The recommended action provides the Board of Supervisors with a brief overview of the current drought legislation impacting the County Service Areas within Yolo County, and responses to those water conservation requirements. Although the County at large is not a water purveyor impacted by recent drought legislation, three County Service Areas are owners of public water systems and purveyors of drinking water.
In January of 2014, Governor Brown issued a drought emergency proclamation following three dry or critically dry years in California. Subsequently on April 25, 2014, there was an Executive Order issued by the Governor directing the State Water Board to adopt an emergency regulation as it deemed necessary, pursuant to Water Code section 1058.5 to ensure that urban water suppliers implement conservation measures.
On July 28, 2014 the State Water Resources Control Board submitted emergency action to adopt three sections and a new article in title 23 of the California Code of Regulation related to drought emergency water conservation. The action addresses the sever impacts on California’s water supplies and its ability to meet all water demands in the state due to the current drought, which was declared to be a state of emergency by Governor Brown. This action was to ensure that urban water suppliers implement drought response plans to limit outdoor irrigation and other wasteful water practices. The emergency water regulatory action had been in effect until April 25, 2015.
Although, the emergency regulations were set forth to assist urban water suppliers with conservation, the State Water Resource Control Board had also included a component of mandatory action applying to non-urban water suppliers. Urban water suppliers are defined in Section 1058.5 of the Water Code as serving over 3000 connections. In the case of the Yolo County Service Areas (CSA) and Special Districts, there are no public water systems that serve over 3000 connections therefor all fall within the non-urban classification.
Non-urban water suppliers, including North Davis Meadows CSA, Wild Wings CSA, and El Macero CSA, are all directly affected by the addition of section 865, Article 22.5, Drought Emergency Water Conservation, of Title 23 in the California Code of Regulations.
This code section states that a non-urban supplier should have, taken one of the following actions in the fall of 2014:
1. Limit outdoor irrigation of ornamental landscaping or turf with potable water by the persons it serves to no more than two days per week; or
2. Implement another mandatory conservation measure or measures intended to achieve a comparable reduction in water consumption by the persons it serves relative to the amount consumed in 2013.
The effected CSAs did meet the necessary state mandates last fall by limiting outdoor irrigation in order to meet the requested reduction measure of 20% target as compared to water usage data in the previous year.
Subsequently, in anticipation of the drought stretching in the fifth straight year in 2016 and beyond, on April 1, 2015 the Governor signed Executive Order B-29-15. This executive order confirmed the previous proclamations of January and April of 2014 and modified the executive orders as described in the water code to include the below provisions affecting the CSAs:
1. The State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board) shall impose restrictions to achieve a statewide 25% reduction in potable urban water usage through February 28, 2016.
2. The Water Board shall impose restrictions to require that commercial, industrial, and institutional properties, such as campuses, golf courses, and cemeteries, immediately implement water efficiency measures to reduce potable water usage in an amount consistent with the 25% reduction targets.
3. The Water Board shall prohibit irrigation with potable water of ornamental turf on public street medians.
In order to meet the required relative non-urban water supply target of 25% reduction the three effected CSAs are participating in the ways listed below.
EL Macero CSA:
El Macero CSA is not a standalone potable water purveyor or technically a non-urban water supplier, however it was prior to inclusion in the City of Davis Public Water System. The El Macero CSA will be implementing limited outdoor irrigation mandates. Through contractual obligations with the City of Davis, the CSA will be observing the City of Davis conservation policies and working collaboratively with the City to ensure compliance with the City of Davis Urban Water Management Plan. Once the conservation measures are dictated for this fall in the City of Davis CSA staff will work with the City of Davis staff to ascertain the level of cooperation necessary for water conservation in the El Macero Area. El Macero CSA has already implemented a non-irrigation schedule for all turf medians and additional turf change out plans will be discussed at the next El Macero CSA meeting. El Macero CSA staff has already begun working with City of Davis staff to provide the CSA, HOA, and Club personnel any reported “water waste” concerns as they are reported to the City of Davis through a water conservation hotline-email query. In anticipation that the Water Board will require enforcement action in the near future by way of fines for not limiting outdoor irrigation as mandated, it may be necessary for the CSA and your Board to provide a structure for imposing any fines which shall be incurred by isolated resident incidents of water waste within the CSA. Recommendation from the El Macero CSA Staff and Advisory Committee on how to implement such a structure will come to your Board once the Water Board makes the mandates known. El Macero Homeowners have already participated in water-wise workshops, and public information will be dispersed to homeowners in the next month in the mail as well as at the CSA meeting. Leak detection audits are currently provided by the City of Davis as part of the contract with El Macero, and both staffs will continue to work together in order to provide additional audits as necessary in the coming months. Both the CSA and the City are limited in conservation staffing and as such, may inquire as to third party leak detections and water conservation measures consulting in the future.
