HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 27 - Water Supply Assessment for Cabrillo Town Center Project Public Works Agency
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Item # 27
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
May 16, 2023
TOPIC: Water Supply Assessment for Cabrillo Town Center Project
AGENDA TITLE
Adopt a Resolution Approving the Water Supply Assessment for the Cabrillo Town
Center Project Located at 1901 East Fourth Street
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Adopt a resolution approving the Water Supply Assessment for the Cabrillo Town
Center project located at 1901 East Fourth Street.
DISCUSSION
In June 2021, the City of Santa Ana filed its 2020 Urban Water Management Plan
(UWMP) (Exhibit 1) with the California Department of Water Resources in accordance
with California Water Code Section 10610, et seq., which requires UWMPs to be filed
every five years. The UWMP, among its several functions, estimates water supply
sufficiency by forecasting the City’s water supply capacity and anticipated consumer
water demand to ensure that available water supply will meet or exceed demand.
UWMPs are point-in-time estimates that, by nature, cannot fully capture future effects of
large changes unknown at the time it was developed. For this reason, California Water
Code Section 10910 requires large projects be reviewed individually for water supply
sufficiency via a Water Supply Assessment document. The City must concur that
adequate water supply exists for residential development projects consisting of 500
dwelling units or more before development may proceed.
The proposed development is a mixed-use project that includes commercial space and
up to 507 residential dwelling units, and therefore requires a Water Supply Assessment
(Exhibit 2). Staff has reviewed the project’s Water Supply Assessment, concluded that
the City has adequate supply to service the project upon its completion, and
recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution approving the assessment (Exhibit
3).
This is the first Water Supply Assessment brought for the City Council’s specific review
and consideration since the completion of the 2020 UWMP. City staff will evaluate
future Water Supply Assessments by adjusting the demand projections of the UWMP
Water Supply Assessment for Cabrillo Town Center Project
May 16, 2023
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3
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for the anticipated demand of this project to determine the unutilized water supply
available for additional development. When the future revised 2025 UWMP is filed
again, any current or projected water demand from this project will be incorporated into
the new baseline consumer water demand projections.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
EXHIBIT(S)
1. City of Santa Ana 2020 Urban Water Management Plan
2. Water Supply Assessment for the Cabrillo Town Center Project
3. Resolution Approving the Water Supply Assessment
Submitted By: Nabil Saba, Executive Director of Public Works
Approved By: Kristine Ridge, City Manager
2020 Urban Water
Management Plan
Final
June 2021
Santa Ana 2020 Urban Water Management Plan
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2020 URBAN WATER
MANAGEMENT PLAN
Prepared for:
City of Santa Ana
Public Works Agency
Water Resources Division
20 Civic Center Plaza
Santa Ana, California 92701
Prepared by:
Arcadis U.S., Inc.
320 Commerce
Suite 200
Irvine
California 92602
Tel 714 730 9052
Fax 714 730 9345
Our Ref:
30055240
Date:
June 2021
Sarina Sriboonlue, P.E.
Project Manager
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CONTENTS
Acronyms and Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................... ix
Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................ ES-1
1 Introduction and UWMP Overview ..................................................................................................... 1-1
Overview of Urban Water Management Plan Requirements ...................................................... 1-1
UWMP Organization .................................................................................................................... 1-2
2 UWMP Preparation ............................................................................................................................ 2-1
Individual Planning and Compliance ........................................................................................... 2-1
Coordination and Outreach ......................................................................................................... 2-2
2.2.1 Integration with Other Planning Efforts .................................................................................. 2-2
2.2.2 Wholesale and Retail Coordination ........................................................................................ 2-3
2.2.3 Public Participation ................................................................................................................. 2-4
3 System Description ............................................................................................................................ 3-1
Agency Overview ......................................................................................................................... 3-1
3.1.1 Formation and Purpose .......................................................................................................... 3-1
3.1.2 City Council ............................................................................................................................ 3-3
Water Service Area and Facilities ............................................................................................... 3-3
3.2.1 Water Service Area ................................................................................................................ 3-3
3.2.2 Water Facilities ....................................................................................................................... 3-4
Climate ......................................................................................................................................... 3-6
Population, Demographics, and Socioeconomics ....................................................................... 3-7
3.4.1 Population .............................................................................................................................. 3-7
3.4.2 Demographics and Socioeconomics ...................................................................................... 3-7
3.4.3 CDR Projection Methodology ................................................................................................. 3-8
Land Uses .................................................................................................................................... 3-8
3.5.1 Current Land Uses ................................................................................................................. 3-8
3.5.2 Projected Land Uses .............................................................................................................. 3-9
4 Water Use Characterization ............................................................................................................... 4-1
Water Use Overview .................................................................................................................... 4-1
Past and Current Water Use ....................................................................................................... 4-1
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Water Use Projections ................................................................................................................. 4-3
4.3.1 Water Use Projection Methodology........................................................................................ 4-3
4.3.1.1 Weather Variability and Long-Term Climate Change Impacts ....................................... 4-5
4.3.2 25-Year Water Use Projection ............................................................................................... 4-5
4.3.2.1 Water Use Projections for 2021-2025 ............................................................................ 4-6
4.3.2.2 Water Use Projections for 2025-2045 ............................................................................ 4-6
4.3.2.3 Water Use Projections for Lower Income Households .................................................. 4-8
Water Loss ................................................................................................................................. 4-10
5 Conservation Target Compliance..................................................................................................... 5-13
Baseline Water Use ................................................................................................................... 5-13
5.1.1 Ten to 15-Year Baseline Period (Baseline GPCD) .............................................................. 5-14
5.1.2 Five-Year Baseline Period (Target Confirmation) ................................................................ 5-14
5.1.3 Service Area Population ....................................................................................................... 5-14
SBx7-7 Water Use Targets ........................................................................................................ 5-14
5.2.1 SBx7-7 Target Methods ....................................................................................................... 5-15
5.2.2 2020 Targets and Compliance ............................................................................................. 5-15
Orange County 20x2020 Regional Alliance .............................................................................. 5-17
6 Water Supply Characterization .......................................................................................................... 6-1
Water Supply Overview ............................................................................................................... 6-1
Imported Water ............................................................................................................................ 6-4
6.2.1 Colorado River Supplies ........................................................................................................ 6-5
