Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2304-13315.Utilities Advisory Commission Recommends Adoption of the 2023 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report 2 0 6 9 City Council Staff Report From: City Manager Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR Lead Department: Utilities Meeting Date: June 19, 2023 Staff Report:2304-1331 TITLE Utilities Advisory Commission Recommends Adoption of the 2023 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report RECOMMENDATION The Utilities Advisory Commission (UAC) and staff recommend the City Council adopt the 2023 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Beginning in 2022, every urban water supplier in California must conduct an Annual Water Supply and Demand Assessment as required by California Water Code Section 10632 (a). Each urban water supplier must also submit an Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) on or before July 1, as required by California Water Code Section 10632.1. The City’s Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report (Attachment A, Tables 1- 5) shows that there is no water shortage anticipated for Fiscal Year 2024. On April 17, 2023, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), Palo Alto’s water supplier, provided Palo Alto with the Water Supply Availability Update indicating for this upcoming water year, to-date precipitation has been above average and snowpack is at record- breaking levels; additionally, SFPUC indicated its 11% regional voluntary reduction request will expire at the same time the State Board’s drought emergency regulation expires on June 10th, 2023 (unless the State Board rescinds the drought emergency regulation earlier). Palo Alto’s water use for the period July 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023 was 13% below the base year of July 1, 2019 through March 31, 2020. The City of Palo Alto encourages continued water conservation efforts and the City’s website contains more information about available water 2 0 6 9 conservation programs1 and latest water conservation and drought updates.2 DISCUSSION To prepare the 2023 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report, staff followed the procedures outlined in its Water Shortage Contingency Plan, contained in Section 7 of the City’s 2020 Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP). Palo Alto’s 2023 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report uses the DWR-developed Optional Annual Assessment Tool format. This format includes the 5 tables shown in Attachment A. Staff will submit the standard tables to DWR by July 1, 2023. “Table 1. Annual Assessment Information” (Table 1) provides required overview information. The remaining tables project water supply and demand for FY 2024 under dry conditions, as required, and finds that there is no projected water shortage. After Palo Alto and other urban water suppliers report to DWR on the 2023 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Reports, DWR will prepare a summary report on its review of the Annual Water Supply and Demand Assessment results and provide it to the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) by September 30. The DWR report will include water shortage information at the supplier level, as well as regional and statewide analysis of water conditions as required by California Water Code Section 10644 (c)(1)(B). Potable Water Palo Alto receives 100% of its potable water supply from the SFPUC Regional Water System and staff used the SFPUC's April 17, 2023 Water Supply Availability Update to determine water supply. Attachment A shows the following potable water tables: •“Table 2: Water Demands” (Table 2) provides a demand projection for each month of FY 2024; •“Table 3: Water Supplies” (Table 3) notes that there is sufficient supply to meet Palo Alto’s demand and projects supply equal to the demand projection since there is no projected water shortage; •“Table 4(P): Potable Water Shortage Assessment” (Table 4(P)) compares projected FY 2024 demand with supply and illustrates that there is no shortage projected for FY 2024; •“Table 5: Planned Water Shortage Response Actions” (Table 5) shows no triggered water shortage actions. On March 24, 2023, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order (N-5-23) which eliminated his directive that agencies implement Stage II of their water shortage contingency plans as well as lessened the drought emergency restrictions presented in his previous Executive Order (N-7-22), while not eliminating all actions completely. On April 11, 2023, the SFPUC approved the 1 Water Conservation Programs https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Utilities/Sustainability/Ways-to- Save 2 Water Conservation and Drought Updates https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Utilities/Sustainability/Water-Conservation-and-Drought-Updates 2 0 6 9 rescindment of the Water Shortage Emergency that was declared on November 23, 2021. This action removes the voluntary system wide cutback of 11% (Resolution No. 22-0098) effective when the State Board’s order expires on June 10, 2023 (unless the State Board takes an earlier action). The City of Palo Alto’s temporary drought water use restrictions expire at the same time as SFPUC’s voluntary water use restriction and the State Board’s drought emergency regulations.3 Palo Alto’s eight permanent water use regulations will remain in effect (see Palo Alto Municipal Code Section 12.32.010). Staff will continue to monitor drought actions and requirements at the SFPUC and State level and provide updates to the UAC and to the public through the City’s website described above. Non-Potable Water For non-potable recycled water, Attachment A shows non-potable water in Tables 2, 3, and 4(NP). Table 2 provides the demand projection and Table 3 notes that there is sufficient supply to meet Palo Alto’s non-potable recycled water demand. For that reason, the supply is set to equal demand and there is no shortage of non-potable water projected in Table 4(NP), “Non Potable Water Shortage Assessment”. FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT Adoption of the 2023 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report does not have an associated resource impact. