framework:
• Now - focus on the Lower Cost strategy, which includes Pure Water Silicon Valley, B.F. Sisk Dam Raise, Delta Conveyance Project, Groundwater Banking, and South County Recharge; Continue planning for other projects; Continue the Desalination feasibility study; Continue implementing conservation programs.
• Near-term (2-3 years) - Assess success/progress on project planning and implementation; Make project funding, participation, or go/no-go decisions based on indicators, new information, and actual conditions; Continue planning for other projects.
• Mid-term (5 years) - Assess progress on project implementation; Update demand projections and water supply outlook; Update WSMP
Annual reporting through the Monitoring and Assessment Program (MAP) will be a critical component of the adaptive management framework. Annual MAP reports will include key elements of the WSMP, including progress on projects, conditions of indicators, and whether any adjustments are recommended. The timing of the MAP will be aligned with the annual Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Five-Year Plan and water rate-setting cycle to support related decision-making. The annual process will also serve as the venue to evaluate any emerging opportunities in between the WSMP planning cycles.
Outreach and Engagement
The WSMP 2050 was developed over two years with progress reports and opportunities for input and feedback to the Board and Committees throughout the process. In addition, the plan development included retailer engagement and review, public outreach and engagement, as well as review by an expert panel.
Next Steps
Following the adoption of the plan, staff will bring the MAP update to the Board in the Fall next year.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IMPACT:
The Water Supply Master Plan addresses water supply equity by ensuring a cost-effective, high-quality supply is available for all of Santa Clara County, including disadvantaged communities.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with this item.
CEQA:
The recommended actions do not constitute a project under CEQA because they do not have the potential for resulting in direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: WSMP 2050
Attachment 2: PowerPoint
UNCLASSIFIED MANAGER: Manager
Kirsten Struve, 408-630-3138