Public Works Agency
www.santa-ana.org/public-works
Item # 25
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
August 6, 2024
TOPIC: Assignment of Extraordinary Supply from the Santa Ana River Conservation and Conjunctive Use Program
AGENDA TITLE
Approve an Agreement with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Municipal Water District of Orange County, Orange County Water District, City of Anaheim, and City of Fullerton for the Assignment of Extraordinary Supply from the Santa Ana River Conservation and Conjunctive Use Program (Non-General Fund)
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Municipal Water District of Orange County, Orange County Water District, City of Anaheim, and City of Fullerton for the assignment of Extraordinary Supply from the Santa Ana River Conservation and Conjunctive Use Program (Agreement No. A-2024-XXX).
GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: Yes
DISCUSSION
The Public Works Agency (PWA) oversees the operations of the City’s water and sewer systems and is responsible for securing sufficient water supplies for its customers. The proposed Santa Ana River Conservation and Conjunctive Use Program (SARCCUP) Agreement (Exhibit 1) is a multi-agency, watershed-wide groundwater storage and recovery project involving multiple basins in the Santa Ana River Watershed, which provides a long-term solution for storing and accessing water supplies when the region is faced with periods of drought. The goal is to store available water during wet years in local groundwater basins throughout the watershed and extract the stored water during dry years to reduce the impacts from single and multi-year droughts.
This agreement is specific to water banking in the Orange County Groundwater Basin, which is managed by the Orange County Water District (OCWD) and includes the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) who represents OCWD regarding regional water supply issues managed by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan). OCWD undertakes all responsibilities associated with actively managing the SARCCUP banking program in the Orange County Groundwater Basin. A portion of MWDOC’s service area overlies the Orange County Groundwater Basin and
Agreement for the Assignment of Extraordinary Supply from the Santa Ana River Conservation and Conjunctive Use Program
August 6, 2024
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MWDOC’s member agencies in this portion of its service area along with Anaheim, Fullerton, and Santa Ana pump groundwater from the Orange County Groundwater Basin in accordance with the Orange County Water District Act.
During wet years, when surplus water is available to the Metropolitan, MWDOC may purchase the surplus water offered by the Metropolitan on behalf of, and whenever requested by, OCWD for water banking purposes. In turn, OCWD is responsible for managing the banked water in the Orange County Groundwater Basin.
During dry years and periods of drought, the Metropolitan may declare a Water Supply Allocation that limits the amount of imported water available for purchase by its member agencies, including the City of Santa Ana. Water that has previously been purchased and stored in the Orange County Groundwater Basin and classified as “Extraordinary Supply” under the proposed SARCCUP agreement may be used to offset the reduction in imported water supply allocations.
Staff recommends the approval of the recommended action because the agreement will allow the various agencies to leverage their collective resources to improve water resiliency while reducing budgetary impacts.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
There is no environmental impact associated with the action.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
EXHIBIT(S)
1. Agreement with Various Agencies for the Assignment of Extraordinary Supply from SARCCUP
Submitted By: Nabil Saba, P.E., Executive Director – Public Works Agency Approved By: Alvaro Nuñez, Acting City Manager