RESOLUTION R2022-__
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NAPA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, SUPPORTING THE PROPOSED NORTH BAY AQUEDUCT ALTERNATE INTAKE PROJECT (Also known as “water+”) AND DETERMINING THAT THE ACTIONS AUTHORIZED BY THIS RESOLUTION WILL BE SUBJECT TO FUTURE CEQA ANALYSIS WHEREAS the North Bay Aqueduct (NBA) component of the State Water Project provides municipal drinking water to over 500,000 residents in Napa and Solano counties; and WHEREAS major urban centers including Napa, American Canyon, Calistoga, Vacaville, Fairfield, Vallejo, Benicia, as well as Travis Airforce Base are reliant on the NBA water supply; and WHEREAS the NBA draws raw water at the Barker Slough Pumping Plant, located at the terminus of Barker Slough, a dead-end tidal channel connected to Lindsey Slough, and in turn Cache Slough, and ultimately the Sacramento River; and WHEREAS Barker Slough is located within the Yolo Bypass-Cache Slough Complex (YBCSC) region, one of the last remaining refugia for endangered native fish species in the Delta; and WHEREAS the NBA raw water supply generally exhibits some of the poorest raw water quality of all the State Water Project facilities, due largely to local runoff from the surrounding Barker Slough watershed; and WHEREAS in addition to poor water quality, the NBA is periodically subjected to regulatory pumping curtailments to minimize the entrainment of endangered native fish species; and WHEREAS due to prevailing poor water quality conditions and endangered species regulatory restrictions the NBA’s ability to provide municipal drinking water is significantly impaired between the onset of the rainy season and June of each year; and WHEREAS the YBCSC has been identified by State and Federal resource agencies as highly desirable for large scale tidal wetland restoration projects – projects that are intended to increase the abundance of endangered native fish species; and WHEREAS the objectives of the ongoing and planned tidal wetland restoration projects – to increase the abundance of endangered native fish species – are in direct conflict with NBA operations at Barker Slough; and WHEREAS relocating the NBA’s intake out of Barker Slough and the YBCSC would not only preserve the viability of the NBA municipal drinking water supply, but also potentially provide ecological benefits that complement ongoing habitat restoration efforts in the YBCSC; and WHEREAS the North Bay Aqueduct Alternate Intake Project (also known as “Water+”), a multi-benefit project that enhances regional water supply resiliency and provides ecological benefits, is proposed as a means of resolving the myriad of water management issues associated with the existing North Bay Aqueduct intake at Barker Slough; and WHEREAS additional feasibility studies are needed to confirm the viability of the Water+ project; and WHEREAS, the City Council has considered all information related to this matter, as presented at the public meetings of the City Council identified herein, including any supporting reports by City Staff, and any information provided during public meetings.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of Napa, as follows:
The City Council hereby finds that the facts set forth in the recitals to this Resolution are true and correct and establish the factual basis for the City Council’s adoption of this Resolution.
The City Council hereby supports initiation of feasibility studies and development of the Water+ project, and requests State and Federal assistance to advance the Water+ project.
The City Council has determined that the Recommended Action described in this Resolution is not in-and-of-itself a project (pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378) since it does not result in a physical change in the environment. However, the Recommended Action is a part of a larger project that will be subject to environmental review in accordance with CEQA at the earliest feasible time prior to any discretionary approval by the City consistent with CEQA Guidelines Section 15004 and 15352. The larger project is Alternate Intake Project or Water+ and staff plans to bring back a CEQA analysis of that project to Council prior to any discretionary project approval by the City.
This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption.
I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted by the City Council of the City of Napa at a public meeting of said City Council held on the 1tst day of March, 2022, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
ATTEST: ________________________
Tiffany Carranza
City Clerk
Approved as to form:
Michael W. Barrett
City Attorney
R2022-__ Page 2 of 2 March 1, 2022
R2022-__ Page 1 of 2 March 1, 2022
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