HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 1308City of Palo Alto (ID # 1308)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Consent Calendar Meeting Date: 2/7/2011
February 07, 2011 Page 1 of 6
(ID # 1308)
Title: Drought Implementation Plan
Subject: Approval of a Utilities Advisory Commission Recommendation to
Adopt a Resolution Approving a New Tier II Water Shortage Allocation Plan
Pursuant to Section 3.11(C) of the 2009 Water Supply Agreement with San
Francisco
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Utilities
Recommendation
Staff and the Utilities Advisory Commission Recommend that the Council Adopt a Resolution
approving a new Tier II Water Shortage Allocation Plan pursuant to Section 3.11(C) of the 2009
Water Supply Agreement with San Francisco.
Executive Summary
Since July 2009 when the new 25-year Water Supply Agreement with San Francisco went into
effect, there has been no plan to divide available water among the agencies who buy water
from San Francisco during a water shortage such as a drought. Starting in October 2009, the
agencies met regularly to begin discussions on a new methodology. In August 2010, agreement
was reached on a new formula. This report presents the new Water Shortage Allocation Plan
and recommends the City Council approve the new plan by Resolution.
Background
The 1984 Settlement Agreement and Master Water Sales Contract (1984 Agreement) between
the City and County of San Francisco and the Wholesale Customers provided the framework for
the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and the Wholesale Customers of the
SFPUC system to allocate water during a water shortage. The 1984 Agreement also specified
that the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) member agencies and the
SFPUC will “begin good faith negotiations to develop a water conservation plan” that will
supersede the default allocation in Section 7.03 (b) of the contract. The default method
essentially allocates water during a drought on a pro-rata basis using the proportional water
use from the year immediately preceding a drought.
Following the drought that began in the late 1980’s, the BAWSCA agencies and the SFPUC
began working on a shortage plan that would eliminate the disincentive to conserve and
provide a better basis for member agencies’ future planning decisions.
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The discussions resulted in the Interim Water Shortage Allocation Plan (IWSAP), which was
approved by the BAWSCA agencies including the City of Palo Alto in January 2001 (CMR
113:01). The IWSAP provided a formula to allocate water during system wide water shortages
with a reduction in supplies of up to 20 percent. The plan had the following elements: a term,
a provision addressing the allocation of available water between San Francisco and BAWSCA
agencies (Tier 1) and a method of allocating available water determined in Tier 1 amongst the
individual BAWSCA agencies (Tier 2).
During the term of the IWSAP, no water supply shortages were declared so the allocation
methodology in the IWSAP was never used.
On May 19, 2009, City Council approved the new Water Supply Agreement (2009 Agreement)
between San Francisco and the BAWSCA agencies (CMR 252:09). Section 3.11(C) of the 2009
Agreement includes a Water Shortage Allocation Plan to allocate water from the regional
system between San Francisco and BAWSCA members during droughts called by the SFPUC.
The Tier 1 Shortage Plan (“Tier 1 Plan”) will apply to system-wide shortages of 20% or less, and
replaced the Tier 1 portion of the IWSAP. The provisions of the Tier 1 Plan allow wholesale
customers to “bank” drought allocations and to voluntarily transfer them to each other and to
San Francisco. The Tier 1 Plan also presents an updated schedule for actions preceding and
during a drought.
To replace the Tier 2 part of the IWSAP, the 2009 Agreement authorized the BAWSCA members
to adopt a methodology for allocating the water between members which is collectively
available to them as a whole. The 2009 Agreement also commits the SFPUC to honor
allocations of water unanimously agreed to by all the BAWSCA agencies or, if unanimous
agreement cannot be achieved, water allocations that have been adopted by the BAWSCA
Board of Directors. The 2009 Agreement provides that the SFPUC can allocate water supplies
as necessary during a water shortage emergency if no agreed upon plan for water allocation
has been adopted by the 26 BAWSCA agencies or the BAWSCA Board of Directors.
