City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Utilities
Meeting Date: June 17, 2024
Staff Report: 2404-2876
TITLE
Utilities Advisory Commission Recommends Adoption of the 2024 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report
RECOMMENDATION
The Utilities Advisory Commission (UAC) and staff recommend the City Council adopt the 2024 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) show that there is no water shortage anticipated for Fiscal Year 2025.
On April 15, 2024, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), Palo Alto’s water supplier, provided Palo Alto with the Water Supply Availability Update indicating for the current water year, Hetch Hetchy watershed has experienced nearly average conditions for precipitation and snowpack. The City of Palo Alto encourages continued water conservation efforts and the City’s website contains more information about available water conservation programs.1
BACKGROUND
To prepare the 2024 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).2 Palo Alto’s 2024 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report uses the DWR-developed Optional Annual Assessment Tool format. This format includes the 5 1 Water Conservation Programs https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Utilities/Sustainability/Ways-to- Save
2 UWMP https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/utilities/uwmp/2020-uwmp_final-submission-to- dwr.pdf
tables shown in Attachment A. Staff will submit the standard tables to DWR by July 1, 2024. “Table 1. Annual Assessment Information” (Table 1) provides required overview information. The remaining tables project water supply and demand for FY 2025 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 2024 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 15, 2024 Water Supply Availability Update to determine water supply.
• “Table 2: Water Demands” (Table 2) provides a demand projection for each month of FY 2025; • “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 in FY 2025;
• “Table 4(P): Potable Water Shortage Assessment” (Table 4(P)) compares projected FY 2025 demand with supply and illustrates that there is no shortage projected for FY 2025; • “Table 5: Planned Water Shortage Response Actions” (Table 5) shows no triggered water shortage actions.
Palo Alto’s eight permanent water use regulations remain in effect (see Palo Alto Municipal Code Section 12.32.010).
Non-Potable Water
For non-potable recycled water, 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 in FY 2025. 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”.
ANALYSIS
Upon Council adoption, staff will submit the 2024 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report to the Department of Water Resources. California Water Code Section 10632.1 requires the Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report to be submitted to DWR by July 1 each year.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact from Council approving the 2024 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report.
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 2024 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report was presented to the UAC at its June 3, 2024 meeting. The UAC voted unanimously to recommend the City Council adopt the 2024 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report. A Commissioner asked what documents staff plans to file with the State and staff responded that the tables shown in the attachment will be filed with no cover report.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Adoption of the 2024 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report is exempt from California Environmental Quality Act’s (CEQA) review pursuant to Water Code Section 10652.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: 2024 Annual Water Shortage Assessment Report Tables APPROVED BY:
Dean Batchelor, Director of Utilities
Staff: Lisa Bilir, Senior Resource Planner