HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 1c - Ordinance No. 2327 - Water Conservation Planc y1�9
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STAFF REPORT
Public Works Services Department
DATE: April 7, 2015
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Tom Tait, Public Works Services Director
By: Vanessa Hevener, Environmental Services Officer
SUBJECT: ORDINANCE NO. 2327 AMENDING SECTION 7553.7.1 OF CHAPTER 5,
OF ARTICLE VII OF THE ARCADIA MUNICIPAL CODE CONCERNING
OUTDOOR IRRIGATION AND PROHIBITED WATER USES
Recommendation: Introduce
SUMMARY
California is entering a fourth consecutive year of severe drought conditions. As such,
on March 17, 2015, the State Water Resources Control Board approved an extension of
the existing Emergency Drought Regulations and added additional water use
restrictions to increase water conservation. Water conservation is the easiest, most
efficient, and most cost effective way to quickly reduce water demand and extend water
supplies. In particular, the Emergency Drought Regulations require urban water
suppliers, such as the City of Arcadia, to incorporate certain additional provisions into its
Water Conservation Plans to ensure that conservation efforts continue while preserving
the City's water supply. This proposed Ordinance would meet the new Regulations by
limiting watering to 3 days per week on all properties. In addition, certain other
restrictions would be placed on hotels, restaurants, and residents to ensure proper
stewardship of this essential natural resource.
BACKGROUND
In January 2014, Governor Brown issued a drought emergency proclamation. In
response, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 7009 in February 2014 to implement
a voluntary Water Conservation Program to reduce water use by 20 %, consistent with
Governor Brown's drought declaration.
After several months of voluntary conservation Statewide, the target reduction
percentage was far from being met. Therefore, in July 2014, the State Water
Resources Control Board adopted emergency water conservation regulations consisting
of the following elements: water restrictions on outdoor water use for all Californians; a
requirement that water suppliers implement their Water Shortage Contingency Plans;
Introduce Ordinance No. 2327 — Mandatory Water
Conservation Plan
April 7, 2015
Page 2 of 4
and the requirement that water suppliers provide monthly data on water production.
These emergency regulations were set to expire on April 25, 2015.
In order to comply with the regulations, the Arcadia City Council adopted Resolution No.
7044 on August 5, 2015, implementing Phase I of the City's Water Conservation Plan.
Since August, drought conditions across the State have continued, with record low
snowpack, the driest month of January on record, and many of the State's reservoirs
being less than 60 percent full.
Water conservation efforts by Arcadia water customers since the implementation of
Phase I of the Mandatory Water Conservation Plan have resulted in about 350,616,600
gallons saved. This is enough water to meet the annual needs of about 4,525 people.
However, despite the reduction in water use, the persistent drought has severely
impacted state and local water supplies. Water conserved today will be water available
next year, should drought conditions continue into 2016.
DISCUSSION
Despite Statewide water conservation efforts, continued drought conditions have
prompted the State Water Resources Control Board to take additional actions to reduce
water demand and extend water supplies by amending and readopting the Emergency
Drought Regulations. The updated Emergency Drought Regulations consist of four
requirements: 1) a prohibition on certain irrigation practices; 2) restrictions of certain
commercial activities; 3) all water suppliers must implement mandatory restrictions on
outdoor irrigation; and 4) water suppliers with 3,000 or more connections must provide
monthly data on water production, compliance actions, and outdoor water conservation
methods being implemented.
Ordinance No. 2327 includes these new requirements to the City's existing Phase
water use restrictions of the Mandatory Water Conservation Plan. These include:
• There shall be no hose washing of motor vehicles, except where the hose is
fitted with a shut -off nozzle or similar device that causes the hose to cease
dispensing water immediately when not in use;
• No hotels or motels shall launder towels and linens of an occupied guestroom on
a daily basis, unless expressly requested by the guest. The hotel or motel shall
prominently display a notice in each guestroom, using clear and easily
understood language, of the guest's option not to have towels and linens
laundered daily;
• No lawn, landscape, or other turf areas shall be watered or irrigated during and
within 48 hours after measurable rain;
• No lawn, landscape, or other turf areas shall be watered or irrigated more than
three days per week.