Commencing in October 2009, representatives of each BAWSCA member agency have been
meeting to develop a successor water shortage allocation plan. The members began by
agreeing to a set of principles to serve as guidelines for an equitable allocation methodology, as
well as formulas and procedures, to implement those principles. The guiding principles were
that the plan should:
Provide certainty of drought allocations with consistent and pre-determined rules for
calculation;
Provide sufficient amounts of water for basic needs of customers;
Create an incentive for water conservation at all times and the development and
management of alternative water supplies;
Avoid preventable, adverse economic impacts;
Avoid reallocation of water supply assets and investments among agencies without mutual
consent and compensation; and
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Recognize inherent differences in land use and climate.
The discussions and supporting technical analyses were conducted over many months and with
the assistance of BAWSCA staff. On August 25, 2010, the representatives unanimously agreed
to recommend adoption of the Tier 2 Plan to each of their respective governing bodies.
Discussion
The new Tier 2 Plan establishes an allocation formula that determines how the available water
from the regional system will be allocated between the individual BAWSCA member agencies in
system-wide shortages up to 20%. The key features of the allocation formula are as follows:
1.Allocation Formula: the formula contains two components that are weighted
differently. The first component, which is one/third weighted, is an agency’s Individual
Supply Guarantee (ISG) (with slight variations for Hayward, San Jose, and Santa Clara).
The purpose of this component is to recognize the importance of contractual rights to
the SFPUC system. The second component, which is two/thirds weighted, is applied to a
seasonal calculation using 3-year average monthly total water supply. The purpose of
this component is to recognize that some agencies have discretionary, non-essential,
water uses that can be reduced to minimize regional economic and human health
impacts.
2.Applicability: the minimum reduction for an agency is set to 10% and the maximum
reduction is equal to no more than the average reduction plus 20%. This provision is
included to ensure that no agency bears an unfair and disproportionate share of any
reduction.
3.Health and Safety Guarantee: the plan includes a provision to guarantee a sufficient
supply of water to East Palo Alto to meet health and safety needs for its residents. This
provision was added because the City of East Palo Alto is projected to grow beyond its
ISG. East Palo Alto’s per capita water use is extremely low and, absent any adjustment,
it could receive a drought allocation that does not provide enough water for minimum
health and safety needs. The BAWSCA members agreed to provide adequate supplies to
meet minimum health and safety needs for East Palo Alto.
4.Term: The proposed Tier 2 Plan expires on December 31, 2018. The Tier 2 Plan
allocates the collective Wholesale Customer drought allocation among each of the 26
wholesale customers through 2018 to coincide with the Interim Supply Limitation, San
Francisco’s deferral of decisions about additional supply until at least 2018. The Tier 1
and Tier 2 Drought Allocation Plans apply only during times of water shortages caused
by drought. San Francisco’s Interim Supply Limitation applies in all years through 2018,
regardless of water supply availability.
February 07, 2011 Page 4 of 6
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City of Palo Alto’s Allocation
In general, the new drought allocation formula will result in a decreased water shortage
allocation for the City of Palo Alto compared to the formula in the expired IWSAP. Figure 1
illustrates the effect of the new formula vs. the IWSAP formula for two demand scenarios when
there is a system-wide reduction of 20%.
Figure 1 – City of Palo Alto Drought Allocation Scenario
The lower allocation under the new formula is largely a result of the seasonal component of the
formula. In theory, the more potable water that is used for irrigation purposes, the more an
agency is penalized in the new formula with a lower drought-time allocation. However, the ISG
component of the formula can serve to offset the impact of the seasonal component. This is
particularly true in Palo Alto’s case since the City’s current water use (about 11.0 million gallons
of water per day (mgd) in FY 2010) is well below its ISG (17.075 mgd).
