PUBLIC HEARINGS

 

 

8.

CONSIDER SECOND READING AND ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE NO. 135 --INCLUDE THE INLAND SUBAREAS OF THE SEASIDE GROUNDWATER BASIN INTO THE MONTEREY PENINSULA WATER RESOURCE SYSTEM

 

Meeting Date:

September 22, 2008

Budgeted: 

N/A

 

From:

Darby Fuerst,

Program/

N/A

 

General Manager

Line Item No.:

 

 

 

Prepared By:

Darby Fuerst

Cost Estimate:

N/A

 

General Counsel Approval:  Yes

Committee Recommendation:  The Water Demand Committee reviewed the ordinance on August 5, 2008, and recommended that the full Board consider the ordinance on a 2-1 vote.

CEQA Compliance:  Negative Declaration.  CEQA Initial Study and Notice of Intent to Adopt a Negative Declaration filed with County Clerk on April 18, 2008, as part of the evaluation for Ordinance No. 134.  The comment period ended May 7, 2008.  No comments were received.

 

SUMMARY:  As presently defined, the Monterey Peninsula Water Resource System (MPWRS) refers to the set of interconnected water resources that supply most of the water in the Monterey Peninsula area and consists of surface water in the Carmel River and its tributaries, groundwater in the Carmel Valley Alluvial Aquifer which underlies the Carmel River, and groundwater in the Coastal Subareas of the Seaside Groundwater Basin.  As proposed, Ordinance No. 135 would amend the definition of the MPWRS to include the groundwater in the Northern Inland and the Laguna Seca Subareas in the MPWRS.  A map showing the amended MPWRS is included as Exhibit 8-A.  This change is needed to reflect the current understanding of the hydrogeologic conditions in the Seaside Groundwater Basin and conform to the Seaside Groundwater Basin Adjudication Decision, which included the Northern Inland and Laguna Seca Subareas as part of the Seaside Groundwater Basin. 

 

As part of the MPWRS, water systems and users in the Laguna Seca Subarea would be subject to the water conservation and rationing restrictions specified in the District’s Expanded Water Conservation and Standby Rationing Plan.  This plan has been in effect since 1999.  As proposed, Ordinance No. 135 (Exhibit 8-B) includes specific targets to move water users in the Laguna Seca Subarea to Water Conservation Stages 2 and 3, when necessary, to respond to reductions in available water supply. The ordinance affects properties within the Cities of Monterey and Del Rey Oaks, and unincorporated areas of Monterey County.

 

Ordinance No. 135 will facilitate reduced water production by California American Water (CAW) from the Laguna Seca Subarea to comply with the production allocations specified in the Seaside Basin Decision and administered by the Seaside Basin Watermaster.  In addition to the amendment of the definition of the MPWRS to include the Northern Inland and the Laguna Seca Subareas, Ordinance No. 135 also provides a definition for CAW’s “satellite” systems, i.e., Bishop, Hidden Hills and Ryan Ranch.    

As proposed, water systems and users in the Laguna Seca Subarea would be required to comply with the requirements of Water Conservation Stages 2 and 3 whenever CAW’s production from the MPWRS for its main and satellite systems exceeds the year-to-date at month-end production shown in amended Table XV-1 and CAW’s production from the MPWRS for its satellite systems exceeds the year-to-date at month-end production shown in Table XV-2.  Under this “double” trigger, CAW’s production from the Laguna Seca Subarea to serve its satellite systems can be exceeded without causing the users in its satellite systems to move to Water Conservation Stages 2 or 3, as long as CAW’s production from the MPWRS to serve all of its systems is not exceeded.