Introduce Ordinance No. 2327 — Mandatory Water
Conservation Plan
April 7, 2015
Page 3 of 4
All new regulations would go into effect immediately upon adoption of the Ordinance.
The three days per week irrigation schedule would be implemented based on all
Arcadia water customers being allowed to water outdoor lawn, landscape, and turf
areas only before 9:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
In order to notify residents of the new prohibited water uses, the City will continue to
employ a variety of public outreach efforts to educate water customers on the
mandatory water conservation prohibitions and current water conservation practices.
These efforts include utilizing the City's media resources such as the City website,
Twitter, Nixle, newsletter, NextDoor, Hot Sheet, water bills, street banners, direct
mailers, and advertisement in local newspapers.
Public Works Services staff will continue to monitor the current Phase I prohibited water
uses and include these new restrictions to the enforcement program. Staff will continue
to work with Code Enforcement personnel regarding the issuance of administrative
citations and fines to water customers who fail to correct violation(s) after multiple
notices, if necessary.
If the City decides to not amend the current Phase I Mandatory Water Conservation
Plan, we will be required to adopt the state's Emergency Drought Regulations, which
limit outdoor irrigation to no more than two days per week. A survey of outdoor
irrigation water restrictions has been conducted for neighboring cities and found that a
majority of cities currently have limited day restrictions in place for outdoor watering.
City
Outdoor Watering is limited to:
Arcadia
Current: No limit on days
Proposed: 3 days per week
Alhambra
Once every 3 days
Azusa
2 days per week
Burbank
1 day per week (Winter); 3 days per week (Summer)
El Monte
No limit on days
Glendale
3 days per week
Glendora
No limit on days
Monrovia
Once every 3 days
Monterey Park
No limit on days
Pasadena
1 day per week (Winter); 3 days per week (Summer)
Sierra Madre
2 days per week
South Pasadena
3 days per week
Introduce Ordinance No. 2327 — Mandatory Water
Conservation Plan
April 7, 2015
Page 4 of 4
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The introduction and eventual adoption of Ordinance No. 2327 amending Phase I of the
City's Water Conservation Plan is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15268 and California Public
Resources Code Section 21080(b)(1) as it is deemed a ministerial action. The State's
emergency regulation mandates that each urban water supplier implement all
requirements and actions of the stage of its water shortage contingency plan that
imposes mandatory restrictions on outdoor irrigation. Therefore, the City's action to
amend and implement Phase I of the City's Water Conservation Plan is not a
discretionary action and as such it is statutorily exempt from CEQA.
FISCAL IMPACT
Conservation efforts will result in pumping less groundwater, which will result in the
reduced necessity to purchase expensive Replacement Water from the Upper San
Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District. A significant savings would be expected in
operating costs as a result of less pumping of water, and a similar loss in revenues
would be anticipated due to the reduction in demand. Given that current water rates do
not fully cover the costs of Replacement Water, the net change would be an overall
positive impact to City finances. A 20% reduction in water produced would equal 3,300
acre -feet. Replacement water is currently $773 per acre -foot, therefore, a savings of up
to $2,550,900 would be realized by the City and, ultimately, its customers.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council introduce Ordinance No. 2327 amending
Chapter 5 of Article VII of the Arcadia Municipal Code concerning Outdoor Irrigation and
Prohibited Water Uses.
Approved.
