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BACKGROUND <br /> In January 2014, the governor declared a State of Emergency due to the California <br /> drought, as did the Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District <br /> Zone 7. <br /> In February, the City Council activated Stage 1 of the City's Water Shortage <br /> Contingency Plan and requested that customers voluntarily reduce water usage by <br /> 20%. Unfortunately, those conservation levels were not achieved. <br /> In April, the governor issued an executive order asking Californian's to reduce water <br /> usage by 20%, and Zone 7 also asked all water retailers, including Pleasanton, to <br /> reduce water usage by 25%. <br /> In May, the City Council declared the City's water shortage situation warranted Stage 3 <br /> mandatory 25% water reduction, and proclaimed a Local Drought Emergency. Dublin <br /> earlier declared a drought emergency, and Livermore similarly mandated water <br /> conservation. <br /> DISCUSSION <br /> This report provides information regarding the on-going local drought emergency. The <br /> City Council must receive a report about every 30 days during a local emergency. <br /> Program Outreach <br /> With the Stage 3 water shortage and mandatory 25% water reduction, the City provided <br /> water customers information about conservation requirements through multiple outreach <br /> efforts. Most notably, a notification letter signed by the Mayor, City Council, and City <br /> Manager and an informational flyer was mailed to all water customers in May. <br /> Additional outreach efforts also include participation in 1st Wednesday Street Party in <br /> May and June, establishing a booth at the Farmers Market, establishing a City drought <br /> call center to address inquiries from residents, implementing the City's water <br /> conservation website, speaking to business groups and resident organizations, and <br /> providing poster/banner postings at all major City facilities and on City vehicles. <br /> The City's water conservation webpage: www.pleasantonwaterconservation.com serves <br /> as the City's main source for water reduction tips, water-efficiency incentive programs, <br /> drought updates, and current water restriction information. In addition to this service <br /> staff has been reassigned to provide on-call and on-site assistance to residents and <br /> businesses to provide hands on assistance with reducing water usage that includes <br /> such services as reprogramming irrigation systems, providing free low flow shower <br /> heads and faucet aerators, etc. <br /> This multi-pronged outreach has resulted in over 2,815 contacts through emails, <br /> speaking engagements, phone calls, and persons walking into City Hall for information <br /> and staff estimates that through June 6 it has had contact with over 10% of the City's <br /> 20,000 water customers. <br /> Page 2 of 4 <br />