Though not explicitly by design, a noteworthy feature of the new formula is that it provides an
incentive to conserve water in a different manner than the formula in the expired IWSAP. The
previous formula had a conservation incentive element, but it did not differentiate between
indoor and outdoor water use efficiency. The new formula provides a double benefit for
outdoor efficiency by reducing irrigation demand in the seasonal component of the formula and
also reducing overall demand below the ISG. Indoor conservation, on the other hand, will not
influence the seasonal component of the formula, but will reduce demand below an agency’s
ISG. This structure provides the foundation to promote outdoor water use efficiency, including,
for example, providing support for water rate structures that encourage investments in
irrigation efficiency and drought tolerant landscapes. Increased attention to outdoor water use
efficiency and drought tolerant landscapes will also prepare the City for future drought
conditions that could result in substantial landscape replacement costs.
The City of Palo Alto’s 2005 Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) specifies how the City will
respond to different stages of water supply reductions. The new water shortage allocation
February 07, 2011 Page 5 of 6
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formula increases the likelihood that the City will need to implement more stringent dry year
demand- and supply-side options, including the option of relying on supplemental groundwater
supplies from Palo Alto’s groundwater extraction wells.
Staff is in the process of preparing the 2010 UWMP update. The 2010 UWMP will include a
discussion of potential dry year impacts of the new water shortage allocation formula and the
options available to the City to mitigate those impacts. Staff anticipates submitting the Draft
UWMP to the UAC in April 2011 and to the City Council in May 2011. The deadline for
submission of the 2010 UWMP to the State is June 2011.
No Recommendation Alternative
All the BAWSCA agencies will seek formal approval of the Drought Allocation Plan from their
respective governing bodies. Like all the members, Palo Alto has the discretion to not approve
the proposed drought allocation method. If this course of action were chosen by any one
agency, Section 3.11(C)(3) of the 2009 Agreement provides that the BAWSCA Board of Directors
will be given the opportunity to approve a new formula. Absent action by the BAWSCA Board
of Directors, the SFPUC will make a decision on the matter.
The proposed formula was the subject of over a year of discussion and is the result of
agreement among 26 agencies with many different views on appropriate allocation
methodologies. Staff’s recommendation to approve the proposed Drought Allocation Plan
inherently recognizes that the outcome of a decision by the BAWSCA Board of Directors is
unlikely to result in an improvement over the current proposal.
Utilities Advisory Commission Discussion
Staff presented the matter to the Utilities Advisory Commission (UAC) at its January 12, 2010
meeting. Staff presented the proposed recommendation and background as described in this
report.
The commission discussed the proposed plan and determined that the options to approval
were not advisable. Draft minutes from the UAC’s meeting are attached. Key discussion items
included a question of what would be done in the case that the required water reductions
exceed 20% since the plan is only applicable in shortages up to 20%. Staff responded that the
SFPUC would determine the reduction formula in that event. A commissioner also inquired
about the default process if any of the BAWSCA members did not approve the new plan. Staff
explained that the contract is clear that the BAWSCA Board of Directors would be given an
opportunity to approve a new formula and the SFPUC would only act in the unlikely event that
the BAWSCA Board did not. Absent BAWSCA Board action, staff cannot say what decision the
SFPUC may take.
After the discussion, the UAC unanimously recommended that the City Council approve the
new Water Shortage Allocation Plan.
Resource Impact
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Approval of the new Drought Allocation Plan will not result in additional resource impacts for
the City
Environmental Review
Adoption of this resolution is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality
Act as an action by a regulatory agency for the protection of natural resources (CEQA
Guidelines Section 15307), and an as action taken by a regulatory agency for protection of the
environment (CEQA Guidelines Section 15308).
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A: City Council Resolution Approving Tier 2 Plan (DOC)
Attachment B: Utilities Advisory Commission Excerpted Minutes (DOC)
Prepared By:Nicolas Procos, Resource Planner
Department Head:Valerie Fong, Director
City Manager Approval: James Keene, City Manager
*NOT YET APPROVED*
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Resolution No. ________
Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Approving a
New Tier II Water Shortage Allocation Plan Pursuant to Section
3.11(C) of the 2009 Water Supply Agreement with San Francisco
WHEREAS, the City of Palo Alto is one of 26 agencies in San Mateo, Santa Clara
and Alameda Counties which purchase water from the City and County of San Francisco (San
Francisco) pursuant to a Water Supply Agreement entered into in 2009 (Agreement).
