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INIERNEMI Subject: FW: drought suggestions From: Daniel Smith Sent:Tuesday, April 21, 2015 10:00 AM To: Howard Mendenhall; Mayor and City Council Cc: Pleasanton City Clerk; Leonard Olive; Ellen Holmgren Subject: RE: drought suggestions Dear Howard & Diana Mendenhall, Thank you for taking your time to communicate to the City of Pleasanton your thoughts regarding the drought situation here in Pleasanton. Your efforts to go above and beyond the mandatory 25%water reduction, and your long-term planning for your landscape conversion into climate appropriate landscaping are commendable sacrifices which truly demonstrate your understanding of water conservation as a way of life here in California. From the start of this drought we have recognized that only way we are going to get through this historic drought successfully and better prepared for future water shortages, is by working together in partnership with our community. The vast majority of our water customers have complied with the 25%water reduction requirement. In fact, the community achieved 97%compliance,with only 3%of our community not complying with the water reduction requirement. Fines were imposed on those that did not achieve their required water reductions. This partnership between our community and the City led to a 27.8% reduction in 2014 water use comparted to 2013 water use. Dedicated to leading our community by example, City meters as a whole achieved a 45.2%reduction in water use in 2014 compared to 2013 water use,which is almost double of what was required of our customers.The City Park Division was largely responsible for this impressive reduction in water use in a number of ways: 1)our highly knowledgeable staff reduced water use of City parks,which were considerably stressed and brown by mid-summer of last year,yet skillfully did so in a manner to preserve these assets so the grass could grow back once enough when rain returned this Winter; 2)Val Vista Park was converted over to recycled water last spring, and Stoneridge Park was also plumbed and is using recycled water. 3) Callippe Golf Course was provided supplemental water by trucking in recycled water to augment the golf course's water supply to help preserve the integrity of the course while conserving drinking water. Last summer the City conducted multiple Adapting to Drought workshops to help educate the public on the benefits of climate appropriate landscaping, as well as other ways to empower households to control their water use.This spring we continued our outreach efforts at a Plants and Gardening event hosted by Home Depot in Pleasanton.Thank you for your suggestion of a workshop on the subject of grey water and rain harvest capturing.There are a number of reasons why these water efficiency practices may not be appropriate solutions for our area. Pleasanton is situated over an aquafer which is pumped and used as a source of our water supply. Grey water plumbing results in the application of untreated water over landscaping, which can then make its way into the groundwater aquafer and subsequently lead to the contamination of this water supply. In regards to rain harvest capturing,this practice requires a significant amount of rainfall,as well as enough water storage capacity to hold on to that rainfall until a later time. Pleasanton averages only around 17 inches of rain in normal years,which would require a significant amount of roof area and water storage capacity to make the capture of rainwater a successful way of augmenting our water supply to irrigate our landscapes. As the City moves forward into this summer and fall,we assure you we continue to do what is necessary to protect the City's water supply to ensure the safety and well-being of our community. Daniel Smith Director Operations Services 1