6.2.2 State Water Project Supplies ................................................................................................. 6-7
6.2.3 Storage ................................................................................................................................. 6-11
6.2.4 Planned Future Sources ...................................................................................................... 6-12
Groundwater .............................................................................................................................. 6-12
6.3.1 Historical Groundwater Production ...................................................................................... 6-13
6.3.2 Basin Characteristics ........................................................................................................... 6-14
6.3.3 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act ........................................................................ 6-17
6.3.4 Basin Production Percentage ............................................................................................... 6-17
6.3.4.1 2020 OCWD Groundwater Reliability Plan .................................................................. 6-19
6.3.4.2 OCWD Engineer’s Report ............................................................................................ 6-19
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6.3.5 Recharge Management ........................................................................................................ 6-20
6.3.6 MET Groundwater Replenishment Program ........................................................................ 6-20
6.3.7 MET Conjunctive Use Program / Cyclic Storage Program with OCWD .............................. 6-21
6.3.8 Overdraft Conditions ............................................................................................................ 6-21
6.3.9 Planned Future Sources ...................................................................................................... 6-22
Surface Water ............................................................................................................................ 6-22
6.4.1 Existing Sources................................................................................................................... 6-22
6.4.2 Planned Future Sources ...................................................................................................... 6-22
Stormwater ................................................................................................................................ 6-23
6.5.1 Existing Sources................................................................................................................... 6-23
6.5.2 Planned Future Sources ...................................................................................................... 6-23
Wastewater and Recycled Water .............................................................................................. 6-23
6.6.1 Agency Coordination ............................................................................................................ 6-23
6.6.1.1 OCWD Green Acres Project ........................................................................................ 6-23
6.6.1.2 OCWD Groundwater Replenishment System .............................................................. 6-24
6.6.2 Wastewater Description and Disposal ................................................................................. 6-24
6.6.3 Current Recycled Water Uses .............................................................................................. 6-26
6.6.4 Projected Recycled Water Uses .......................................................................................... 6-26
6.6.5 Potential Recycled Water Uses ............................................................................................ 6-28
6.6.6 Optimization Plan ................................................................................................................. 6-28
Desalination Opportunities ........................................................................................................ 6-29
6.7.1 Ocean Water Desalination ................................................................................................... 6-30
6.7.2 Groundwater Desalination .................................................................................................... 6-31
Water Exchanges and Transfers ............................................................................................... 6-31
6.8.1 Existing Exchanges and Transfers ....................................................................................... 6-31
6.8.2 Planned and Potential Exchanges and Transfers ................................................................ 6-32
Summary of Future Water Projects ........................................................................................... 6-33
6.9.1 City Initiatives ....................................................................................................................... 6-33
6.9.2 Regional Initiatives ............................................................................................................... 6-33
Energy Intensity.................................................................................................................... 6-35
6.10.1 Water Supply Energy Intensity ......................................................................................... 6-35
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6.10.1.1 Operational Control and Reporting Period ............................................................... 6-38
6.10.1.2 Volume of Water Entering Processes ...................................................................... 6-38
6.10.1.3 Energy Consumption and Generation ...................................................................... 6-38
6.10.2 Wastewater and Recycled Water Energy Intensity .......................................................... 6-38
6.10.2.1 Operational Control and Reporting Period ............................................................... 6-41
6.10.2.2 Volume of Wastewater Entering Processes ............................................................. 6-41
6.10.2.3 Energy Consumption and Generation ...................................................................... 6-41
6.10.3 Key Findings and Next Steps ........................................................................................... 6-41
7 Water Service Reliability and Drought Risk Assessment .................................................................. 7-1
Water Service Reliability Overview .............................................................................................. 7-1
Factors Affecting Reliability ......................................................................................................... 7-3
7.2.1 Climate Change and the Environment ................................................................................... 7-3
7.2.2 Regulatory and Legal ............................................................................................................. 7-4
7.2.3 Water Quality .......................................................................................................................... 7-4
7.2.3.1 Imported Water ............................................................................................................... 7-5
7.2.3.2 Groundwater ................................................................................................................... 7-5
7.2.4 Locally Applicable Criteria ...................................................................................................... 7-8
Water Service Reliability Assessment ......................................................................................... 7-8
7.3.1 Normal Year Reliability ........................................................................................................... 7-8
7.3.2 Single Dry Year Reliability ...................................................................................................... 7-9
DWR Submittal Table 7-3 Retail: Single Dry Year Supply and Demand Comparison ................................... 7-10
7.3.3 Multiple Dry Year Reliability ................................................................................................. 7-10
Management Tools and Options ............................................................................................... 7-12
Drought Risk Assessment ......................................................................................................... 7-13
7.5.1 DRA Methodology ................................................................................................................ 7-13
7.5.2 Total Water Supply and Use Comparison ............................................................................ 7-15
7.5.3 Water Source Reliability ....................................................................................................... 7-17
8 Water Shortage Contingency Planning .............................................................................................. 8-1
Layperson Description ................................................................................................................. 8-1
Overview of the WSCP ................................................................................................................ 8-1
Summary of Water Shortage Response Strategy and Required DWR Tables ........................... 8-2
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9 Demand Management Measures ....................................................................................................... 9-1
Demand Management Measures for Retail Suppliers ................................................................. 9-1
9.1.1 Water Waste Prevention Ordinances ..................................................................................... 9-1
9.1.2 Metering ................................................................................................................................. 9-3
9.1.3 Conservation Pricing .............................................................................................................. 9-3