North Davis Meadows CSA:
Prior to the Drought Emergency Legislation North Davis Meadows CSA struggled with the issue of meeting water demands due to the operation issues suffered by the current water system. For the last several years there has only been one well used as a primary and the second well as a backup. During different parts of the year depending on the system’s water needs and the stability of either well, irrigation is drastically decreased within the common areas. North Davis Meadows has implemented the first of the second recommended actions in the non-urban water supplier code section, which is the limited irrigation of ornamental landscape and turf. There were portions within the summer that due the mechanical issues within the subdivision there was no outdoor irrigation as well. North Davis Meadows is currently working with a two day a week water schedule since prior to last summer. The community has been very active in public outreach with regards to limited irrigation. Public Correspondence from CSA Staff has already been provided and will continue to be. CSA Staff is partnering with the Resource Conservation District of Yolo County to provide water wise workshops throughout the Month of May to the CSAs regarding irrigation practices to promote conservation on the imitated watering schedule.
Wild Wings CSA:
The Wild Wings CSA has taken an active role in implementing water conservation measures.
The Public Information efforts in Wild Wings have not only been made by the County Service Area during the last year, but have been made in collaboration with the Homeowner’s Association. Water Conservation requests have been made via email list serve as well as print information. In addition, the 2013 Proposition 218 election included additional water costs for utilizing more water than the base threshold. This fee was put in place not only to cover production costs of water, but in order to promote water conservation in those homes that are currently utilizing more than the base share. Wild Wings CSA in conjunction with the HOA, who is responsible for the front yard landscape in the District, has enacted both of the recommended actions in the emergency code section. Limited outdoor irrigation schedules have been enacted. These were most recently discussed by CSA staff at the last CSA and HOA meetings. The HOA has also been entertaining applications for changes in front yard landscaping in order to promote xeriscaping and reduced irrigation. In addition, the CSA has promoted the complimentary water audit program and operations staff has been providing notices to residents with visible excessive irrigation. Staff has seen the correlation of additional audits requested to the increased fees affecting the higher tier users. Most importantly, the CSA had recorded a 20% reduction in residential, and golf course water usage last year, which met the state mandate last fall. However, both CSA and HOA participants believe that conservation efforts need to become more stringent in this area based on the base amount of water that is used on average in order to achieve the 25% target. CSA Staff submitted the 2014 drought survey to the California Department of Public Health for Wild Wings denoting a voluntary conservation effort for last summer. This year the Golf Course will be also on a limited 2-3 day irrigation schedule, and the HOA has been asked to limit median irrigation. In anticipation that the Water Board will require enforcement action in the near future by way of fines for not limiting outdoor irrigation as mandated, it may be necessary for the CSA and your Board to provide a structure for imposing any fines which shall be incurred by isolated resident incidents of water waste within the CSA. The Wild Wings CSA staff is currently collaborating with the Yolo Flood Control and Conservation District to provide water level data in two of the Wild Wings wells. The Wild Wings Treatment facility has the capability to compile the water level data and tracks water production information via the SCADA system. It is noted in the Monument Hills area, that Wild Wings CSA is in, that the water levels are decreasing as more water wells are drilled in proximity. One concern at this time is that pumps may need to be lowered within wells should the same situation continue. Additional public information will be mailed out to residents in letter form to all Wild Wings Residents in the coming month including conservation efforts. CSA Staff is partnering with the Resource Conservation District of Yolo County to provide water wise workshops throughout the month of May to the CSAs regarding irrigation practices to promote conservation on the limited watering schedules.
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