Collectively these 26 agencies are referred to in the Agreement as Wholesale Customers.
WHEREAS, Section 3.11 of the Agreement addresses times when insufficient water
is available in the San Francisco Regional Water System to meet the full demands of all users.
Section 3.11(C) provides that during periods of water shortage caused by drought, the San
Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) will allocate available water between its retail
customers and the Wholesale Customers collectively, in accordance with a schedule contained in
the Water Shortage Allocation Plan set forth in Attachment H to the Agreement (Tier I Plan).
WHEREAS, Section 3.11(C) authorizes the Wholesale Customers to adopt an
additional Water Shortage Allocation Plan, including a methodology for allocating the water
which is collectively available to the 26 Wholesale Customers among each individual Wholesale
Customer (Tier II Plan). It also commits the SFPUC to honor allocations of water unanimously
agreed to by all Wholesale Customers or, if unanimous agreement cannot be achieved, water
allocations that have been adopted by the Board of Directors of the Bay Area Water Supply and
Conservation Agency (BAWSCA). The Agreement also provides that the SFPUC can allocate
water supplies as necessary during a water shortage emergency if no agreed upon plan for water
allocation has been adopted by the 26 Wholesale Customers or the BAWSCA Board of
Directors.
WHEREAS, commencing in October 2009, representatives appointed by the
managers of each of the Wholesale Customers have been meeting to develop a set of principles
to serve as guidelines for an equitable allocation methodology, as well as formulas and
procedures, to implement those principles. These discussions, and supporting technical analyses,
have been conducted with the assistance of BAWSCA staff.
WHEREAS, the Tier II Plan, attached to this resolution as Exhibit A, has been
endorsed by all of the Wholesale Customer representatives who participated in the formulation
process and they have committed to recommend that it be formally adopted by the governing
body of their respective agencies.
WHEREAS, the Tier II Plan allocates the collective Wholesale Customer share
among each of the 26 wholesale customers through December 31, 2018 to coincide with San
Francisco’s deferral of decisions about additional water supply until at least 2018.
NOW, THEREFORE, the Council of the City of Palo Alto does hereby
RESOLVE as follows:
SECTION 1. The Tier II Drought Implementation Plan, a copy of which is attached
hereto as Exhibit A, is approved.
*NOT YET APPROVED*
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SECTION 2. This approval is conditioned upon all of the other 25 Wholesale
Customers approving the Plan, such approvals being evidenced through adoption of similar
resolutions or, in the case of private-sector organizations, by other equivalently binding written
commitments signed by an executive officer acting within the scope of delegated authority, and
all such approvals occurring on or before June 30, 2011.
SECTION 3. If such resolutions or binding commitments are not adopted by that
date, this resolution will automatically expire and be of no further effect after June 30, 2011,
unless it has been extended prior thereto by further action of this Council.
SECTION 4. The Council finds that adoption of this resolution is categorically
exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act as an action taken by a regulatory agency
for the protection of natural resources (CEQA Guidelines Section 15307), and an as action taken
by a regulatory agency for protection of the environment (CEQA Guidelines Section 15308).
INTRODUCED AND PASSED:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTENTIONS:
ATTEST:
______________________________________________________
City Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:APPROVED:
______________________________________________________
Senior Deputy City Attorney City Manager
___________________________
Director of Utilities
___________________________
Director of Administrative Services
*NOT YET APPROVED*
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EXHIBIT A
TIER II DROUGHT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
AMONG WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS
This Tier II Drought Implementation (Plan) describes the method for allocating the water made
available by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) among the Wholesale
Customers during shortages caused by drought. This Plan is adopted pursuant to Section 3.11.C
of the July 2009 Water Supply Agreement between the City and County of San Francisco and the
Wholesale Customers (Agreement).