9.1.4 Public Education and Outreach .............................................................................................. 9-4
9.1.5 Programs to Assess and Manage Distribution System Real Loss ....................................... 9-10
9.1.6 Water Conservation Program Coordination and Staffing Support ....................................... 9-11
9.1.7 Other Demand Management Measures (DMMs) ................................................................. 9-11
9.1.7.1 Residential Program ..................................................................................................... 9-11
9.1.7.2 Commercial, Industrial and Institutional (CII) Programs .............................................. 9-12
9.1.7.3 Landscape Programs ................................................................................................... 9-12
Implementation over the Past Five Years.................................................................................. 9-14
Water Use Objectives (Future Requirements) .......................................................................... 9-15
10 Plan Adoption, Submittal, and Implementation ................................................................................ 10-1
Overview .............................................................................................................................. 10-1
Agency Coordination ............................................................................................................ 10-2
Public Participation ............................................................................................................... 10-3
UWMP Submittal .................................................................................................................. 10-3
Amending the Adopted UWMP or WSCP ............................................................................ 10-3
11 References ....................................................................................................................................... 11-1
TABLES
Table 2-1: Plan Identification...................................................................................................................... 2-1
Table 2-2: Supplier Identification ............................................................................................................... 2-2
Table 2-3 Retail: Water Supplier Information Exchange ............................................................................ 2-4
Table 3-1: Retail Only: Public Water Systems ........................................................................................... 3-6
Table 3-2: Retail: Population - Current and Projected ............................................................................... 3-7
Table 3-3: City of Santa Ana Service Area Dwelling Units by Type .......................................................... 3-8
Table 3-4: Buildout Potential of the City ................................................................................................... 3-12
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Table 4-1 Retail: Demands for Potable and Non-Potable Water – Actual ................................................. 4-2
Table 4-2: Water Use Projections for 2021 to 2025 ................................................................................... 4-6
Table 4-3: Retail: Use for Potable and Non-Potable Water – Projected .................................................... 4-7
Table 4-4 Retail: Total Water Use (Potable and Non-Potable) .................................................................. 4-8
Table 4-5 Retail Only: Inclusion in Water Use Projections ....................................................................... 4-8
Table 4-6: SCAG 6th Cycle Household Allocation Based on Median Household Income ........................ 4-9
Table 4-7: Projected Water Use Needed for Low Income Households (AF) ........................................... 4-10
Table 4-8: Retail: Last Five Years of Water Loss Audit Reporting .......................................................... 4-11
Table 5-1: Baselines and Targets Summary ............................................................................................ 5-16
Table 5-2: 2020 Compliance .................................................................................................................... 5-17
Table 6-1: Retail: Water Supplies – Actual ................................................................................................ 6-2
Table 6-2: Retail: Water Supplies – Projected ........................................................................................... 6-3
Table 6-3: MET SWP Program Capabilities ............................................................................................... 6-9
Table 6-4: Retail: Groundwater Volume Pumped .................................................................................... 6-14
Table 6-5: Management Actions Based on Changes in Groundwater Storage ....................................... 6-18
Table 6-6: Retail: Wastewater Collected Within Service Area in 2020 ................................................... 6-25
Table 6-7: Retail: Recycled Water Direct Beneficial Uses Within Service Area ...................................... 6-27
Table 6-8: Retail: 2015 UWMP Recycled Water Use Projection Compared to 2020 Actual ................... 6-28
Table 6-9: Recommended Energy Intensity – Multiple Water Delivery Products .................................... 6-36
Table 6-10: Recommended Energy Intensity – Wastewater & Recycled Water ..................................... 6-39
Table 7-1 Retail: Basis of Water Year Data (Reliability Assessment) ....................................................... 7-2
Table 7-2: Retail: Normal Year Supply and Demand Comparison ............................................................ 7-9
Table 7-3: Retail: Single Dry Year Supply and Demand Comparison ..................................................... 7-10
Table 7-4: Retail: Multiple Dry Years Supply and Demand Comparison ................................................. 7-11
Table 7-5: Five-Year Drought Risk Assessment Tables to Address Water Code Section 10635(b) ....... 7-15
Table 8-1: Water Shortage Contingency Plan Levels ................................................................................ 8-4
Table 9-1: Water Rates Effective January 1, 2020 .................................................................................... 9-3
Table 9-2: Water Tier Allocations Effective January 1, 2020 ..................................................................... 9-4
Table 9-3: City of Santa Ana Water Conservation Efficiency Program Participation .............................. 9-14
Table 9-4: MET Programs to Assist in Meeting WUO ............................................................................. 9-16
Table 9-5: CII BMP Implementation Programs Offered ........................................................................... 9-18
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Table 10-1: External Coordination and Outreach .................................................................................... 10-1
Table 10-2: Retail: Notification to Cities and Counties ............................................................................ 10-2
FIGURES
Figure 3-1: Regional Location of City of Santa Ana ................................................................................... 3-2
Figure 3-2: City of Santa Ana Water Service Area .................................................................................... 3-4
Figure 3-3: Water System Facilities ........................................................................................................... 3-5
Figure 3-4: Special Planning Areas of the City of Santa Ana .................................................................. 3-11
Figure 4-1: Water Use Projection Methodology Diagram .......................................................................... 4-4
Figure 4-2: Water Loss Audit for FY 2015/16 to FY 2019/20 ................................................................... 4-11
Figure 4-3: Water Loss Performance Indicators for FY 2015/16 to FY 2019/20 ..................................... 4-12
Figure 6-1: City’s Projected Water Supply Sources (AF) ........................................................................... 6-4
Figure 6-2: Map of the OC Basin ............................................................................................................. 6-16
Figure 8-1: UWMP Overview ..................................................................................................................... 8-2
Figure 9-1: Youth Outreach Flyer .............................................................................................................. 9-5
Figure 9-2: Outreach and Education Material ............................................................................................ 9-5
Figure 9-3: Outreach Event Photo 1 .......................................................................................................... 9-6
Figure 9-4: Outreach Event Photo 2 .......................................................................................................... 9-6
Figure 9-5: Outreach Event Photo 3 .......................................................................................................... 9-7
Figure 9-6: Outreach Event Photo 4 .......................................................................................................... 9-7
Figure 9-7: Landscape Transformation Program Outreach Flyer, Page 1 ................................................ 9-8
Figure 9-8: Landscape Transformation Program Outreach Flyer, Page 2 ................................................ 9-8
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APPENDICES
Appendix A. UWMP Water Code Checklist
Appendix B. DWR Standardized Tables
Appendix C. Reduced Delta Reliance
Appendix D. SBx7-7 Verification and Compliance Forms
Appendix E. 2021 OC Water Demand Forecast for MWDOC and OCWD Technical Memorandum
Appendix F. AWWA Water Loss Audits
Appendix G. 2017 Basin 8-1 Alternative
Appendix H. Water Shortage Contingency Plan
Appendix I. Water Use Efficiency Implementation Report
Appendix J. Demand Management Measures
Appendix K. Notice of Public Hearing
