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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, despite rainfall <br /> and snowpack in late 2021, Lake Oroville remains below its historical average at 43 <br /> percent of capacity as of January 12, 2022 which is an improvement from 29 percent in <br /> December 2021. Considering the majority of the Tri-Valley's imported water originates <br /> from the SWP, it is reasonable and appropriate to conclude that there is uncertainty in <br /> this year's water supply, despite early season rainfall and snowpack. <br /> Pleasanton water customers continue to conserve during the winter months. Since City <br /> Council adopted the mandatory 15 percent water conservation measure in October <br /> 2021, customers have saved 24 percent of potable water use as shown in Figure 1. The <br /> City's potable water use in December 2021 shows an 18 percent saving compared to <br /> December 2020. The lower water savings was forecasted for the winter months <br /> because most outdoor irrigation systems were shut off or adjusted. <br /> Although, the December 2021 storms and limited outdoor irrigation helped reduced the <br /> City's overall potable water use, it is too early to know if we will continue to receive <br /> recordable precipitation to help offset depleted reservoirs toward improving drought <br /> conditions in 2022. <br /> Page 2 of 3 <br />