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ITEM: |
PUBLIC
HEARINGS |
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14. |
CONSIDER FIRST |
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Meeting Date: |
February 24, 2005 |
Budgeted: |
N/A |
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From: |
David A. Berger, |
Program/ |
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General Manager |
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Prepared By: |
Stephanie Pintar |
Cost Estimate: |
N/A |
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General Counsel Approval: Legal Counsel Drafted Ord. 119 |
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Committee Recommendation: Water Demand Committee Endorsed |
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CEQA Compliance: Negative Declaration Proposed |
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SUMMARY: The purpose of this item is for the Board of Directors to approve on first reading proposed Ordinance 119 (Exhibit 14-A). This proposed ordinance, if adopted by the Board, would enable the District to trigger Stage 3 of its Expanded Water Conservation and Standby Rationing Plan (EWC/SRP) regulations more quickly and effectively during periods of excessive water demand on the California-American Water (Cal-Am) system, such as occurred in late spring and early summer, 2004. The draft ordinance also includes several other technical refinements unrelated to the Stage 3 conservation trigger. At its February 8, 2005 meeting, the Committee reviewed a draft of Ordinance 119, made changes to clarify certain sections, and recommended that it be approved on first reading at the February 24, 2005 Board meeting.
RECOMMENDATION: District staff recommends that the Board: 1) Adopt a proposed Negative Declaration related to adoption of Ordinance 119; and 2) approve first reading of Ordinance 119.
BACKGROUND: The Water Demand Committee initially discussed the need for potential changes to the EWC/SRP in its September 14, 2004 meeting, requested that staff meet with Cal-Am to discuss specific modifications, and endorsed staff’s conceptual report of those proposed changes at its January 11, 2005 meeting. Those conceptual changes also were reviewed and supported by the Board at its January 27 meeting. The specific modifications that Ordinance 119 proposes to make in the EWC/SRP regulations are described in the January 27 Board report which is attached as Exhibit 14-B. The one EWC/SRP amendment in Ordinance 119 that this concept report did not mention changes in the usable water storage values (see Ordinance Sections Six through Nine). These changes are proposed to match the effective Cal-Am production limit from the Monterey Peninsula Water Resources System (MPWRS) of 15,285 AFA. This limit is based on the production limit for Cal-Am from the Carmel River specified in SWRCB Order 95-10 (11,285 AFA), and the production limit for Cal-Am from the coastal portion of the Seaside Groundwater Basin specified by the District (4,000 AFA) and they replace the outdated values now shown in the water rationing stages of the EWC/SRP regulations.
Also attached is the final version of Cal-Am’s recently submitted 2004 Unaccounted-for Water Evaluations report which the EWC/SRP regulations required when the District went to Stage 3 last summer (Exhibit 14-C). In this report, Cal-Am has proposed to undertake a comprehensive study, in cooperation with the District, to determine definitively whether or not the existing EWC/SRP seven percent Unaccounted-for Water target should be replaced by a different and more realistic performance standard. Staff supports this joint study, and will report back to the Water Demand Committee and Board on its outcome. The Committee discussed and endorsed this joint study at its February 8 meeting.
Finally, attached (Exhibit 14-D)
is the Notice of Intent to Adopt a CEQA Proposed Negative Declaration filed
with the
EXHIBITS
14-A Draft Ordinance 119
14-B January 27, 2004 General Manager Report
14-C Cal-Am Unaccounted For Water Report for Water Year 2004
14-D Proposed Negative Declaration
U:\staff\word\boardpacket\2005\2005boardpackets\20050224\PubHrgs\14\item14.doc