 

It should be noted that, under current rules, all water users within the District, including water users in the Laguna Seca Subarea, are subject to the District’s water waste and non-essential water use prohibitions, i.e., Stage 1 Water Conservation. Examples of these prohibitions include no use of potable water for washing buildings, driveways and parking lots; limits on use of potable water to irrigate turf and gardens between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.; and no excessive use of water that causes it to run to waste.  Under Stage 2 Water Conservation, all users with established landscape water budgets are required to maintain their outdoor use within the established budgets.  Under Stage 3 Water Conservation, emergency water rates for excessive use become effective.  These emergency rates apply to the upper blocks of the residential rate structure.  

 

RECOMMENDATION:  Staff recommends that the Board adopt the second reading of Ordinance No. 135 to better protect and manage the water resources in the Laguna Seca Subarea.  If this ordinance is adopted, it would take effect on October 22, 2008.  If approved, staff should also be directed to file the Notice of Determination with the County Clerk that was included in the Initial Study and Notice of Intent to Adopt a Negative Declaration for Ordinance No. 134, dated April 16, 2008. 

 

DISCUSSION:  The impetus for amending the definition of the MPWRS and making the water users in the Laguna Seca Subarea of the Seaside Groundwater Basin subject to the District’s water conservation restrictions is the Seaside Basin Adjudication Decision.  This decision, which was rendered in March 2006 and amended in February 2007, restricts CAW’s rights to produce groundwater from the Laguna Seca Subarea to serve users within its satellite systems.  Presently, CAW is limited to no more than 345 acre-feet per year (AFY) of production from its wells in the Laguna Seca Subarea for customers in its Ryan Ranch, Hidden Hills, and Bishop systems by the adjudication decision.  For WY 2008, CAW is expected to produce more than 525 AF to serve customers in its satellite systems.  Under the Seaside Adjudication Decision, CAW’s right to produce groundwater from the Laguna Seca Subarea will be reduced to zero (0) AF at the beginning of Water Year 2018, i.e., October 1, 2017.

 

Optional Language:   Draft Ordinance No. 135 (Exhibit 8-A) includes optional language suggested by the Hidden Hills Sub-unit Ratepayers Association (HHSRA) representative, Lloyd Lowery, at the August 18, 2008 meeting. Specifically, Mr. Lowery requested that CAW’s Hidden Hills system be identified separately from CAW’s satellite systems in the Laguna Seca Subarea, i.e., Ryan Ranch and Bishop systems.  Mr. Lowery’s suggested language is shown as “Option B” on page 4, 12, 15, 16, 19, and page 22.

 

Changed Language:   The language in Finding No. 13 has been changed from the language that was approved by the Board on August 18, 2008.  Specifically, the language in Finding No. 13 has been updated, as shown, to reflect CAW’s actual production from the Laguna Seca Subarea expected for the entire water year.  This is not considered a substantive change. 

 

Previous Actions:       On May 19, 2008, the Board considered the first reading of Ordinance No. 134 that would have modified the District’s Expanded Water Conservation and Standby Rationing Plan and incorporated the Northern Inland and Laguna Seca Subareas of the Seaside Basin into the MPWRS.   At that meeting, the Board requested that the ordinance be bifurcated so that Ordinance No. 134 would address modifications to the Expanded Water Conservation and Rationing Plan specific to CAW’s main system, and a new Ordinance No. 135 would include modification specific to the Laguna Seca Subarea systems.  This action allowed time for District staff and the Laguna Seca Subarea property owners to meet and discuss the proposed amendments. 

 

On August 18, 2008, the Board adopted Ordinance No. 134 and approved the first reading of Ordinance No. 135.  During this time, District staff has conducted five public outreach meetings[1] and distributed an 18-page Question and Answer booklet regarding the Seaside Groundwater Basin.  This booklet is available at:

 

 http://www.mpwmd.dst.ca.us/seasidebasin/ord135/QAOrd135091108.pdf. 

 

EXHIBITS

8-A      Map of Amended Monterey Peninsula Water Resource System (MPWRS)

8-B      Draft Ordinance No. 135

 

 

 

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[1] May 7, June 17, July 8, August 14, and September 15, 2008.