SECTION 1. APPLICABILITY AND INTEGRATION
Section 1.1 Applicability. This Plan applies when, and only when, the SFPUC
determines that a system-wide water shortage of 20 percent or less exists, as set forth in
a declaration of water shortage emergency adopted by the SFPUC pursuant to
California Water Code Sections 350 et seq. This Plan applies only to water acquired and
distributed by the SFPUC to the Wholesale Customers and has no effect on water
obtained by a Wholesale Customer from any source other than the SFPUC.
Section 1.2 Integration with Tier I Water Shortage Allocation Plan. The Agreement
contains, in Attachment H, a Water Shortage Allocation Plan which, among other
things, (a) provides for the allocation by the SFPUC of water between Direct City Water
Users (e.g., retail water customers within the City and County of San Francisco) and the
Wholesale Customers collectively during system-wide water shortages of 20 percent or
less, (b) contemplates the adoption by the Wholesale Customers of this Plan for
allocation of the water made available to Wholesale Customers collectively among the
26 individual Wholesale Customers, (c) commits the SFPUC to implement this Plan, and
(d) provides for the transfer of both banked water and shortage allocations between and
among the Wholesale Customers and commits the SFPUC to implement such transfers.
That plan is referred to as the Tier I Plan.
The Tier I Plan also provides the methodology for determining the Overall Average
Wholesale Customer Reduction, expressed as a percentage cutback from prior year’s
normal SFPUC purchases, and Overall Wholesale Customer Allocation, in million
gallons per day, both of which are used in determining the Final Allocation Factor for
each Wholesale Customer. The Overall Average Wholesale Customer Reduction is
determined by dividing the volume of water available to the Wholesale Customers (the
Overall Wholesale Customer Allocation), shown as a share of available water in Section
2 of the Tier I Plan, by the prior year’s normal total Wholesale Customers SFPUC
purchases and subtracting that value from one.
This Plan is referred to in the Agreement as the Tier II Plan. It is intended to be integrated with
the Tier I Plan described in the preceding paragraph. Terms used in this Plan are intended to
have the same meaning as such terms have in the Tier I Plan.
*NOT YET APPROVED*
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SECTION 2. ALLOCATION OF WATER AMONG WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS
Section 2.1 Annual Allocations Among the Wholesale Customers. The annual water
supply allocated by the SFPUC to the Wholesale Customers collectively during system-
wide shortages of 20 percent or less shall be apportioned among them based on the
methodology described in this Section.
Section 2.2 Methodology for Allocating Water Among Wholesale Customers. The
water made available to the Wholesale Customers collectively will be allocated among
them in proportion to each Wholesale Customer’s Allocation Factor, adjusted as
described in the following subsections below. The Wholesale Customer Allocation
Factors will only be calculated at the onset of a drought and will remain the same until
such time as the SFPUC declares the shortage condition over. The Wholesale Customer
Allocation Factors will be recalculated during subsequent shortage periods for use
during those specific periods.
Section 2.2.1 Step One: Determination of Base/Seasonal Purchase Cutback For Each
Wholesale Customer. The first step requires calculating the Wholesale Customer’s
Base/Seasonal Purchase Cutback. This calculation has seven parts. An example of
Steps 1b-1f is presented in Table 2. Step 1g is shown in columns 3-6 in Table 3. For
steps 1b-1g, the calculation uses average monthly production values for the three years
preceding the drought for all potable supply sources, expressed as a monthly value in
hundred cubic feet:
-Step 1a: Each agency’s total annual purchases from the SFPUC will be compared
to its Individual Supply Guarantee (ISG), with any annual purchases above its
ISG subtracted from that agency’s total annual SFPUC purchases by subtracting
the amount on a monthly basis in proportion to the agency’s monthly SFPUC
purchase pattern,
-Step 1b: Calculate Average Monthly and Total Production for the three fiscal
years immediately preceding the drought, excluding years during which
shortage allocations were in effect, based on monthly production data from the
SFPUC and Wholesale Customers,
-Step 1c: Calculate Base Component which is equal to the Average Monthly
Production during the base months of December, January, February and March,
multiplied by 12,
-Step 1d: Calculate Seasonal Component as the difference between Total
Production and Base Component,
-Step 1e: Calculate an agency’s Base/Seasonal Allocation , expressed in hundred
cubic feet, by multiplying the Base Component by one minus the Base Reduction
Percentage, or 90%, and the Seasonal Component by the percentage needed
(Seasonal Reduction Percentage) to achieve the required Overall Average
Wholesale Customer Reduction, which is expressed as a percentage,
*NOT YET APPROVED*
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-Step 1f: Calculate the Base/Seasonal Allocation Cutback Percentage for each
agency by dividing its Base/Seasonal Allocation by the agency’s Total
Production, and
-Step 1g: Calculate the Base/Seasonal Purchase Cutback Percentage by
multiplying the Base/Seasonal Allocation Cutback percentage times the lesser of:
(a) the immediately preceding SFPUC purchases or (b) ISG, adjusting the
Seasonal percentage above until the total reduction equals the Overall Average
Wholesale Customer Reduction.
