Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 3.2 - 2531 DSRSD on Water Page 1 of 3 STAFF REPORT CITY COUNCIL DATE: April 16, 2019 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers FROM: Christopher L. Foss, City Manager SUBJECT: Presentation by Dublin San Ramon Services District on Water Supply/Reliability Prepared by: Christopher L. Foss, CIty Manager EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The City Council will receive a presentation from Dublin San Ramon Services District on Water Supply issues, and the projects being considered to provide future water reliability to the City of Dublin. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Receive the report; and support DSRSD and Zone 7 in future study of all water supply options, including Potable Reuse. FINANCIAL IMPACT: None. DESCRIPTION: In the midst of the Great Drought of 2014, the cities and the water agencies of the Tri- Valley held a series of Water Policy Roundtable meetings. One of the purposes of these meetings was for elected officials to meet periodically to consider the Tri -Valley’s existing water reliability, and to consider actions to bolster the wa ter supply. The participants included the cities of Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore, and San Ramon; the Dublin San Ramon Services District (which provides retail water, recycled water, and wastewater services to all Dublin residents and businesses), the California Water Service Company (serving retail water supply to portions of Livermore) and the Zone 7 Water Agency (the Tri-valley water wholesaler). Ten of these “Water Policy Roundtables” (now known as “Tri-Valley Water Liaison meetings”) have been held since 2014, most recently on January 23, 2019. Council Member Shawn Kumagi is Dublin’s representative to the Tri-Valley Water Liaison meeting. One of the main tasks for the Tri-Valley Water Liaison group was to explore improving water supply reliability through diversification of supply sources, current 80% of the Tri- Page 2 of 3 Valley’s water supply is pumped from the Sacramento/San Joaquin delta. The group decided to review the feasibility of bolstering the water supply through a joint potable reuse project. Potable reuse is an advanced purification process of wastewater, which could then be blended with other water sources to extend the Tri-Valley’s water supply. A Tri-Valley Joint Potable Reuse Feasibility Study completed in early 2018 showed that construction of a Regional Potable Reuse project was feasible. Development of such a project could add 7% to 15% to the Tri-Valley water supply every year, diversifying the water supply, and bolstering reliability during severe droughts. The capital investment would be considerable, however, ranging from $112 million to $222 million. At buildout of the Tri-Valley, the cost of this project (capital cost financed by debt plus operating cost) could add $10 to $15 per month to an average water bill of Tri-Valley residents. A community public opinion survey was completed in early 2018 that showed 15% of Tri-Valley residents strongly supported an advanced purification project, and 40% somewhat supported a project. There was overall opposition by 39% of those surveyed, included 21% strongly opposed. The survey results also showed there was community concern about the cost of a Regional Potable Reuse project. Another main topic discussed at the last Tri-Valley Water Liaison meeting on January 23 was a review of Zone 7’s draft 2019 Water Supply Evaluation. This study, updated every 3-5 years, takes a long-term look at the Tri-Valley’s water supply. The Water Supply Evaluation concluded that without any new water supply project, the Tri -Valley’s water supply will become less reliable over the next 20 years. The following two stark conclusions came from the study: • By 2040, the Tri-Valley could face a 10% chance in any year (on average one year in ten) of facing a severe water shortage, requiring water conservation in exces s of 50%. In such a circumstance, outdoor irrigation would be prohibited altogether for the duration of a severe drought • By 2040 the Tri-Valley could face a 1% chance in any year (a “once in a lifetime event”) of facing the need to conserve by more than 70%. This would preclude any outdoor irrigation, and would have severe impacts on indoor domestic water use Fortunately, the Zone 7 2019 Water Supply Evaluation shows that there are many viable water supply projects that, in various combinations, could assure strong water reliability for the Tri-Valley permanently. The options explored include: • Sites Reservoir • Potable Reuse • California WaterFix (“Delta Twin Tunnels Project”) • Los Vaqueros Expansion and Transfer/Bethany pipeline • Water Transfers • Regional Desalination All of these projects are continuing to be explored by Zone 7 (the Tri -Valley’s water wholesaler and primary water supplier). A number of these projects are being developed as partnership projects on a large regional level or stat ewide level, and thus are not under local control for implementation. Additionally, participation in all of them is expensive. Page 3 of 3 The next meeting of the Tri-Valley Water Liaison meeting is scheduled for April 24, and the City of Pleasanton is hosting the event. A review and discussion of the various water supply projects and long-term water reliability are anticipated to be discussed. The Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD) is the retail water supplier for all of Dublin. The DSRSD Board of Directors has taken a consistently strong position in support of further study of various water supply projects to bolster long-term water reliability in the Tri-Valley. Moreover, the DSRSD Board has adopted a policy mandating implementation of one or more alternative water supply project(s) to ensure that the water supply is diversified, and under more local control. Staff have asked DSRSD’s Engineering Services Manager, Judy Zavadil, to present a report on the status of the long-term water reliability for the Tri-Valley. STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE: N/A NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH: N/A ATTACHMENTS: None.