BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:Title
Monthly Drought Emergency Response and Water Supply Update. (Previously Listed as Item 2.7)
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RECOMMENDATION:Recommendation
A. *Receive an update on water supply conditions in Santa Clara County and staff's drought response efforts; and
B. *Adopt the RESOLUTION AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. 21-68 RESCINDING RESOLUTION 17-43, DECLARING A WATER SHORTAGE EMERGENCY CONDITION CALLING FOR WATER USE RESTRICTIONS, AND URGING THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA TO PROCLAIM A LOCAL EMERGENCY which includes restricting outdoor watering of lawns and ornamental landscape with potable water to no more than two days.
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SUMMARY:
On June 9, 2021, the Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) Board declared a water shortage emergency condition pursuant to California Water Code ?350, called for countywide water use reduction of 15% compared to 2019, and urged Santa Clara County to proclaim a local emergency. The County ratified its proclamation of a drought emergency on June 22, 2021.
Reflecting critically dry conditions across the state, in 2021 Valley Water received drastic reductions in imported water allocations, which comprise about half of Valley Water's typical annual water supply. Valley Water is also 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 Dam storage, lower imported water supplies, and uncertainty in receiving emergency water transfers results in increased risk for subsidence in North County and dry wells, particularly in South County. In South County, groundwater is the only drinking water supply.
Valley Water has been conducting a wide array of efforts to respond to the drought and the resulting water shortage emergency condition. These efforts along with the latest water supply condition in the County will be described in the current month's Water Tracker R...
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