Additionally, adjustments to the Base Component for Stanford University will be made
to remove that two week time period that the University is completely closed during
the winter break per policy set by the University President as long as that policy
remains in place. This adjustment will be removed at such time as the seasonal closure
policy is terminated by Stanford University.
Section 2.2.2 Step Two: First Adjustment for San Jose and Santa Clara. The resulting
Base/Seasonal Purchase Cutback Percentage in Section 2.2.1 for San Jose and Santa
Clara will be compared to the highest Base/Seasonal Purchase Cutback percentage of
the other Wholesale Customers. If both San Jose’s and Santa Clara’s percentage
reductions are larger than the highest percentage reduction among any other Wholesale
Customers, the Base/Seasonal Purchase Cutback percentage established under Section
2.2.1 will remain unchanged. If either San Jose’s percentage cutback or Santa Clara’s
percentage cutback, or both, is smaller than the highest Base/Seasonal Purchase
Cutback percentage of other Wholesale Customers, the Base/Seasonal Allocation (in
mgd) of San Jose or Santa Clara, or both, will be reduced so that the percentage cutback
of each is no smaller than that of the Wholesale Customers’ otherwise highest
percentage cutback. The amount of shortage allocation (in mgd) removed from San Jose
and/or Santa Clara will be reallocated among the remaining Wholesale Customers in
proportion to the Base/Seasonal Allocation of each.
Section 2.2.3 Step Three: Determination of Weighted Purchase Cutback For Each
Wholesale Customer. Each agency’s weighted allocation is calculated by multiplying
its Adjusted Base/Seasonal Allocation in Section 2.2.2 by 66.66% and its Fixed
Component by 33.33%. The Fixed Component is (i) the Wholesale Customer’s ISG
provided for in the Agreement, or (ii) in the case of Hayward, 25.11 mgd, or (iii) in the
case of San Jose and Santa Clara, consistent with the limit on purchases from SFPUC set
forth in Section 4.05 of the Agreement, e. g., 4.5 mgd each. The amount of the Fixed
Component for each Wholesale Customer is shown on Table 1.
Section 2.2.4 Step Four: Second Adjustment for San Jose and Santa Clara. The
resulting Weighted Allocations for San Jose and Santa Clara will be compared to the
highest Weighted Purchase Cutback, shown as a percentage, of the other Wholesale
Customers. If both San Jose’s and Santa Clara’s percentage cutback is larger than the
highest percentage cutback among other Wholesale Customers, the Weighted Purchase
Cutbacks established under Section 2.2.3 will remain unchanged. If either San Jose’s
*NOT YET APPROVED*
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percentage cutback or Santa Clara’s percentage cutback, or both, is smaller than the
highest percentage cutback of any other Wholesale Customers, the Weighted Shortage
Allocation (in mgd) of San Jose or Santa Clara, or both, will be reduced so that the
percentage reduction of each is no smaller than that of the Wholesale Customers’
otherwise highest Weighted Percentage Cutback. The amount of allocation (in mgd)
removed from San Jose and/or Santa Clara will be reallocated among the remaining
Wholesale Customers in proportion to the Weighted Shortage Allocation of each.