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT Staff encourages interested parties to comment or provide feedback on the draft Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report at the Council meeting where the report will be considered for approval, or to submit written comments prior to those meetings. COMMISSION REVIEW The 2023 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report was presented to the UAC at its June 7, 2023 meeting. The UAC voted unanimously (6-0), with Commissioner Scharff absent, to recommend Council adopt the 2023 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report. Commissioner Questions: - There was a question about possible feedback or impacts from the State in response to Palo Alto’s 2023 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report. Staff explained that the report is a requirement for Palo Alto to qualify for state loans and grants. - There was a question about future droughts and whether water savings were in line with expected savings and whether staff would continue tracking water sales and rebound. Staff explained that water savings were in line with expectations and that Palo Alto’s Water Shortage Contingency Plan provides a guide to water shortage actions for 3 See Resolution 10054, adopted June 20, 2022: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/city- clerk/resolutions/resolutions-1909-to-present/2022/reso-10054.pdf 2 0 6 9 each needed water conservation level; staff will continue to track water sales and rebound and will make appropriate recommendations to Council about needed water use restrictions in future droughts. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW Adoption of the 2023 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report is exempt from California Environmental Quality Act’s (CEQA) review pursuant to Water Code Section 10652. ATTACHMENTS: Attachment A: 2023 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report Tables APPROVED BY: Dean Batchelor, Director of Utilities Staff: Lisa Bilir, Senior Resource Planner Attachment A: 2023 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report Tables Table 1. Annual Assessment Information Annual Assessment Information (Required) Year Covered By This Shortage Report Start: July 1,2023 End: June 30,2024 Supplier's Annual Assessment Planning Cycle Start Month:July End Month:June Data Reporting Interval Used: MONTHLY Volume Unit for Reported Supply and Demand: (Must use the same unit throughout)AF Water Supplier's Contact Information Water Supplier's Name:City of Palo Alto Contact Name:Lisa Bilir Contact Title:Senior Res ource Planner Street Addres s :250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto ZIP Code:94301 Phone Number:(650)329-2543 Email Addres s :lisa.bilir@ci tyofpaloalto.org Report Preparer's Contact Information (if different from above) Preparer's Organization Name: Preparer's Contact Name: Phone Number: Email Addres s : Supplier's Water Shortage Contingency Plan W SCP Title 2020 Water Shortage Contingency Plan of the City of Palo Alto WSCP Adoption Date 6/7/2021 Other Annual Assessment Related Activities (Optional) Activity Timeline/ Outcomes / Links / Notes Annual Ass es sment/ Shortag e Report Title:Optional Annual As s ess ment / Shortage Report Approval Date:6/12/2023 Other Annual Ass es sment Related Activities : The 2020 Water Shortage Contingency Plan of the C ity of Palo Alto s tates that Palo Alto will utilize the BAWSCA Regional Reliability Model to evaluate water supply availability, however, the plan als o permits the City to us e SFPUC data since SFPUC is the City's s ole s upplier. Specifically, the 2020 Water Shortage Contingency Plan s tates : "Becaus e Palo Alto relies on only one potable water s upply s ource, SFPUC RWS water, the Annual Ass es sment will rely on key data inputs from the SFPUC." Palo Alto us ed the SFPUC's April 17th 2023 Water Supply Availability Update to determine water supply. (Add rows as needed) = From prior tables = Auto calculated Use Type Start Year:2023 Volumetric Unit Used2:AF Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Total by Water Demand Type All Demands 1259 1147 1103 1070 840 715 673 554 674 887 1138 1120 11182 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1259 1147 1103 1070 840 715 673 554 674 887 1138 1120 11182 All Demands Tertiary 54 53 35 22 11 2 2 11 9 24 42 50 315 0 0 0 0 54 53 35 22 11 2 2 11 9 24 42 50 315 Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Total 0 0 0 0 Thre e years ago total demand Four years ago total demand Optional (for comparison purposes) Last ye ar's total demand Two years ago total demand Table 2: Water Demands1 Projected Water Demands - Volume3 Total by Month (Non-Potable) 1Projections are base d on best availabl e data at time of submitting the report and actual demand volumes coul d be different due to many factors. 2Uni ts of measure (AF, CCF, MG) must remai n consistent. 