HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 3a - Resolution No. 7088 Restricted Water UsesResolution No. 7088 Concerning Outdoor Irrigation and
Prohibited Water Uses
September 15, 2015
DATE:
September 15, 2015
TO:
Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM:
Tom Tait, Public Works Services Director
By: Sami Taylor, Management Aide
SUBJECT:
RESOLUTION NO. 7088 CONCERNING OUTDOOR IRRIGATION AND
PROHITED WATER USES
Recommendation:
Adopt
SUMMARY
California is experiencing 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. The Emergency Drought Regulations
require urban water suppliers, such as the City of Arcadia, to incorporate certain
additional provisions into its Water Conservation Plan to ensure that conservation
efforts continue while preserving the City’s water supplies. Arcadia is in the highest
mandated water conservation tier at 36%; to date, customers have not achieved that
figure. Further limiting outdoor watering from three (3) days per week to two (2) days
per week for all City water customers will ensure that the City’s water use restrictions
are in concert with the State’s Drought Regulations and match outdoor watering
requirements in surrounding cities.
BACKGROUND
In July 2014, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted emergency water
conservation regulations for all Californians. On April 1, 2015, Governor Brown
extended the above regulations and required a 25% reduction in potable urban water
use throughout the State. Furthermore, the State Water Resources Control Board
assigned a water reduction standard of 36% to the City of Arcadia based on high per
capita water use during the months of July through September 2014. As a result, the
State uses calendar year 2013 as the base period. In response, the City Council
adopted a resolution in April 2015 to limit outdoor watering to three (3) days per week
that includes no outdoor watering after 9:00 a.m. or before 6:00 p.m.
Resolution No. 7088 Concerning Outdoor Irrigation and
Prohibited Water Uses
September 15, 2015
The State’s emergency water conservation regulations became effective in May 2015,
and percent reductions started in June 2015. The emergency regulations will last until
February 2016, at which time the State’s emergency water conservation regulations will
either expire or be extended.
DISCUSSION
Despite the City’s aggressive efforts to educate residents about water conservation
practices and limiting outdoor watering to three (3) days per week, the City has come up
short, missing the reduction standard in June (28%), July (31%), and August (28%).
Cumulatively, the City’s overall water reduction is 28.9%. Changing outdoor watering
days from three (3) days per week to two (2) days per week will match neighboring
cities’ outdoor water use restrictions and match the State’s mandatory water
conservation regulations.
Resolution No. 7088 includes amending the City’s existing Phase I water use
restrictions of the Mandatory Water Conservation Plan to include:
No lawn, landscape, or other turf areas shall be watered or irrigated more than
two (2) days per week. Allowable watering days are: Tuesday and Saturday.
Limit outdoor watering for sprinklers to 10 minutes per station.
The new regulation would go into effect immediately upon adoption of Resolution 7088.
The two (2) 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 and Saturday, and limit
watering to 10 minutes per station when sprinklers are in use. Hand watering and drip
systems may exceed the 10 minute rule, but would still be limited to two days per week
and the time-of-day restrictions.
In order to notify residents of the new prohibited water uses, the City will continue to
employ a variety of public outreach strategies to educate customers on the mandatory
water conservation prohibitions and water conservation practices. Public Works
Services staff will continue to monitor the Phase I prohibited water uses and include
these new restrictions in its enforcement program. Staff will 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.
According to a recent survey of San Gabriel Valley municipalities, Arcadia is one of only
two agencies that currently allow outdoor irrigation three days a week.
Resolution No. 7088 Concerning Outdoor Irrigation and
Prohibited Water Uses
September 15, 2015
Conservation Standard Jun-Jul Cumulative
City Watering Day Limit
% Savings %
Alhambra 2 24 27.2
Arcadia 3 36 29.3
Azusa 2 summer, 1 winter 20 26.8
Burbank 2 summer, 1 winter 24 27.5
Covina 2 summer, 1 winter 28 24.8
El Monte 2 8 9.5
Glendale 2 20 25.9
Glendora 2 36 37.0
La Verne* 0 32 33.3
Monrovia 1 or 2 28 25.7
Monterey Park 2 20 18.1
Pasadena 2 28 25.6
Sierra Madre* 2 32 --
South Pasadena 2 28 30.8
Upland 2 36 31.0
Whittier 3 20 19.9
*Notes: 1) La Verne does not limit watering days; rather, limits time to 5 minutes per station with a weekly
maximum of 20 minutes; 2)Sierra Madre has not filed for July; however, in June achieved 33% savings.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The adoption Resolution No. 7088 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, it is anticipated that the net change
would be negligible. A 36% reduction in water produced would equal 5,940 acre-feet.
Replacement water is currently $773 per acre-foot; therefore, a savings of up to
$4,591,620 would be realized by the City and, ultimately, its customers.
Resolution No. 7088 Concerning Outdoor Irrigation and
Prohibited Water Uses
September 15, 2015
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 7088 concerning outdoor
irrigation and prohibited water uses.
Attachment: Resolution No. 7088