Appendix L. Adopted UWMP and WSCP Resolutions
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ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
% Percent
20x2020 20% water use reduction in GPCD by year 2020
ADU Accessory Dwelling Unit
Act Urban Water Management Planning Act of 1983
AF Acre-Feet
AFY Acre-Feet per Year
AWWA American Water Works Association
BEA Basin Equity Assessment
Biops Biological Opinions
BPP Basin Production Percentage
CCC California Coastal Commission
CDR Center for Demographic Research at California State Fullerton
CEC Constituents of Emerging Concern
CEE Consortium for Energy Efficiency
CII Commercial/Industrial/Institutional
CIP Capital Improvement Program
City City of Westminster
CPTP Coastal Pumping Transfer Program
CRA Colorado River Aqueduct
CTE Career Technical Education
CUP Conjunctive Use Program
CVP Central Valley Project
DAC Disadvantaged Communities
DCP Delta Conveyance Project
DDW California State Division of Drinking Water
Delta Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta
DRA Drought Risk Assessment
DMM Demand Management Measure
DOF Department of Finance
DVL Diamond Valley Lake
DWR Department of Water Resources
FIRO Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations
FY Fiscal Year
GAP Green Acres Project
GHG Greenhouse Gas
GPCD Gallons per Capita per Day
gpf Gallons per Flush
GSA Groundwater Sustainability Agency
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GSP Groundwater Sustainability Plan
GWRS Groundwater Replenishment System
GWRSFE Groundwater Replenishment System Final Expansion
H2O2 Hydrogen Peroxide
HECW High Efficiency Clothes Washer
HEN High Efficiency Nozzle
HET High Efficiency Toilet
HOA Home Owners Association
IPR Indirect Potable Reuse
IRP Integrated Water Resources Plan
JADU Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit
kWh Kilowatt-Hour
LRP Local Resources Program
LTFP Long-Term Facilities Plan
MAF Million Acre-Feet
MCL Maximum Contaminant Level
MET Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
MF Microfiltration
MG Million Gallon
MGD Million Gallons per Day
MHI Median Household Income
MNWD Moulton Niguel Water District
MTBE Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether
MWDOC Municipal Water District of Orange County
MWELO Model Water Use Efficiency Landscape Ordinance
NDMA N-nitrosodimethylamine
NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
NRW Non-Revenue Water
OC Orange County
OC Basin Orange County Groundwater Basin
OC San Orange County Sanitation District
OCWD Orange County Water District
ORP On-Site Retrofit Program
PFAS Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
PFOA perfluorooctanoic acid
PFOS perfluorooctane sulfanate
Poseidon Poseidon Resources LLC
PPCP Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Product
PPT Parts Per Trillion
PSA Public Service Announcement
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QWEL Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper
RA Replenishment Assessment
RHNA Regional Housing Needs Assessment
RO Reverse Osmosis
RUWMP Regional Urban Water Management Plan
SBx7-7 Senate Bill 7 as part of the Seventh Extraordinary Session
SCAB South Coast Air Basin
SCAG Southern California Association of Governments
SCWD South Coast Water District
SMWD Santa Margarita Water District
SDP Seawater Desalination Program
sf Square Feet
STEAM Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics
SWP State Water Project
SWRCB California State Water Resources Control Board
TAF Thousand Acre-Feet
TDS Total Dissolved Solids
USBR United States Bureau of Reclamation
UV Ultraviolet
UWMP Urban Water Management Plan
UWMP Act Urban Water Management Planning Act of 1983
VOC Volatile Organic Compound
Water Code California Water Code
WBIC Weather-Based Irrigation Controller
WF-21 Water Factory 21
WSAP Water Supply Allocation Plan
WSCP Water Shortage Contingency Plan
WSIP Water Savings Inventory Program
WUO Water Use Objective
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION AND UWMP OVERVIEW
The City of Santa Ana prepared this 2020 Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) to submit to the
California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to satisfy the UWMP Act of 1983 (UWMP Act or Act)
and subsequent California Water Code (Water Code) requirements. The City is a retail water supplier that
provides water to its residents and other customers using the imported potable water supply obtained
from its regional wholesaler, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MET), local groundwater
from the Orange County Groundwater Basin (OC Basin), and recycled water from the Orange County
Water District (OCWD).
UWMPs are comprehensive documents that present an evaluation of a water supplier’s reliability over a
long-term (20-25 year) horizon. This 2020 UWMP provides an assessment of the present and future
water supply sources and demands within the City’s service area. It presents an update to the 2015
UWMP on the City’s water resource needs, water use efficiency programs, water reliability assessment
and strategies to mitigate water shortage conditions. It also presents a new 2020 Water Shortage
Contingency Plan (WSCP) designed to prepare for and respond to water shortages. This 2020 UWMP
contains all elements to meet compliance of the new requirements of the Act as amended since 2015.
UWMP PREPARATION
The City coordinated the preparation of this 2020 UWMP with other key entities, including MET (regional
wholesaler for Southern California and the direct supplier of imported water to the City, Municipal Water
District of Orange County ([MWDOC] (regional wholesale supplier for OC)), and OCWD (OC Basin
manager and provider of recycled water in north OC). While the City is not a member agency of MWDOC,
the City developed this UWMP in conjunction with other MWDOC-led efforts such as population projection
from the Center for Demographic Research at California State University Fullerton (CDR).
SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
Governed by a non-partisan seven-member City Council, the City is one of the oldest cities in Orange
County, incorporated in 1886 and became an original member agency of the MET on February 27, 1931.
The City’s water service area covers 27.5 square miles and includes the City of Santa Ana and a small
neighborhood in the City of Orange, near Tustin Avenue and Fairhaven by the northeast corner of Santa
Ana. The City operates ten reservoirs with a storage capacity of 49 million gallons (MG), seven pumping
stations, 21 groundwater wells, four pressure regulating stations and seven import water connections and
manages 510-mile water mains system with 45,037 service connections.
Situated in the South Coast Air Basin (SCAB), the City’s climate is characterized by Southern California’s
“Mediterranean” climate with mild winters, warm summers and moderate rainfall. Regarding land use, the
City is predominantly single and multi-family residential community. Moving forward, the City will continue
planning for its Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation and future planned
developments beyond 2020 will primarily be multiuse projects, in the ‘focus areas’ identified in the City’s
General Plan. The current population of 335,086 is projected to increase by 2.9% over the next 25 years.
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WATER USE CHARACTERIZATION
Water use within the City’s service area has been relatively stable in the past decade with an annual
average of 36,245 AF. Potable and non-potable water use accounts for an average of 99% and 1% of
total City water use, respectively. In fiscal year (FY) 2019/20, the City’s water use was 33,240 AF of
potable water (groundwater and imported) and 249 AF of direct recycled water for landscape irrigation. In
FY 2019-20, the City’s potable water use profile comprised of 65.5% residential use, 24.5% commercial,
industrial, and institutional (CII), and 4.0% large landscape/irrigation. Non-revenue water and other uses
account for 5.9% of City’s water demand.
Water Use Projections: 5-year and 25-year
The City’s service area is almost completely built-out and is projected to add minimum land use and small
population increase. Water demand is likely to increase by 1.2% over the next 5 years. In the longer term,
water demand is projected to be stable from 2025 through 2045 (a slight decrease of 0.2% over the
20-year period). The projected potable and non-potable water use for 2045 is 33,578 AF and 249 AF,
respectively.
This demand projection considers such factors as current and future demographics, future water use
efficiency measures, and long-term weather variability.
CONSERVATION TARGET COMPLIANCE
Retail water suppliers are required to comply with the requirements of Water Conservation Act of 2009,
also known as SBx7-7 (Senate Bill 7 as part of the Seventh Extraordinary Session), which was signed
into law in 2010 and requires the State of California to reduce urban water use by 20% by 2020 from a
2013 baseline.
The retail water suppliers can comply individually or as a region in collaboration with other retail water
suppliers, in order to be eligible for water related state grants and loans. The City is part of the Orange
County 20x2020 Regional Alliance created in collaboration with MWDOC, its retail member agencies as
well as the Cities of Anaheim and Fullerton. The Alliance was created to assist OC retail agencies in
complying with SBx7-7.
The City met its 2020 water use target and is in compliance with SBx7-7; the actual 2020 consumption
was 66 gallons per capita per day (GPCD), which is below its 2020 target of 116 GPCD.
WATER SUPPLY CHARACTERIZATION
The City meets all of its demands with a combination of local groundwater, imported water, and recycled
water. The City works together with two primary agencies, MET and OCWD, to ensure a safe and reliable
water supply that will continue to serve the community in periods of drought and shortage. The sources of
imported water supplies include water from the Colorado River and the State Water Project (SWP)
provided by MET.
The City’s main source of water supply is groundwater from the OC Basin. Imported water and recycled
water supplement the City’s water supply portfolio. In FY 2019-20, the City’s water supplies consisted of
76% groundwater, 23% imported water, and 1% recycled water.
