City of Sacramento
City Council - 2PM Report
915 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814
www.cityofsacramento.org
File ID: 2022-02041 12/6/2022 Consent Item 14.
Upper Westside Water Supply Assessment
File ID: 2022-02041
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Pass a Motion to ratify a Water Supply Assessment (WSA) prepared for the Upper Westside project and direct that it be submitted to the County of Sacramento in accordance with Senate Bill 610 (Stats. 2001 chapter 643), referred to as SB610 or Cal. Water Code § 10910.
Contact: Brett Ewart, Supervising Engineer, (916) 808-1725, [email protected]; Sherill Huun, Engineering & Water Resources Division Manager, (916) 808-1455, [email protected]; Department of Utilities
Presenter: None
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Water Supply Assessment
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: Staff recommends Council ratify a WSA for the Upper Westside project, which is a potential development project in the unincorporated County of Sacramento. The proposed project lies within the boundary of water right entitlements maintained by the City of Sacramento.
California Water Code, § 10910 (g)(1) requires the governing body of the water system (City Council) to submit this assessment to the requesting party not later than 90 days from the date on which the request was received. Sacramento County has requested a water supply assessment be completed no later than December 31, 2022.
This action is limited to identifying that a legal source of water is available and does not approve development, dedicate infrastructure capacity, or obligate a water service from the City.
Staff have affirmed that the potential project area is within the legal boundaries of the City’s water
File ID: 2022-02041 12/6/2022 Consent Item 14.
entitlements as contemplated within the currently adopted Urban Water Management Plan and adequate volume of water is present within those entitlements.
Policy Considerations: Not applicable.
Economic Impacts: None.
Environmental Considerations: The City action regarding the WSA is defined in Water Code section 10910. The County of Sacramento has determined that the Upper Westside project is subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has requested the City to confirm the WSA.
The City is required to determine whether the projected water demand associated with a proposed project was included as part of the most recently adopted urban water management plan adopted pursuant to Part 2.6 (commencing with Section 10610). Water Code section 10910(c)(1). The action requested is an administrative activity that would not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. The County has determined that an environmental impact report (EIR) will be prepared for the Upper Westside project; the EIR will identify and evaluate the potential effects of the Upper Westside project on the environment as provided for in CEQA.
Sustainability: Not applicable.
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
Rationale for Recommendation: Presentation of a WSA is required by California Water Code, § 10910 (g)(1).
Financial Considerations: This has no impact to the General Fund.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
Background: The California Water Code (Water Code) requires coordination between land use lead agencies and public water purveyors. The purpose of this coordination is to ensure that prudent water supply planning has been conducted, and that planned water supplies are adequate to meet both existing demands and demands of planned development.
Water Code Sections 10910 - 10915 (inclusive) require land use lead agencies: 1) to identify the responsible public water purveyor for a proposed development project, and 2) to request a WSA from the responsible purveyor. The objective of a WSA is to demonstrate the sufficiency of a purveyor's water supplies to satisfy the water demands of a proposed development project while still meeting the current and projected water demands of existing customers. Water Code Sections 10910 - 10915 delineate specific information that must be included in a WSA.
The Upper Westside Specific Plan is located in unincorporated Natomas community of Sacramento
File ID: 2022-02041 12/6/2022 Consent Item 14.
County between the Sacramento River and the I-5 freeway and North of the I-80. The Upper Westside Specific Plan area is bounded on three sides by the City of Sacramento. The area encompasses approximately 2,000 acres of proposed residential, commercial, schools, parks, urban farms/greenbelts and agricultural uses. The County of Sacramento is the land use lead agency and has identified (1) City of Sacramento (City) - Department of Utilities (DOU), (2) Sacramento County Water Agency (SCWA) and (3) Natomas Central Mutual Water Company (NCMWC) as three potential water purveyors. Each entity has been requested to prepare a WSA in accordance with Water Code Sections 10910 - 10915.
The City of Sacrmento processes WSAs upon request to determine if its planned water supplies are sufficient to meet the demands of new areas in addition to its existing and projected water supply obligations. The area addressed in this WSA lies within an area contemplated by the City’s 2020 Urban Water Management Plan demand forecast and within the legal boundaries of the City’s water rights entitlements.
File ID: 2022-02041 12/6/2022 Consent Item 14.
File ID: 2022-02041 12/6/2022 Consent Item 14.
Figure 1 Upper Westside Specific Plan Area Location Map