BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:
Title
2018 Water Supply Outlook.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Receive information on the 2018 Water Supply Outlook for Calendar Year 2018, and provide direction to staff on continuing the call for the community to voluntarily achieve a 20 percent reduction in water use, compared to 2013.
Body
SUMMARY:
Staff will present up-to-date information on the CY2018 water supply outlook, including water savings achieved, local water supply conditions, and imported water allocations. Staff will also present an update on the State’s efforts to make water conservation a way of life.
Current Hydrologic and Groundwater Conditions
The 2018 Water Year (WY), beginning October 2017, is improved compared to 2012 to 2016 drought conditions, but is below average for this time of year. Despite precipitation being below average, northern California reservoir storage levels are near or above average for this time of year. This is due in part to an extremely wet WY2017 and recent storms. Locally, conditions are also favorable as groundwater storage levels have returned to pre-drought levels and CY2018 end-of-year groundwater storage levels are expected to improve. Current conditions include:
• In CY2017, continued water use reduction by the community and a normal groundwater recharge program resulted in healthy groundwater conditions. Groundwater elevations in many wells were near or above historical maximum readings. End-of-year groundwater storage in CY2017 is estimated to be 340,000 Acre-Feet (AF), which is in Stage 1 (Normal) of the Water Shortage Contingency Plan.
• As of April 26, 2018, local (San Jose) rainfall for WY2018 is 8.5 inches, or 63 percent of average to date. As of April 25, 2018, local reservoir storage is 45 percent of the 20-year average for this time of year. Groundwater elevations in three key index wells are near or above pre-drought levels.
• Even though local and imported water supplies are lower than last year at this time, the District is expected to have a normal managed groundwater recharge program in CY2018. As such, the predicted end-of-year 2018 groundwater storage remains within Stage 1 (Normal) of the District’s Water Shortage Contingency Plan.
• State Water Project (SWP) allocations are 30 percent as of April 25, 2018; under this allocation, the District would receive 30,000 AF.
• The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced in February 2018 that Central Valley Project (CVP) initial allocations are 70 percent for South of Delta M&I contractors and 20 percent for agricultural contractors. Under these allocations, the District would receive 97,000 AF.
• The District banked approximately 70,000 AF in to the Semitropic water storage bank in Kern County in CY2017. Current District storage in Semitropic is approximately 255,000 AF, or 73 percent of capacity. The maximum capacity is 350,000 AF, and the five-year average storage is 223,000 AF.
The generally good water supply indicator values and favorable water supply outlook indicate that local water supply conditions are significantly improved when compared to the recent drought. End-of-year storage in CY2018 is expected to increase to 345,000 AF, which is improved slightly over CY2017 end-of-year storage. The effective water management and conservation tools employed by the District and the water retailers, in addition to the excellent community response in reducing water use, are significant contributors to the good outlook.
Making Water Conservation a Way of Life
While the recent drought may be over, history proves that another drought is always just around the corner. Given the historical record and potential impacts of climate change in the future, even more significant droughts are possible.
On June 14, 2017, the Board approved Resolution 17-43 (Attachment 2) making water conservation a way of life, recommending various water waste prohibitions, and calling for the community to voluntarily achieve a 20 percent reduction in water use, when compared to 2013. While there are statewide reports that water use is near pre-drought levels, savings are still being realized in Santa Clara County. Cumulative water use reductions from January to March 2018 are 16 percent below usage over the same months in 2013. The District continues to make the Board’s direction to “make water conservation a way of life” a priority.
Similarly, on April 7, 2017, the Governor issued Executive Order B-40-17, which requires the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) to adopt permanent water waste prohibitions, such as no irrigation runoff; no irrigating after a measurable rainfall; and no washing vehicles without a shutoff nozzle. The State Board has solicited stakeholder input and held several public hearings. The State Board is expected to adopt water waste prohibitions in May 2018. Several legislative bills have also been introduced, AB 1668 (Friedman) and SB 606 (Skinner/Hertzberg), both of which the District supports, to establish new water conservation standards for water retailers and requirements for water supply planning. As the state is transitioning from drought response to the long-term framework “Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life”, staff will continue to assess the framework as it develops, and if appropriate, bring back relevant information and recommendations to the Board.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with this item.
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
Attachment 2: SCVWD Resolution No. 17-43
UNCLASSIFIED MANAGER:
Manager
Garth Hall, 408-630-2750