Section 2.2.5 Step Five: Adjustment for Minimum and Maximum Cutbacks. Using
the Adjusted Weighted Purchase Cutbacks, either a 10% minimum cutback or
maximum cutback, as defined below, is applied to any agency whose Adjusted
Weighted Purchase Cutback falls outside this range:
-A minimum 10% cutback is applied to the individual agency Adjusted Weighted
Allocation, with the reapportioned water being placed in the hardship bank for
allocation to East Palo Alto.
-A maximum cutback of the average cutback plus 20% (e.g. 15% average cutback
results in a maximum cutback of 15% + 20% = 35%) is applied to the individual
agency Adjusted Weighted Allocation, with the water necessary to meet that
level being subtracted in proportion to each Wholesale Customer’s Adjusted
Weighted Allocation from all remaining agencies, except those at agencies
subject to the minimum cutback above.
The result is the Adjusted Minimum/Maximum Purchase Cutback, expressed as a
percentage.
Section 2.2.6 Step Six: Adjustment to Provide Sufficient Supply for East Palo Alto.
In order to provide for sufficient water supply for water customers served by the City of
East Palo Alto (EPA), the maximum Final Purchase Cutback applied at any given time
to EPA will be equal to 50% of the Overall Average Wholesale Customer Reduction.
The water needed to accommodate the guaranteed maximum cutback to EPA will be
provided in two ways:
-First, water from the hardship bank provided by the 10% minimum cutback will
be first added to the EPA Adjusted Weighted Purchase Allocation, and
-Second, the balance of water needed for EPA will be deducted on a prorated
basis from those agencies with a pre-drought residential per capita water use
greater than 55 gallons per capita per day (as documented in the most recent
BAWSCA Annual Survey) in proportion to each agency’s Min./Max. Adjusted
Allocation and who are not subject to the minimum and maximum reductions
already applied per Section 2.2.5
The result is the Allocation with EPA Adjustment, expressed as an mgd.
*NOT YET APPROVED*
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Section 2.2.7 Step Seven: Determination of Final Allocation Factor. Each Wholesale
Customer’s Final Allocation Factor is the fraction expressed as a percentage, the
numerator of which is the particular Wholesale Customer’s “Final Allocation with EPA
Adjustment” (in mgd) as calculated in Steps One through Six and the denominator of
which is the Overall Wholesale Customer Allocation (in mgd), a number provided by
the SFPUC during the drought period as determined by the SFPUC in the Tier 1 Plan.
Section 2.2.8 Example Calculation. Table 2 presents a sample of the calculations
involved in Steps 1b-1f. Table 3 presents a sample of the calculations involved in Step
1g and Steps Two through Seven, using the values from Tables 1 and 2 and recent water
use data for the other values. Tables 2 and 3 are presented for illustrative purposes only
and do not supersede the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.2. In the event of any
inconsistency between this Section 2.2 and Tables 2 and 3, the text of this section will
govern.
Section 2.3 Calculation of Individual Wholesale Customer Allocation Factors;
Directions to SFPUC. The Tier 1 Plan contemplates that in any year in which the
methodology described above must be applied, the Bay Area Water Supply and
Conversation Agency (BAWSCA) will calculate each Wholesale Customer’s individual
percentage share of the amount of water made available to the Wholesale Customers
collectively, following the methodology described above and defined above as
Wholesale Customer Allocation Factors. The Tier 1 Plan requires SFPUC to allocate
water to each Wholesale Customer in accordance with calculations delivered to it by
BAWSCA.
Each Wholesale Customer authorizes BAWSCA to perform the calculations required,
using water sales data furnished to it by the SFPUC, and to deliver to SFPUC a list of
individual Wholesale Customer Allocation Factors so calculated as contemplated by the
Tier 1 Plan. Neither BAWSCA nor any officer or employee of BAWSCA shall be liable
to any Wholesale Customer for any such calculations made in good faith, even if
incorrect.