3When opti ng to provide other than monthly volumes (bi-monthly, quarte rly, or annual), please see directions on entering data for Projecte d Wate r Demand in the Table Instructions. Notes: Potable unconstrained customer demand determi ned using the end-use model de scribed i n the 2020 UWMP Secti on 4. Non-potabl e unconstrai ne d customer demand determined based on 2020 UWMP projection. Total by Month (Potable) Additional Descripti on (as ne e de d) Level of Treatment for Non- Potabl e Supplies Drop-down list Drop-down list May sel ect each use multi pl e ti me s These are the only Use Types that will be recognize d by the WUEdata online submittal tool (Add additional rows as needed) Demands Served by Potable Supplies Demands Served by Non-Potable Supplies = From prior tabl es = Auto calculated Water Supply Start Year:2023 Volumetric Unit Used2:AF Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Total by Water Supply Type Purchased/Imported Water San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Regional Water Supply System 1259 1147 1103 1070 840 715 673 554 674 887 1138 1120 11182 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1259 1147 1103 1070 840 715 673 554 674 887 1138 1120 11182 0 Recycl ed Water Recycled Water from the Regional Water Quality Control Plant 54 53 35 22 11 2 2 11 9 24 42 50 315 0 0 0 0 54 53 35 22 11 2 2 11 9 24 42 50 315 0 Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Total 0 Table 3: Water Supplies1 Projected Water Supplies - Volume3 Water Quality Drop-down List Total Right or Safe Yield* (optional) Additional Detail on Water Suppl y Drop-down List May use each category multiple times.These are the only water supply categories that will be recognized by the WUEdata online submittal tool (Add additional rows as needed) Potable Supplies Non-Potable Supplies eAR Reported Total Water Supplies Optional (for comparison purposes) 1Projections are base d on be st avail able data at time of submitting the report and actual suppl y volumes coul d be di fferent due to many factors. 2Units of measure (AF, CCF, MG) must remain consistent. 3When opting to provide other than monthly volumes (bi -monthly, quarterly, or annual), please see directions on entering data for Projected Water Supplies in the Table Instructions. Notes: Palo Alto purchases 100% of its potable water from SFPUC; Palo Alto used the SFPUC's April 17th 2023 Water Supply Availabi lity Update to determi ne water supply. Palo Alto supplies recycled wate r for irrigation of the municipal golf course, a park and some other minor applications. There is sufficie nt supply of both potable and recycled wate r to me et demand. Total by Month (Potable) Total by Month (Non-Potable) = Auto calculated = For manual input Table 4(P): Potable Water Shortage Assessment1 Start Year:2023 Volumetric Unit Used2:AF Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun3 Total Antici pated Unconstrained Demand 1,259 1,147 1,103 1,070 840 715 673 554 674 887 1,138 1,120 11,182 Anti cipated Total Water Supply 1,259 1,147 1,103 1,070 840 715 673 554 674 887 1,138 1,120 11,182 Surplus/Shortage w/o WSCP Acti on 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 % Surplus/Shortage w/o WSCP Acti on 0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0% State Standard Shortage Level 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Benefit from WSCP: Supply Augmentati on 0.0 Benefi t from WSCP: Demand Re ducti on 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Revise d Surplus/Shortage wi th WSCP 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 % Revise d Surplus/Shortage wi th WSCP 0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0% = Auto calculated = For manual input Table 4(NP): Non-Potable Water Shortage Assessment1 Start Year:2023 Volumetric Unit Used2:AF Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun3 Total Anti cipated Unconstrained Demand: Non-Potabl e 54 53 35 22 11 2 2 11 9 24 42 50 315 Anticipated Total Water Supply: Non-Potabl e 54 53 35 22 11 2 2 11 9 24 42 50 315 Surpl us/Shortage w/o WSCP Action: Non-Potabl e 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 % Surpl us/Shortage w/o WSCP Action: Non-Potabl e 0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0% Benefit from WSCP: Supply Augmentati on 0.0 Benefi t from WSCP: Demand Re ducti on 0.0 Revise d Surplus/Shortage wi th WSCP 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 % Revise d Surplus/Shortage wi th WSCP 0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0% = From prior tables Planned WSCP Actions 1Assessments are based on best availabl e data at time of submitting the re port and actual volumes could be different due to many factors. 2Units of measure (AF, CCF, MG) must remai n consistent. 3When optional monthly vol umes aren't provided, verify Tables 2 and 3 use the same columns for data entry and are reflected properly i n Table 4 and make sure to use those same columns to enter the benefi ts from Planned WSCP Actions. Please se e directions on the shortage balanci ng e xercise in the Table Instructions. If a shortage i s projected, the supplier i s highly recommended to perform a monthly analysis to more accurately identi fy the ti me of shortage. = From prior tables Planned WSCP Actions 1Assessments are based on best availabl e data at time of submitting the re port and actual volumes could be different due to many factors. 2Units of measure (AF, CCF, MG) must remai n consistent. 3When optional monthly vol umes aren't provided, verify Tables 2 and 3 use the same columns for data entry and are reflected properly i n Table 4 and make sure to use those same columns to enter the benefi ts from Planned WSCP Actions. Please se e directions on the shortage balanci ng e xercise in the Table Instructions. If a shortage i s projected, the supplier i s highly recommended to perform a monthly analysis to more accurately identi fy the ti me of shortage. July 1,2023 t o June 30,2024 Enter Amount (Drop-down List) Select % or Volume Unit Start Month End Month Table 5: Planne d Water Shortage Response Actions NOTES: Palo Alto currently implements permanent water us e res trictions according to the Palo Alto Municipal C ode Section 12.32.010 https ://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes /paloalto/lates t/paloalto_ca/0-0-0-69362#JD_Chapter12.32. There is currently no water s hortage projected for FY 2024 in Table 4(P). Add additional rows as needed How much is action g oing to reduce the s hortag e gap? When is s hortage res pons e action anticipated to be implemented?Is action al ready being implemented? (Y/N) ACTIONS: Demand Reduct io n, Supply Augmentat ion, and Other Actions. (Drop-down List ) Thes e are the only categories that will be accepted by the WUEdata online s ubmittal tool. Select thos e that apply. Anticipated Shortage Level Drop-down Lis t of State Standard Levels (1 - 6) a nd Level 0 (No Shortage)