It is projected that by 2045, the City’s water supply portfolio will shift to 84% groundwater, 15% imported
water, and 1% recycled water. Note that these representations of supply match the projected demand.
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The City also has a ten-year purchase agreement with MET that allows the City to purchase significantly
more imported water, should the need arise.
The City does not own or operate wastewater treatment facilities but owns and operates the wastewater
collection system in its service area that sends all wastewater to OC San for treatment and disposal. The
City benefits from its direct and indirect uses of recycled water. OCWD’s Green Acres Project (GAP)
produces recycled water for direct non-potable reuses such as landscape irrigation. OCWD’s
Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) produces recycled water for indirect potable reuse (IPR)
through the replenishment of the OC Basin.
WATER SERVICE RELIABILITY AND DROUGHT RISK ASSESSMENT
Every urban water supplier is required to assess the reliability of their water service to its customers under
a normal year, a single dry year, and a drought period lasting five consecutive years. The water service
reliability assessment compares projected supply to projected demand for the three hydrological
conditions between 2025 and 2045. Factors affecting reliability, such as climate change and regulatory
impacts, are accounted for as part of the assessment.
The City depends on a combination of imported and local supplies to meet its water demands and has
taken numerous steps to ensure it has adequate supplies. MET’s 2020 UWMP concludes that they can
meet full-service demands of their member agencies through 2045 during normal years, single-dry years,
and multiple-dry years. Consequently, the City is projected to meet full-service demands through 2045 for
all scenarios, due to diversified supply and conservation measures.
The Drought Risk Assessment (DRA) evaluates the City’s near-term ability to supply water assuming the
City is experiencing a drought over the next five years. Even under the assumption of a drought over the
next five years, MET’s 2020 UWMP concludes a surplus of water supplies would be available to all of its
Member Agencies, including the City, should the need for additional supplies arise to close any local
supply gap. Additionally, the City partakes in various efforts to reduce its reliance on imported water
supplies such as increasing the use of local groundwater and recycled water supplies.
WATER SHORTAGE CONTINGENCY PLANNING
Water shortage contingency planning (WSCP) is a strategic planning process that the City engages in to
prepare for and respond to water shortages. A water shortage, when water supply available is insufficient
to meet the normally expected customer water use at a given point in time, may occur due to a number of
reasons, such as water supply quality changes, climate change, drought, and catastrophic events
(e.g., earthquake). The City’s WSCP provides real-time water supply availability assessment and
structured steps designed to respond to actual conditions. This level of detailed planning and preparation
will help maintain reliable supplies and reduce the impacts of supply interruptions.
The WSCP serves as the operating manual that the City will use to prevent catastrophic service
disruptions through proactive, rather than reactive, mitigation of water shortages. The WSCP contains the
processes and procedures that will be deployed when shortage conditions arise so that the City’s
governing body, its staff, and its retail agencies can easily identify and efficiently implement
pre-determined steps to mitigate a water shortage to the level appropriate to the degree of water shortfall
anticipated.
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DEMAND MANAGEMENT MEASURES
The City, along with other retail water agencies in Orange County, recognizes the need to use existing
water supplies efficiently. This ethic of efficient use of water has evolved as a result of the development
and implementation of water use efficiency programs that make good economic sense and reflect
responsible stewardship of the region’s water resources. The City participate in regional water savings
programs and works closely with MET and MWDOC to promote regional efficiency.
PLAN ADOPTION, SUBMITTAL, AND IMPLEMENTATION
The Water Code requires the UWMP to be adopted by the Supplier’s governing body. Before the
adoption of the UWMP, the City notified the public and the cities and counties within its service area per
the Water Code and held a public hearing to receive input from the public on the UWMP. Post adoption,
the City submitted the UWMP to DWR and other key agencies and made the document available for
public review no later than 30 days after filing with DWR.
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1 INTRODUCTION AND UWMP OVERVIEW
The City of Santa Ana (City) prepared this 2020 Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP or Plan) to
submit to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to satisfy the UWMP Act of 1983
(Act or UWMP Act) and subsequent California Water Code (Water Code) requirements. The City is a
retail water supplier that provides water to its residents and other customers using the imported potable
water supply obtained from its regional wholesaler, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
(MET), local groundwater from the Orange County Groundwater Basin (OC Basin), and recycled water
from the Orange County Water District (OCWD). The City, as one of MET’s 26 member agencies,
prepared this 2020 UWMP in collaboration with MET, Municipal Water District of Orange County
(MWDOC), OCWD, and other key agencies.
UWMPs are comprehensive documents that present an evaluation of a water supplier’s reliability over a
long-term (20-25 year) horizon. In response to the changing climatic conditions and regulatory updates
since the 2015 UWMP, the City has been proactively managing its water supply and demand. The water
loss audit program, water conservation measures and efforts for increased self-reliance in order to reduce
dependency on imported water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta) are some of the
water management efforts that the City is a part of to maintain the reliability of water supply for its service
area.
This 2020 UWMP provides an assessment of the present and future water supply sources and demands
within the City’s service area. It presents an update to the 2015 UWMP on City’s water resource needs,
water use efficiency programs, water reliability assessment and strategies to mitigate water shortage
conditions. It presents a new 2020 Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP) designed to prepare for
and respond to water shortages. This 2020 UWMP contains all elements to meet compliance of the new
requirements of the Act as amended since 2015.
Overview of Urban Water Management Plan Requirements
The UWMP Act enacted by California legislature requires every urban water supplier (Supplier) providing
water for municipal purposes to more than 3,000 customers or supplying more than 3,000 acre-feet (AF)
of water annually to prepare, adopt, and file an UWMP with the California DWR every five years in the
years ending in zero and five.
For this 2020 UWMP cycle, DWR placed emphasis on achieving improvements for long term reliability
and resilience to drought and climate change in California. Legislation related to water supply planning in
California has evolved to address these issues, namely Making Conservation a Way of Life [Assembly
Bill (AB) 1668 and Senate Bill (SB) 606] and Water Loss Performance Standard SB555. New UWMP
requirements in 2020 are a direct result of these new water regulations. Two complementary components
were added to the 2020 UWMP. First is the WSCP to assess the Supplier’s near term 5-year drought risk
assessment (DRA) and provide a structured guide for the Supplier to deal with water shortages. Second
is the Annual Water Supply Demand Assessment (WSDA) to assess the current year plus one dry year
i.e., short-term demand/supply outlook. Analyses over near- and long-term horizons together will provide
a more complete picture of Supplier’s reliability and will serve to inform appropriate actions it needs to
take to build up capacity over the long term.
