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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 is supported <br /> the declaration of a Local Drought Emergency which provides the needed flexibility to <br /> respond quickly to changing situations involving fire safety, water availability for fire <br /> service, the flexibility to obtain needed supplies or resources, and the authorization to <br /> collaborate 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 /> Late rain in March and April helped, but California remains in its third driest year. To <br /> mitigate the five percent allocation from the SWP, Zone 7 is pursuing water transfer <br /> opportunities through the Yuba Accord, Dry Year Transfer Program, other SWP <br /> contractors, and non-SWP contractors. In addition to pursuing water transfers, Zone 7 <br /> will continue to rely on the Tri-Valley's groundwater basin, which holds the imported <br /> water Zone 7 stores during wet years to sustain the Tri-Valley during times of drought. <br /> However, that supply can only stretch so far, and conservation is a key piece to <br /> prolonging the supply held in the groundwater basin. <br /> Conservation remains an important part of the Tri-Valley's water portfolio and customers <br /> are being asked to continue their conservation efforts as temperatures rise and irrigation <br /> use increases. Since City Council adopted the mandatory 15 percent water <br /> conservation measure in October 2021, water customers' conservation efforts have <br /> fluctuated as shown in Figure 1. Starting in May 2022, City water users have been <br /> meeting or exceeding the 15 percent reduction target. For the months of May, June, <br /> July, August, and September water consumption has been reduced by an average of <br /> 16.6 percent. These are significant reductions demonstrating that City water users are <br /> really making a difference. Additionally, drought rates took effect on May 1, which may <br /> be providing more incentive to water users to reduce water consumption. <br /> Page 2 of 3 <br />