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 4 of 57 Public awareness must be expanded to encourage better management of our water by expediting the process for planning and construction of new water sources such as desalination and prioritizing funding. The Orange County Grand Jury recommends the creation of a “Climate Resiliency District” to lessen the County’s dependence on State and regional water projects. Just as Orange County supported Measure M and created the Orange County Transportation Authority to solve the county’s transportation crisis, the same bold leadership is needed to solve the county’s water crisis. This report presents information about the current crisis in water planning, existing projects to increase the supply of non-potable water for irrigation, and storage issues. The report makes recommendations for a reliable source of potable water through desalination of ocean water. BACKGROUND Water is our most precious resource, but due to shifts in climatic weather patterns, the reliability of traditional water supplies is under intense pressure in Orange County. Many water business insiders are stating privately that these systemic events are now at a “crisis” stage, despite the recent precipitation. To date, traditional water suppliers in Orange County have not addressed the implications of this systemic shift. They have maximized local resources by recycling, capturing flood water runoff, and finding new areas for storage. However, they have yet to fully develop a transformational drought-resistant water resource outside the status quo. Numerous past Orange County Grand Jury reports1 have dealt with the internal governance and organizational structure or the need for conservation efforts to maximize water utilization. This report elaborates on the dependency on outside water supplies such as the California Water Project and the Colorado River Basin that provide over 50% of our county’s local water supply. South Orange County lacks a bountiful aquifer that provides North and Central Orange County with 70% of its water supply.2 South Orange County depends on imported water for 90% of its needs. These imported water supplies are becoming less reliable, with annual reductions occurring in both the California Water Project and the Colorado River Basin creating major disruptions. Conservation measures have been put in place throughout Orange County to maximize existing supplies to help mitigate these concerns. This is simply inadequate to resolve the long-term supply issue. One of the ways to resolve this issue is desalination, a proven alternative that has not yet been fully implemented in Orange County.