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The various key new additions in the 2020 UWMP included as a result of the most recent water
regulations are:
Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP) – WSCP helps a Supplier to better prepare for
drought conditions and provides the steps and water use efficiency measures to be taken in times
of water shortage conditions. WSCP now has more prescriptive elements, including an analysis
of water supply reliability; the water use efficiency measures for each of the six standard water
shortage levels, that correspond to water shortage percentages ranging from 0 - 10% to greater
than 50%; an estimate of potential to close supply gap for each measure; protocols and
procedures to communicate identified actions for any current or predicted water shortage
conditions; procedures for an annual water supply and demand assessment; monitoring and
reporting requirements to determine customer compliance; reevaluation and improvement
procedures for evaluating the WSCP.
Drought Risk Assessment – The Suppliers are now required to compare their total water use
and supply projections and conduct a reliability assessment of all their sources for a consecutive
five-year drought period beginning 2021.
Five Consecutive Dry-Year Water Reliability Assessment - The three-year multiple dry year
reliability assessment in previous UWMPs has now been extended from three to five consecutive
dry years to include a more comprehensive assessment of the reliability of the water sources to
improve preparedness of Suppliers for extended drought conditions.
Seismic Risk – The UWMP now includes a seismic risk assessment of the water supply
infrastructure and a plan to mitigate any seismic risks on the water supply assets.
Groundwater Supplies Coordination – The UWMP should be in accordance with the
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 and consistent with the Groundwater
Sustainability Plans, wherever applicable.
Lay Description – To provide a better understanding of the UWMP to the general public, a lay
description of the UWMP is included, especially summarizing the Supplier’s detailed water
service reliability assessment and the planned management steps and actions to mitigate any
possible shortage scenarios.
UWMP Organization
This UWMP is organized into 10 main sections aligned with the DWR Guidebook recommendations.
The subsections are customized to tell the City’s story of water supply reliability and ways to overcome
any water shortages over a planning horizon of the next 25 years.
Section 1 Introduction and UWMP Overview gives an overview of the UWMP fundamentals and briefly
describes the new additional requirements passed by the Legislature for 2020 UWMP.
Section 2 UWMP Preparation identifies this UWMP as an individual planning effort of the City, lists the
type of year and units of measure used and introduces the coordination and outreach activities conducted
by the City to develop this UWMP.
Section 3 System Description gives a background on the City’s water system and its climate
characteristics, population projection, demographics, socioeconomics, and predominant current and
projected land uses of its service area.
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Section 4 Water Use Characterization provides historical, current, and projected water use by customer
category for the next 25 years within the City’s service area and the projection methodology used by
MWDOC to develop the 25-year projections.
Section 5 Conservation Target Compliance reports the SB X7-7 water use conservation target
compliance of the City (individually and as a member of the OC 20x2020 Regional Alliance).
Section 6 Water Supply Characterization describes the current water supply portfolio of the City as well
as the planned and potential water supply projects and water exchange and transfer opportunities.
Section 7 Water Service Reliability and Drought Risk Assessment assesses the reliability of the
City’s water supply service to its customers for a normal year, single dry year, and five consecutive dry
years scenarios. This section also includes a DRA of all the supply sources for a consecutive five-year
drought period beginning 2021.
Section 8 Water Shortage Contingency Planning is a brief summary of the standalone WSCP
document (Appendix H) which provides a structured guide for the City to deal with water shortages,
incorporating prescriptive information and standardized action levels, lists the appropriate actions and
water use efficiency measures to be taken to ensure water supply reliability in times of water shortage
conditions, along with implementation actions in the event of a catastrophic supply interruption.
Section 9 Demand Management Measures provides a comprehensive description of the water
conservation programs that the City has implemented, is currently implementing, and plans to implement
in order to meet its urban water use reduction targets.
Section 10 Plan Adoption, Submittal, and Implementation provides a record of the process the City
followed to adopt and implement its UWMP.
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2 UWMP PREPARATION
The City’s 2020 UWMP is an individual UWMP for the City to meet the Water Code compliance as a retail
water supplier. While the City opted to prepare its own UWMP and meet Water Code compliance
individually, the development of this UWMP involved close coordination with its whole supplier, MET and
the regional whole supplier for Orange County (OC), MWDOC along with other key entities within the
region.
Individual Planning and Compliance
The City opted to prepare its own UWMP (Table 2-1) and comply with the Water Code individually, while
closely coordinating with MET, MWDOC and various key entities as discussed in Section 2.2 to ensure
regional integration. The UWMP Checklist was completed to confirm the compliance of this UWMP with
the Water Code (Appendix A).
One consistency with MWDOC and the majority of its retail member agencies that are part of the
OC 20x2020 Regional Alliance is that the City selected to report demands and supplies using fiscal
year (FY) basis (Table 2-2).
Table 2-1: Plan Identification
DWR Submittal Table 2-2: Plan Identification
Select
Only One Type of Plan Name of RUWMP or Regional Alliance
if applicable
Individual UWMP
Water Supplier is also a
member of a RUWMP
Water Supplier is also a
member of a Regional
Alliance
Orange County 20x2020 Regional Alliance
Regional Urban Water Management
Plan (RUWMP)
NOTES:
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Table 2-2: Supplier Identification
DWR Submittal Table 2-3: Supplier Identification
Type of Supplier (select one or both)
Supplier is a wholesaler
Supplier is a retailer
Fiscal or Calendar Year (select one)
UWMP Tables are in calendar years
UWMP Tables are in fiscal years
If using fiscal years provide month and date that the fiscal
year begins (mm/dd)
7/1
Units of measure used in UWMP (select from drop down)
Unit AF
NOTES:
The energy intensity data is reported in calendar year
consistent with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.
Coordination and Outreach
2.2.1 Integration with Other Planning Efforts
The City, as a retail water supplier, coordinated this UWMP preparation effort with other key entities,
including MET (regional wholesaler for Southern California and the direct supplier of imported water to the
City and MWDOC), MWDOC (regional wholesale supplier for OC), and OCWD (OC Basin manager and
provider of recycled water in north OC). While the City is not a member agency of MWDOC, the City
developed this Plan in conjunction with other MWDOC-led efforts such as population projection from the
Center for Demographic Research at California State University Fullerton (CDR).
Some of the key planning and reporting documents that were used to develop this UWMP are:
MET’s 2020 UWMP was developed as a part of the 2020 IRP planning process and provides the
basis for the projections of the imported supply availability over the next 25 years for the City’s
service area.
MET’s 2020 WSCP provides a water supply assessment and guide for MET’s intended actions
during water shortage conditions.
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2021 OC Water Demand Forecast for MWDOC and OCWD Technical Memorandum
(Demand Forecast TM) provides the basis for water demand projections for the City, MWDOC’s
member agencies as well as Anaheim and Fullerton.
MET’s 2020 Integrated Water Resources Plan (IRP) is a long-term planning document to
ensure water supply availability in Southern California and provides a basis for water supply
reliability in Orange County.
OCWD’s Groundwater Reliability Plan (to be finalized after July 2021) provides the latest
information on groundwater management and supply projection for the OC Basin, the primary
source of groundwater for 19 retail water suppliers in OC.
