Laserfiche WebLink
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. <br /> In August the State also enacted State wide mandatory reductions and prohibitions that <br /> are scheduled to be in place through April 2015. <br /> As an update on staff activity, in an effort to continue our overall community awareness <br /> efforts, we continue to keep the drought center open and assist residents and <br /> businesses in conservation efforts. In addition, listed below are a few highlights <br /> regarding programs and usage: <br /> • The City's water conservation webpage www.pleasantonwaterconservation.com <br /> serves as the City's main source for water reduction tips, water-efficiency incentive <br /> programs, drought updates, and current water restriction information and the <br /> community is encouraged to utilize this information. <br /> • City staff continues 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 /> DISCUSSION <br /> Attached for City Council information is a chart summarizing a comparison between <br /> 2013 and 2014 water usage. As indicated, the City realized a 27% water reduction in <br /> May, a 34% reduction in June, a 37% reduction in July, a 33% reduction in August, and <br /> a 33% in September, year to date we have achieved a 27.7% reduction. While the <br /> community should be commended for its efforts in meeting the 25% reduction target, <br /> the remaining months of this year can be equally challenging if we have warm and dry <br /> conditions. Most notably, November and December may prove to be the most difficult <br /> remaining months because of limited opportunities to obtain saving through reduced <br /> outdoor irrigation. Nonetheless, staff remains confident that the community will continue <br /> to be engaged in meeting the reduction targets and is hopeful for rain beginning later <br /> this fall and through winter. <br /> In addition with the community's ongoing conservation efforts, on September 1, 2014, <br /> the State released a 5% allocation of available water which would provide some <br /> Page 2 of 3 <br />