Dominic Lazzar�
City Manager
Attachment: Ordinance No. 2327
ORDINANCE NO. 2327
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARCADIA,
CALIFORNIA, AMENDING SECTION 7553.7.1 OF CHAPTER 5,
ARTICLE VII OF THE ARCADIA MUNICIPAL CODE CONCERNING
OUTDOOR IRRIGATION AND PROHIBITED WATER USES
WHEREAS, on January 17, 2014, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. declared a
drought State of Emergency to exist in California due to severe drought conditions; and
WHEREAS, on July 15, 2014, California's State Water Resources Control Board
(the "State Board ") adopted emergency drought regulations to support water
conservation that was set to expire on April 25, 2015; and
and
WHEREAS, the State Board has found that drought conditions are continuing;
WHEREAS, the State Board adopted a resolution on March 17, 2015, to renew
the 2014 emergency drought regulations, to require urban water suppliers to implement
certain additional water conservation measures, and to prohibit certain water uses by
end- users; and
WHEREAS, the newly adopted State Board regulations require that the City of
Arcadia (the "City ") restrict the number of days per week potable water can be used for
outdoor irrigation or to obtain the State Board's approval to implement an alternate
water shortage contingency plan that includes allocation -based rate structures that will
achieve a level of conservation superior to limiting outdoor irrigation to two days per
week; and
WHEREAS, the Arcadia Municipal Code does not currently restrict the number of
days per week water can be used for outdoor irrigation; and
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WHEREAS, the Arcadia Municipal Code does not prohibit certain water uses by
end -users that are prohibited under the new State Board drought regulations; and
WHEREAS, because of the drought conditions prevailing in the City and in the
areas of this State and elsewhere from which the City obtains its water supplies, the
City Council recognizes the need to implement additional water conservation measures
to prevent waste, and to prevent unreasonable use or unreasonable method of use of
water, in the interest of the people of the City and for purposes of the public welfare.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARCADIA,
CALIFORNIA, DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
[Deleted text is highlighted in sh*eth ough and added text is highlighted in underline
SECTION 1. Section 7553.7.1 of Division 3, Part 5, Chapter 5 of Article VII of the
Arcadia Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows:
"(a) There shall be no hose washing of sidewalks, walkways, driveways,
or parking areas.
b There shall be no hose washing of a motor vehicle except where
the hose is fitted with a shut -off nozzle or similar device that causes the
hose to cease dispensing water immediately when not in use.
(fic) No water shall be used to clean, fill or maintain levels in decorative
fountains unless such water is part of a recirculating system.
(4�d) No restaurant, hotel, cafe, cafeteria, bar or other public place where
food or beverage is served or offered for sale, shall serve drinking water to
any customer unless expressly requested by the customer.
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(e)__ No hotel or motel shall launder towels and linens of an occupied
guestroom on a daily basis, unless expressly requested by the quest. The
hotel or motel shall prominently display a notice in each _ uestroom of the
guest's option not to have towels and linens laundered daily.
(4f) No customer of the Water Division shall permit water to leak from
any facility on his premises.
(eg) No lawn, landscape, or other turf areas shall be watered or irrigated
between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Pacific time.
(h) No lawn, landscape, or other turf areas shall be watered or irrigated
during and within 48 hours after measurable rainfall.
i No lawn landscape, or other turf areas shall be watered or irrigated
more than 3 days per week, or such other number of days as the City
Council may prescribe by resolution from time to time. The three days
per week shall be Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday or such other days as
the City Council may prescribe by resolution from time to time.
(f1) No lawn, landscape or other turf areas shall be watered in a
wasteful manner. For example, in a manner that causes runoff such that
water flows onto adjacent property, non- irrigated areas, private and public
walkways, roadways, parking lots or stuctures."
SECTION 2. If any section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence,
clause or phrase of this Ordinance or any part thereof is for any reason held to be
unconstitutional, such determination shall not affect the validity of the remaining portion
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of this Ordinance or any part thereof. The City Council of the City of Arcadia hereby
declares that it would have passed each section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph,
sentence, clause or phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more
sections, subsections, subdivisions, paragraphs, sentences, clauses or phrases be
declared unconstitutional.
SECTION 3. This Ordinance shall take effect immediately upon adoption in
accordance with Section 376 of the California Water Code. The City Clerk shall certify
to the adoption of this Ordinance and shall cause a copy of the same to be published in
a newspaper printed, published, and circulated in the City within ten (10) days after its
adoption.
Passed, approved and adopted this day of , 2015.
ATTEST:
City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Stepp n P, Deitsch
City Attorney
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Mayor of the City of Arcadia