OCWD’s 2019-20 Engineer’s Report provides information on the groundwater conditions and
basin utilization of the OC Basin.
OCWD’s 2017 Basin 8-1 Alternative is an alternative to the Groundwater Sustainability Plan
(GSP) for the OC Basin and provides significant information related to sustainable management
of the basin in the past and hydrogeology of the basin, including groundwater quality and basin
characteristics.
Local Hazard Mitigation Plan provides the basis for the seismic risk analysis of the water
system facilities.
Water Master Plan of the City provides information on water infrastructure planning projects and
plans to address any required water system improvements.
Statewide Water Planning
In addition to regional coordination with various agencies described above, the City as a MET member
agency is currently a part of MET’s statewide planning effort to reduce reliance on the water imported
from the Delta.
It is the policy of the State of California to reduce reliance on the Delta in meeting California’s future water
supply needs through a statewide strategy of investing in improved regional supplies, conservation, and
water use efficiency. This policy is codified through the Delta Stewardship Council’s Delta Plan Policy WR
P1 and is measured through Supplier reporting in each Urban Water Management Planning cycle. WR P1
is relevant to water suppliers that plan to participate in multi-year water transfers, conveyance facilities, or
new diversions in the Delta.
Through significant local and regional investment in water use efficiency, water recycling, advanced water
technologies, local and regional water supply projects, and improved regional coordination of local and
regional water supply efforts, the City has demonstrated a reduction in Delta reliance and a subsequent
improvement in regional self-reliance. For a detailed description and documentation of the City’s
consistency with Delta Plan Policy WR P1 see Section 7.4 and Appendix C.
2.2.2 Wholesale and Retail Coordination
The City developed its UWMP in conjunction with the MET’s 2020 UWMP. As part of the 2020 UWMP
coordination process, the City provided its water demand projections over the next 25 years to MET
(Table 2-3). The projections of the City’s water demand over the next 25 years were facilitated by
MWDOC, the wholesale member of the OC 20x2020 Regional Alliance, by using the historical water use
and initial water use projections provided to MWDOC by the City.
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Table 2-3 Retail: Water Supplier Information Exchange
DWR Submittal Table 2-4 Retail: Water Supplier Information Exchange
The retail Supplier has informed the following wholesale supplier(s) of projected water
use in accordance with Water Code Section 10631.
Wholesale Water Supplier Name
MET
NOTES:
2.2.3 Public Participation
For further coordination with other key agencies and to encourage public participation in the review and
update of this Plan, the City held a public hearing and notified key entities and the public per the Water
Code requirements. Sections 10.2 and 10.3 describe these efforts in detail.
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3 SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
Governed by a non-partisan seven-member City Council, the City is one of the oldest cities in Orange
County, incorporated in 1886 and became an original member agency of the MET on February 27, 1931.
The City’s water service area covers 27.5 square miles and includes the City of Santa Ana and a small
neighborhood in the City of Orange, near Tustin Avenue and Fairhaven by the northeast corner of Santa
Ana. The City operates ten reservoirs with a storage capacity of 49 million gallons (MG), seven pumping
stations, 21 groundwater wells, four pressure regulating stations and seven import water connections and
manages 510.1-mile water mains system with 45,037 service connections.
Lying in the South Coast Air Basin (SCAB), its climate is characterized by Southern California’s
“Mediterranean” climate with mild winters, warm summers and moderate rainfall. In terms of land use, the
City is a predominantly single and multi-family residential community. Moving forward, the City will
continue planning for its Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation and future planned
developments beyond 2020 will primarily be multiuse projects, in the ‘focus areas’ listed in the General
Plan of the City. The current population of 335,086 is projected to increase by only 2.9% over the next
25 years.
Agency Overview
This section provides information on the formation and history of the City, its organizational structure,
roles, objectives and relationship to MET.
3.1.1 Formation and Purpose
The City is one of the oldest cities in Orange County incorporated in 1886. The City was, for many years,
a ranching community with some farming. To serve this growing agricultural and domestic community, a
municipal water system was formed in 1886. The original source of water supply for the City was from
shallow irrigation wells. As the City continued to grow and change from agriculture to an urban
community, the need for additional sources of water was recognized if economic development were to
continue.
To tap into water sources from outside the area, the City joined with 12 other Southern California cities to
form and be an original member agency of the MET on February 27, 1931. MET, as a regional
wholesaler, supplies imported water to Southern California from the Colorado River and from the State
Water Project from Northern California. MET’s primary purpose is to develop, store and distribute water at
wholesale rates to its member public agencies for domestic and municipal uses. The City’s location is
shown on Figure 3-1.
In 1933, the OCWD was formed by a special act of the State Legislature to manage Orange County’s
groundwater supply and protection of the County’s rights to water in the Santa Ana River. In 1953, the
City became a member of OCWD.
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Figure 3-1: Regional Location of City of Santa Ana
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3.1.2 City Council
The City is governed by a non-partisan seven-member City Council, elected to serve staggered four-year
terms, except for the Mayor, who serves a two-year term. The City Council appoints the City Manager and
various members of commissions, committees, and citizen advisory groups, all of which may weigh in on
water management issues and decisions for the City. The current Council members are:
Vicente Sarmiento, Mayor
Thai Viet Phan (Ward 1)
David Penaloza, Mayor Pro Tem (Ward 2)
Jessie Lopez (Ward 3)
Phil Bacerra (Ward 4)
Johnathan Ryan Hernandez (Ward 5)
Nelida Mendoza (Ward 6)
Water Service Area and Facilities
3.2.1 Water Service Area
The City is in the heart of Orange County and is the eleventh largest City in California. The City’s Water
Utility provides water service within a 27.5 square mile service area. The service area includes the City of
Santa Ana and a small neighborhood in the City of Orange, near Tustin Avenue and Fairhaven by the
northeast corner of Santa Ana. A map of the City's water service area is shown as Figure 3-2.
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Figure 3-2: City of Santa Ana Water Service Area
3.2.2 Water Facilities
The City maintains 510.1 miles of water mains, ten reservoirs with a storage capacity of 49 MG,
seven pumping stations, 21 groundwater wells, four pressure regulating stations and seven import water
connections. Figure 3-3 shows the City’s water system facilities.
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Figure 3-3: Water System Facilities
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Fourteen of the City Wells pump into surface reservoirs with booster stations pumping the water into the
distribution system. The remaining seven wells pump directly into the City’s distribution system. Water
pumped from all of the wells has been naturally filtered as it passes through underlying aquifers of sand,
gravel, and soil. This well water only requires disinfectant treatment for system distribution.
The City maintains seven imported water connections to receive water through MET’s Orange County
and East Orange County Feeder pipelines. These seven metered connections with a total capacity of
60,580 gallons per minute (gpm) transfer water into the City’s distribution system.
