Item 07 - Response to OC Grand Jury Report_ Historic Rain, Yet Drought

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HISTORIC RAIN, YET DROUGHT REMAINS ORANGE COUNTY GRAND JURY 2022 I 2023 Page 9 of 57 have severely impacted modern Californians’ expected way of life. To preserve the status quo, water reduction mandates are used to facilitate further development. • Some water agencies are paying farmers to not grow crops. They are transferring the farmer’s water rights to the water agency to feed the thirst of metropolitan areas. Many projects to capture, transport, and store water have been proposed but not yet constructed due to various political and environmental obstructions. The projects that have been approved to capture, store, recycle, and transport more water will only succeed if there is enough water to do so. Precipitation is a declining source of water. Interviews with water experts, e.g., wholesalers, retailers, and suppliers have said that “we cannot conserve our way out of the drought” but they have yet to make Orange County self-sufficient. Overview of Water Suppliers and Agencies The water supply for Orange County is primarily managed by three entities – Orange County Water District (OCWD), Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC), and Metropolitan Water District (MET). Consumers receive their water from 29 independent water districts and cities. The suppliers primarily receive water from either the groundwater basin managed by OCWD, directly from MET, or through MWDOC. The water agencies also have additional minor supplies of water, including treated surface waters and supplies obtained from agreements with other entities. Some of the water agencies provide treated wastewater for landscaping and industrial uses (recycling). Metropolitan Water District (MET) – (Water Wholesaler) The Metropolitan Water District (MET) serves the water needs of Southern California by securing and transporting water. This includes overseeing the importation of water from the Colorado River Basin since 1941 and the State Water Project since 1971. MET is a wholesaler which sells and allocates this water to other water agencies, municipalities,3 and counties from Ventura to San Diego. Orange County receives its purchased allocation through the Municipal Water District of Orange County. Recognizing the long- term effects of drought and reduced flows from the Colorado river and California Aqueduct, the MET has initiated major water conservation and recycling programs to make water management a priority. They have attempted to create storage capability and negotiate contracts with the agricultural entities within the Colorado basin to limit their water usage and acquire their allocations. The long-term threat of climate change and historic droughts have challenged MET and they have failed to identify new supplies of water beyond their historic charter. The State Water Project is delivering only 10% of the historical allocation and the Colorado River supply allocation was reduced 25% in 2022.