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Vice-Mayor Pentin requested and Mr. Smith provided confirmation that users will continue to have their consumption measured against a 2013 baseline in the upcoming year, as opposed to being expected to achieve a 25% reduction over what was already conserved this year. Councilmember Cook-Kallio asked Mr. Smith to explain the relationship between precipitation and drought relief, particularly as it affects the recharging of aquifers and groundwater supplies. Mr. Smith explained that the drier conditions of the past several years have prevented the taking of additional water to recharge our aquifers, both here and throughout the state, and it will ultimately require a number of rather wet years to recover from that. At present, this means that some areas which have relied on these storage sources have actually run out of water for their residents and for health and safety purposes. Councilmember Cook-Kallio said she continues to hear complaints that this community is making serious efforts to conserve while residents in southern California continue to "water their driveways" and requested an update on any statewide efforts to address the issue. Mr. Smith assured her that the state is making efforts, including issuing a mandate requiring compliance with drought mandates statewide through April 2015. He also reported on three new groundwater bills coming forward this year to address groundwater pumping. Mr. Smith reported on recent efforts among local water retailers who, along with Zone 7, are working to gather public input on the Water Plan and to identify opportunities to diversify the valley's water portfolio in such a way that it is less reliant on the State Water Project. The liaison committee held its fourth meeting the night before and thus far has identified six points of focus for a cooperative effort with Zone 7, two of which received unanimous support for a more immediate focus: improved reliability through diversification of supply, storage and facilities and an increased use of recycled water. The next public meeting is scheduled for January 2015. Tomorrow evening Zone 7 will also hear an item regarding the trade of 5,000 acre feet of water with Contra Cost Water District in the 2015 calendar year. Councilmember Brown stated that she and Councilmember Narum serve as Council liaisons to Zone 7, the city's water supplier, and stressed that they are being active and present in doing everything possible to encourage a sound long-term planning effort by Zone 7. Mayor Thorne opened the public comment. Bob Sanchez said he witnessed a huge gusher at West Las Positas and Fiesta Drive the previous evening and was struck with how difficult it was to obtain the information needed to report the incident. He suggested it would be helpful for the city to offer an app that would allow reporting of things like this and perhaps potholes or other malfunctioning infrastructure and for residents to check in on what action had been taken. He said it would also be helpful for water bills to show a comparison to the user's baseline as opposed to just a 12-month history. In terms of long term planning, he recommended the use of pavers or other permeable surfaces to reduce driveway runoff, collection of runoff in catch basins in larger business parks, and perhaps some method to safely reintroduce storm water runoff back into the system. Mr. Smith advised Mr. Sanchez of the Mobile Citizen app, which is available for both Apple and Android phones and allows for everything he discussed. Mr. Sanchez recommended they make that information more readily accessible on the homepage of the city's website. Mayor Thorne closed the public comment. City Council Minutes Page 4 of 22 November 18, 2014