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BACKGROUND <br /> Municipal Code Chapter 2.44 Emergency Organization and California Government <br /> Code §§8630 et. seq. allows the City Council to proclaim a local emergency and <br /> provides that City staff shall return to the City Council approximately every sixty (60) <br /> days to update the City Council on the local emergency. <br /> On October 5, 2021, City Council adopted urgency Ordinance No. 2225 declaring <br /> a Local Drought Emergency and adopted Resolution No. 21-1250 declaring a Stage 2 <br /> water shortage and mandating that Pleasanton water customers reduce their potable <br /> water usage by 15 percent. Due to the critically reduced water supplies and continued <br /> extreme dry weather, the protection of public health, safety, and welfare supported the <br /> declaration of a Local Drought Emergency providing the needed flexibility to respond <br /> quickly to changing situations involving fire safety, water availability for fire service, <br /> flexibility to obtain needed supplies or resources, and the authorization to collaborate <br /> with other local agencies on critical drought issues. <br /> DISCUSSION <br /> The City's Water Supply Contingency Plan (WSCP) describes the City's strategic plan <br /> in response to water shortages and establishes a fundamental link to Zone 7's water <br /> supply outlook as critical criteria for assessing a water shortage. The WSCP defines a <br /> Stage 2 water shortage as follows: <br /> There is sufficient uncertainty concerning water supply, either based upon Annual Water <br /> Supply and Demand Assessment (AWSDA) finding or unforeseeable event, to lead to <br /> the conclusion that supply may not adequately meet normal demand in the current or <br /> upcoming years. <br /> Zone 7's 2021 Annual Sustainability Report concluded that there are adequate supplies <br /> to meet 2021 demands. However, approximately 70 percent of Zone 7's water supply is <br /> purchased and imported through the State Water Project (SWP), and the historically low <br /> storage level in Lake Oroville was at 29 percent of capacity as of November 15, 2021, a <br /> slight improvement from 22 percent in October 2021. Considering the majority of the Tri- <br /> Valley's imported water originates from the SWP, it is reasonable and appropriate to <br /> conclude that there is uncertainty in next year's water supply, despite early season <br /> rainfall and snow. <br /> Since City Council declared a Stage 2 water shortage in October, the City's potable <br /> water use shows a 22 percent savings compared to 2020 (see Figure 1). Most water <br /> savings are from residential outdoor water use and dedicated potable irrigation water <br /> use. In October 2021, the precipitation recorded in Pleasanton was approximately 5.1 <br /> inches and there was no precipitation recorded in October 2020. The October 2021 <br /> storms helped reduced the City's overall potable water use, but it is far too early to know <br /> if we will continue to receive recordable precipitation to help offset depleted reservoirs <br /> improving drought conditions in 2022. <br /> Page 2 of 3 <br />