A22107.SR.DB
CITY OF SIMI VALLEY
MEMORANDUM
N
ovember 14, 2022
TO
: Board of Directors, Ventura County Waterworks District No. 8 F
ROM: Department of Public Works
S
UBJECT: PARTICIPATION IN THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BY
AND AMONG COLORADO RIVER BASIN MUNICIPAL AND PUBLIC
WATER PROVIDERS
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
I
t is recommended that the Board of Directors (Board) participate in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by and among Colorado River Basin Municipal and public water providers, authorize the Chair of the Board to sign the MOU, and authorize the District Manager to sign a cover letter.
BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW
The
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) is encouraging its member agencies and sub- agencies to sign -on to the attached Colorado River Basin Urban Water Providers’ MOU (Attachment A, page 3). Water supplies from the Colorado River ma ke up approximatel y fifteen percent of Calleguas’ imported supply from Metropolitan during the current extreme drought.
T
he MOU is a commitment to decreasing dependence on imported water by implementing five fundamental strategies:
1. I
ncreasing water use efficiency;
2. Introducing a program to decrease the quantity of nonfunctional turf by 30%;
3. Increasing water reuse and recycling;
4. Implementing best practices to reduce water use; and
5. Collaborating with other water users.
FINDINGS AND ALTERNATIVES
Staff recommends that the Board sign the MOU as it is consistent with the Board’s stated intentions and past actions. Staff is already working toward achieving objectives similar to those specified in the MOU. Supporting the supplier of 99% of the City/District’s water demands is important from a regional perspective, furthers the City/District’s goal of water reductions, and supports the collaborative efforts of the participating parties.
AGENDA ITEM NO.
Consent (4)
A22107.SR.DB
A cover letter transmitting the signed MOU is recommended by Metropolitan as well. A draft cover letter is attached and is recommended to be signed and sent by the District Manager (Attachment B, page 6).
T
he following alternatives are available to the Board:
1. Participate in the Memorandum of Understanding by and among Colorado River Basin Municipal and public water providers, authorize the Chair of the Board to sign the MOU, and authorize the District Manager to sign a cover letter;
2. D
o not participate in the Memorandum of Understanding.
S
taff recommends Alternative No. 1.
SUGGESTED CITY COUNCIL MOTION
I move to participate in the Memorandum of Understanding by and among Colorado River Basin Municipal and public water providers, authorize the Chair of the Board to sign the MOU, and authorize the District Manager to sign a cover letter.
SUMMARY
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) is encouraging its member agencies and sub-a gencies to sign-o n to the attached Colorado River Basin Urban Water Providers’ Memorandum of Understanding (M OU), (Attachment A, page 3). The MOU is a comm itment to decreasing dependence on imported water by implementing five fundam ental strategies that are consistent with the current direction of the City/District.
___
_________________________________
Ronald K. Fuchiwaki
Public Works Director
P
repared by: Joe Deakin, Assistant Public Works Director INDEX Page
A
ttachment A – Colorado River Basin Urban Water Providers’ MOU…….… 3 Attachment B – Draft Cover Letter…………… ............................................... 6 2 Memorandum of Understanding
by and among Colorado River Basin Municipal and Public Water Providers November 1, 2022
Over the past two decades, the Colorado River basin has experienced the worst drought in the last 1,200 years, which has reduced storage levels in Lakes Powell and Mead to unprecedented and critical levels. Water users throughout the basin must reduce demands to bring supply and use back into balance.
For over 20 years, communities have adapted to persistent and intensifying drought and reduced water supplies by achieving significant efficiencies in water use through direct and indirect conservation programs, including improved technology for indoor water fixtures, changes to landscapes and watering practices, conservation-oriented rates and fees, reuse and recycling programs, marketing and education campaigns, and efficient land use and development policies. Yet, climate change and the resulting hydrological shifts we are experiencing require all water users in the basin to redouble our efforts to conserve our water resources.
Together, since 2000 we have decreased annual water use by over a million acre-feet while also adding over five million people to our communities.
Much of this savings has been achieved through indoor and outdoor water use efficiencies.
Recognizing that a clean, reliable water supply is critical to our communities, we can and must do more to reduce water consumption and increase reuse and recycling within our service areas. We pledge to be part of the solution.
Specifically, we commit to take the following actions:
1 1. Continue and expand our programs to increase indoor and outdoor water use efficiency.
