2014-028 - Approving General Plan Amendement No. 2014-01

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City of Santa Ana -Park View at Town and Country Manor Draft EIR Utilities and Service As indicated in Section 4.7 -2, Water Supply and Sources Subsection, the City relies on groundwater for a majority of its water supply. Project development, however, would not deplete groundwater supplies or interfere with groundwater recharge (see analysis for Impact 4.3 -2). Existing entitlements, both from the City's groundwater and from Metropolitan Water District are considered adequate to meet anticipated future demand in the City of Santa Ana. Onsite improvements and connections to the City's water system facilities would be provided by the Applicant. In addition, State - mandated water conservation measures, and other required conservation measures would be utilized to reduce the amount of water used. Implementation of mitigation measure CC -5 to reduce water consumption is also required. As a result, expansion of existing or construction of new water facilities, or new entitlements to serve the proposed project would not be necessary. A less than significant impact would be experienced. Level of Significance Before Mitigation Less than significant. Mitigation Measures Implementation of mitigation measure CC -5 to reduce water consumption is required. No additional mitigation measures required. Level of Significance After Mitigation Less than significant. Climate Change Adaptation - Reduction in Water Supply Impact 4.7 -4 The project could be affected by climate change through a reduction in the quality and supply of water available within the State. Impact Analysis A vast network of manmade reservoirs and aqueducts captures and transports water throughout the State from Northern California rivers and the Colorado River. The current distribution system relies on Sierra Nevada snowpack to supply water during the dry spring and summer months. Rising temperatures, potentially compounded by decreases in precipitation, could severely reduce spring snowpack, increasing the risk of summer water shortages. If greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated, more precipitation could fall as rain instead of snow, and the snow that does fall could melt earlier, reducing the Sierra Nevada spring snowpack by as much as 70 to 90 percent. The amount of snowpack that could be lost depends in part on future precipitation patterns, the projections for which remain uncertain. However, even under the wetter climate projections, the loss of snowpack could pose challenges to water managers and hamper hydropower generation. It could also adversely affect winter tourism. The State's water supplies are also at risk from rising sea levels. An influx of saltwater could degrade California's estuaries, wetlands, and groundwater aquifers. Saltwater intrusion caused by rising sea levels is a major threat to the quality and reliability of water within the southern edge of the Sacramento /San Joaquin River Michael Brandman Associates 4.7 -7 H\Cl t(PN- Rnb327b32]003MMVB2]0030 Sec 7UNifiesa dService SyAa sdoc