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BACKGROUND In January 2014, the governor declared a State of Emergency due to the California drought, as did the Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District Zone 7. In February, the City Council activated Stage 1 of the City's Water Shortage Contingency Plan and requested that customers voluntarily reduce water usage by 20 %. Unfortunately, those conservation levels were not achieved. In April, the governor issued an executive order asking Californian's to reduce water usage by 20 %, and Zone 7 also asked all water retailers, including Pleasanton, to reduce water usage by 25 %. In May, the City Council declared the City's water shortage situation warranted Stage 3 mandatory 25% water reduction, and proclaimed a Local Drought Emergency. In August the State also enacted State wide mandatory reductions and prohibitions that are scheduled to be in place through April 2015. As an update on staff activity, in an effort to continue our overall community awareness efforts, we continue to keep the drought center open and assist residents and businesses in conservation efforts. In addition, listed below are a few highlights regarding programs and usage: • The City's water conservation webpage www .pleasantonwaterconservation.com serves as the City's main source for water reduction tips, water - efficiency incentive programs, drought updates, and current water restriction information and the community is encouraged to utilize this information. • City staff continues to provide on -call and on -site assistance to residents and businesses to provide hands on assistance with reducing water usage that includes such services as reprogramming irrigation systems, providing free low flow shower heads and faucet aerators, etc. • Outreach and education events will continue, including presentations to community groups. DISCUSSION Attached for City Council information is a chart summarizing a comparison between 2013 and 2014 water usage. As indicated, the City realized a 27% water reduction in May, a 34% reduction in June, and a 37% reduction in July, an additional 33% in August and as such, year to date we have achieved a 26.9% reduction. While the community should be commended for its efforts in meeting the 25% reduction target, the remaining months of this year can be equally challenging if we have warm and dry conditions. Most notably, November and December may prove to be the most difficult remaining months because of limited opportunities to obtain saving through reduced outdoor irrigation. Nonetheless, staff remains confident that the community will continue to be engaged in meeting the reduction targets and is hopeful for rain beginning later this fall and through winter. Page 2 of 4