SECTION 3. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section 3.1 No Third-Party Beneficiaries. This Plan is for the sole benefit of the
Wholesale Customers and shall not be construed as granting rights to any person other
than another Wholesale Customer.
Section 3.2 Governing Law. This Plan is made under and shall be governed by the
laws of the State of California.
Section 3.3 Effect on Water Supply Agreement. This Plan describes the method for
allocating water from the SFPUC among the Wholesale Customers during system-wide
water shortages of 20 percent or less declared by the SFPUC. The provisions of this
Plan, and the Tier 1 Plan contained in Attachment H to the Agreement with which it is
integrated, are intended to implement Section 3.11 of the Agreement. The Plans do not
*NOT YET APPROVED*
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affect, change or modify any other section, term or condition of the Agreement or of the
individual Water Sales Contracts between each Wholesale Customer and San Francisco.
Section 3.4 Amendment. This Plan may be amended only by the written agreement
of all Wholesale Customers.
Section 3.5 Termination. This Plan shall expire on December 31, 2018. It may be
terminated prior to that date only by the written agreement of all Wholesale Customers.
ATTACHMENT B
UTILITIES ADVISORY COMMISSION - SPECIAL MEETING
EXCERPTED DRAFT MINUTES OF THE JANUARY 12, 2011 MEETING
ITEM 2: ACTION: Water Shortage Implementation Plan
Senior Resource Planner Nico Procos provided a presentation, including the background, on the
development of the proposed plan to split up the water available in a water shortage condition (drought)
among the member agencies of the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA). Under
the plan, water is divided by a formula which is weighted one-third on the Individual Supply Guarantee (the
long-term contractual entitlement) and two thirds on a seasonal usage calculation that penalizes water use
in the summer months. The formula is also bounded so that no agency is reduced less than 10% and no
agency is reduced more than 20% more than the average reduction for all agencies. The formula also
includes an adjustment for East Palo Alto to ensure that agency has enough water to meet basic health and
safety requirements. The formula expires in 2018 and is only in effect for water shortages that require
water use reductions of up to 20%. Procos stated that, for Palo Alto, the formula is not as beneficial as the
expired formula, but results in a lower reduction than the average reduction for the BAWSCA agencies.
Procos stated that the representatives of all the BAWSCA agencies that were involved in the development
and negotiation of the formula unanimously agreed to recommend the proposed formula to their governing
boards. If any agency does not approve the proposed formula, then the BAWSCA Board would consider
approval of a formula. If the BAWSCA Board were unable to approve a formula, then the San Francisco
Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) would decide on the formula.
Commissioner Cook asked what happens if there is a reduction of greater than 20%. Assistant Director
Jane Ratchye replied that the SFPUC would determine the reduction formula in that event. However,
Ratchye noted that the SFPUC has adopted level of service goals for its Water System Improvement
Program such that the greatest water supply reduction is 20%. In addition, since the 1987 through 1992
drought, the SFPUC has adjusted its system operations to make water shortages less likely by preserving
water in storage rather than producing electricity and by calling for water use reductions earlier in a multi-
year drought event.
Chair Waldfogel asked if the formula would have been triggered in the past. Ratchye stated that she hadn’t
done the analysis, but said that she thinks it would have been triggered in the 1987 through 1992 drought.
Commissioner Berry inquired about the default process if any of the BAWSCA members did not approve
the new formula. Specifically, did staff have a sense what the SFPUC might do if they had to make a
decision on the process? Procos responded that the contract is clear that the BAWSCA Board of Director’s
would be given an opportunity to approve a new formula and the SFPUC would only act if the board did
not. Procos added that it is likely that the BAWSCA Board would exercise its authority to resolve the issue.
However, assuming the SFPUC was given the opportunity, Procos does not know what approach it may
take.
ACTION: Commissioner Berry made a motion to recommend Council approval of the proposed Water
Shortage Implementation Plan. Commissioner Melton seconded the motion. The motion carried
unanimously (6-0).