5-5-15 Water Presentation
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Drought 2015
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Water Supply
Rainfall - 4 year deficit of 24.49 inches
Snowpack – 2% of average
Groundwater – level is 39 feet lower than 5 year average
Imported Water – Allocation 14% lower than last year
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The fourth year of lower than normal rainfall locally has led to our severe drought.
In addition to rainfall, rely on
Snowpack which is at 2% of average this year
Groundwater – where the level in underground aquifers is 39 feet below average
Imported Water – subjected to the same shortages and is 14% lower than last year.
Other notes if needed-
2011-12 7.09 inches
2012-13 9.43 inches
2013-14 6.35 inches
2014-15 12.24 inches
Normal 14.9 inches
Deficit 24.49 inches
What is Needed for Recovery
Although the current rainy season approached normal, there is a lot of ground to make up.
This slide shows 166% of precipitation necessary to get out of bottom 20th percentile for 4 year water and
243% of precipitation necessary to achieve the 50th percentile
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Town Performance
9% savings in Town zip codes (compared to 13% for SJ Water total)
25% savings Town’s top 10 municipal accounts
Irrigation is the key
SJ Water target of 20% for coming year (Governor’s Office)
Mixed results town wide
Only 9% savings in the four LG zip codes
But municipal savings have achieved 25%
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What are Others Doing
Align with State
-Require Hose Nozzles
-Forego Irrigation of grass on median islands
-Prohibit water waste that causes runoff
-Prohibit water use for cleaning concrete or paved surfaces
Additional Actions Taken
-Prohibit washing cars at home
-Prohibit the filling of new swimming pools
-Turning off fountains completely
{Review slide briefly}
No cookie cutter solution for action
Statewide solutions for many options
Some more aggressive targets
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What are the Targets
20% - State mandated target for San Jose Water
25% - Aggregate reduction target Statewide by the Governor’s Office
30% - SCVWD target given local reliance on underground aquifers
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What Can Los Gatos Do
Lead by Example
-Turn Off Plaza Fountain
-Reduce or Stop Irrigation
-Install Low Volume Toilets and Faucets
-Adopt an Ordinance to Support Conservation
Partner with Other Agencies
-West Valley Cities – Stronger Voice
-San Jose Water – Enforcement
-SCVWD – Education and Outreach
Lead by Example
Often means a trade off between quality of life and conservation
Currently watering only 2 days per week.
Not sustainable for high use turf areas, including Plaza Park and Civic Center Lawn
Look for aggregate reduction over all Town Municipal Accounts
Partner with Other Agencies to take advantage of their skill sets
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Parks Solutions
On a recent weekday at Blossom Hill Park, the grass was heavily used by families. In fact more children were on the grass than were on the playground.
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Parks Solutions
Parks staff, led by our Parks Lead Ruben Galvan, have put together a three stage plan
Reduced water will take place everywhere. Depending on the reduction target….
stage 3 areas receiving the most water with the goal of keeping the areas useable.
Stage 2 areas will see severely limited water. If it proves necessary to keep stage 3 areas useable, the stage 2 areas will be sacrificed.
Stage 1 areas will see very little or no water.
As demonstrated by BH Park, not all parks have a stage 1 area
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Parks Solutions
Belgatos Park has a remote field up the hill that is seldom used.
Good target for stage 1 reductions and potential return to native drought tolerant vegetation over time.
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Next Steps
Questions and Discussion
Adopt Urgency Ordinance
Return to Council with Formal Ordinance within 45 days
Report on Status Regularly
Weekly Updates for Routine Information as Needed
Council Reports for Significant Changes
Caught a mistake on payment of charges (to Water Department) and will make that change in the ordinance.
Will also include any other items from other agencies ordinances as the approve them
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