2. Introduce a program to reduce the quantity of non-functional turf grass by 30% through replacement with drought- and climate-resilient landscaping, while maintaining vital urban landscapes and tree canopies that benefit our communities, wildlife, and the environment.
1 Certain water wholesalers may not have regulatory authority over the use of water by end users. In such instances, those parties commit to encourage their contractors, members, and water users to pursue these actions in order achieve the stated goals.
ATTACHMENT A
3 3. Increase water reuse and recycling programs where feasible, contingent on the dependability and security of our existing Colorado River supplies essential to support these efforts.
4. Implement best practices and sharing lessons learned to help one another accelerate our efficiency strategies. Water providers will select from the following approaches those tactics best tailored to preserve thriving communities, environmental health, and strong economies:
a. Transforming our outdoor landscapes and urban environments in a manner that improves climate resilience and promotes an ethic of wise water use through mandatory watering schedules and compliance enforcement, incentivized turf removal, and limitations on new turf; b. Increasing efficiency of indoor fixtures and appliances; c. Employing best practices for industrial processes and commercial operations, including minimization of evaporative cooling;
d. Adopting conservation-oriented rate structures to incentivize efficiency; e. Accelerating water loss control by prioritizing supply considerations in asset management programs and exploring water loss control regulations to minimize water loss;
f. Improving coordination between land use and water planning efforts through improved processes, best management practices, and additional regulations, where appropriate; and
g. Employing other strategies tailored to the unique needs of each community.
5. Collaborate with other water users in the Colorado River basin to bring the supply and use of the river into balance. A robust agricultural economy, healthy watersheds, opportunities to recreate, and vibrant communities are all vital to our western way of life. No one sector, nor one state, can achieve sufficient use reductions independently.
For the sake of current and future generations, we all must work together to achieve a balance of supply and use and thereby preserve a functioning and healthy river system.
6. Parties to this Memorandum of Understanding have signed below. Additional parties may join the Memorandum of Understanding without amendment by contacting Colby Pellegrino at [email protected].
4 Aurora Water
Mars
hall Brown, General Manager
Denver Water
James
S. Lochhead, Chief Executive Officer
Metropolitan Water District of Southern
California
Ade
l Hagekhalil, General Manager
Pueblo Water
Set
h Clayton, Executive Director
Southern Nevada Water Authority
Jo
hn J. Entsminger, General Manager
Entity
Sign
atory, Title
Entity
Sign
atory, Title
Entity
Sign
atory, Title
5 November 15, 2022
Comm
issioner Touton
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
1849 C St., NW
Washington, DC 20240-0001
SUBJE
CT: MUNICIPAL CONSERVATION ACTIONS
Dear
Commissioner Touton,
The C
olorado River sustains hundreds of communities throughout the West, nourishing the lives and livelihoods of the millions of residents that rely on this essential water supply.
Decades of drought, climate change and overuse have reduced the river’s once-plentiful flows and upended the supply certainty that has allowed our communities to develop, grow and flourish. Like you, we recognize that achieving balance within the basin is an extraordinary and complex challenge that requires both swift and significant steps to protect the river and its many beneficiaries.
Answ
ering this critical call to action requires individual and collective efforts to conserve the river’s limited water supply and protect the vital environmental resources on which we depend. Innovation, action, adaptation, and a shared commitment to stewardship are fundamental steps in this journey and a responsibility we all share.
The Cit
y of Simi Valley’s Waterworks District No. 8 recognizes our role in reducing demands in the Colorado River Basin and join other water providers across the West in taking action b y participating in the Memorandum of Understanding by and among Colorado River Basin Municipal and Public Water Providers. While our customers have demonstrated their commitment to conserving our essential water resources by reducing per capita water use b y 40% since 2000, we recognize there is more we can and must accomplish. We pledge our commitment to continued water conservation, reducing our water demands, and expanding our efforts to reuse and recycle our water supplies.
The M
emorandum of Understanding includes prudent municipal water conservation actions that every community that relies on the Colorado River should be using. We sincerely hope our commitment to action inspires other stakeholders that share the river to do the same.
Sinc
erely,
Bri
an Paul Gabler, District Manager
Att
achment: a/s
Cc: Col
by Pellegrino, Southern Nevada Water Authority
ATTACHMENT B
6