System Pressures – Reducing distribution system pressures will, to a certain degree, conserve water
and pumping energy by reducing leaking in water and plumbing systems, as well as reducing waste or
water when turning water fixtures on and off. The City continually reviews the pressure zones to
determine the feasibility of reducing system pressures by lowering settings on distribution system
pressure regulators. The reviews have indicated that potential fire protection requirement deficiencies
occur when pressures are reduced. Therefore, the City maintains safe yet efficient system pressures.
Peak Demand – Water system demand patterns are a result of climatological, land use, sociological, and
institutional factors, all of which affect the amount of water consumed. Reduction in peak demands can
reduce the need for construction of new water storage and conveyance facilities and, in certain instances,
the development of new water sources. The City’s computerized telemetry system allows water system
operators to operate the system more efficiently through the ability to stage and prioritize water
production facilities usage to meet these ever-changing demand patterns.
The system connections and water volume supplied are summarized in Table 3-1.
Table 3-1: Retail Only: Public Water Systems
DWR Submittal Table 2-1 Retail Only: Public Water Systems
Public Water System
Number
Public Water System
Name
Number of Municipal
Connections 2020
Volume of
Water Supplied
2020
CA3010038 City of Santa Ana 45,037 33,489
TOTAL 45,037 33,489
NOTES:
Climate
The City is located within the SCAB that encompasses all of OC, and the urban areas of Los Angeles,
San Bernardino, and Riverside counties. The SCAB climate is characterized by Southern California’s
“Mediterranean” climate: a semi-arid environment with mild winters, warm summers, and moderate
rainfall.
Local rainfall has limited impacts on reducing water demand in the City, except for landscape irrigation
demand. Water that infiltrates into the soil may enter groundwater supplies depending on the local
geography. However, due to the large extent of impervious cover in Southern California, rainfall runoff
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quickly flows to a system of concrete storm drains and channels that lead directly to the ocean. OCWD is
one agency that has successfully captured stormwater along the Santa Ana River and in recharge basins
for years and used it as an additional source of supply for groundwater recharge. Based on the
2017 Basin 8-1 Alternative Plan, OCWD captured an average annual stormwater volume of
approximately 44,000 AF over the period of ten years, from Water Year 2006-07 to 2015-16; however,
this period’s rainfall was 17% below the long term average using San Bernardino precipitation data.
Based on a longer period (1989-2015) of rainfall and captured stormwater records, the average year
water budget of OCWD assumes a stormwater capture volume of 52,000 AF.
Population, Demographics, and Socioeconomics
3.4.1 Population
According to CDR, the City’s service area has a 2020 population of 335,086, a decrease from the
2015 population of 338,336. Overall, the population increases with a moderate growth of 2.9% over the
25-year period from 2020 to 2045. The growth is slightly higher in the first 15 years until 2035 and tapered
off from there. Table 3-2 shows the population projections in five-year increments out to 2045 within the
City’s service area.
Table 3-2: Retail: Population - Current and Projected
DWR Submittal Table 3-1 Retail: Population - Current and Projected
Population
Served
2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045(opt)
335,086 343,358 347,511 347,952 347,785 345,018
NOTES:
Source - Center for Demographic Research at California State University,
Fullerton, 2020
3.4.2 Demographics and Socioeconomics
As shown in Table 3-3 below, the total number of dwelling units in the City is expected to increase by
4.6% in the next 25 years from 78,650 in 2020 to 82,243 in 2045. Table 3-3 also shows a breakdown of
the total dwelling units by type for the 25-year period from 2020 to 2045.
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Table 3-3: City of Santa Ana Service Area Dwelling Units by Type
City of Santa Ana Service Area Dwelling Units by Type
Dwelling Units 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045
Total 78,650 82,043 82,061 82,225 82,238 82,243
Single Family 34,133 34,329 34,329 34,333 34,337 34,341
All Other* 44,517 47,714 47,732 47,892 47,901 47,902
Source: Center for Demographic Research at California State University, Fullerton, 2020
*Includes duplex, triplex, apartment, condo, townhouse, mobile home, etc. Yachts, houseboats,
recreational vehicles, vans, etc. are included if is primary place of residence. Does not include group
quartered units, cars, railroad box cars, etc.
In addition to the types and proportions of dwelling units, various socio-economic factors such as age
distribution, education levels, general health status, income and poverty levels affect City’s water
management and planning. Based on U.S. Census Bureau's QuickFacts, the City has about 9% of
population of 65 years and over, 26.9% under the age of 18 years and 7.4% under the age of 5 years.
59.6% of the City’s population with an age of more than 25 years has a minimum of high school graduate
and 15% of this age group has at least a bachelor’s degree.
3.4.3 CDR Projection Methodology
The City obtains its services area population and dwelling unit data from MWDOC via CDR. MWDOC
contracts with CDR to update the historic population estimates for 2010 to the current year and provide
an annual estimate of population served by the water suppliers in OC. CDR uses GIS and data from the
2000 and 2010 U.S. Decennial Censuses, State Department of Finance (DOF) population estimates, and
the CDR annual population estimates. These annual estimates incorporate annual revisions to the
DOF annual population estimates, often for every year back to the most recent Decennial Census. As a
result, all previous estimates were set aside and replaced with the most current set of annual estimates.
Annexations and boundary changes for water suppliers are incorporated into these annual estimates.
In the summer of 2020, projections by water supplier for population and dwelling units by type were
estimated using the 2018 Orange County Projections dataset. Growth for each of the five-year increments
was allocated using GIS and a review of the traffic analysis zones (TAZ) with a 2019 aerial photo.
The growth was added to the 2020 estimates by the water supplier.
Land Uses
3.5.1 Current Land Uses
The City’s service area can best be described as a predominantly single and multi-family residential
community located in central Orange County.
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Based on the zoning designation collected and aggregated by Southern California Association of
Governments (SCAG) around 2018, the current land use within the City’s service area can be categorized
as follows:
Single family residential – 48%
Multi-family residential – 14.1%
Commercial – 10.8%
Industrial – 7.1%
Institutional/Governmental – 10.3%
Open space and parks – 8.4%
Other – 1.1% (e.g., Undevelopable or Protected Land, Water, and Vacant)
No land use designations – 0.2%
3.5.2 Projected Land Uses
Moving forward, the City will continue planning for its RHNA allocation and new developments may
potentially include Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).
RHNA - State law requires jurisdictions to provide their share of the RHNA allocation. SCAG determines
the housing growth needs by income for local jurisdictions through RHNA. The City’s RHNA allocation for
the 2021 - 2029 is 3,095 units. This includes 586 units for very low-income households, 362 units for
low-income households, 523 units for moderate-income households, and 1,624 units for above
moderate-income households.
Accessory Dwelling Units – ADUs are separate small dwellings embedded within residential properties.
There has been an increase in the construction of ADUs in California in response to the rise in interest to
provide affordable housing supply. The Legislature updated the ADU law effective January 1, 2020 to
clarify and improve various provisions to promote the development of ADUs. (AB-881, "Accessory
dwelling units," and AB-68, "Land use: accessory dwelling units”) These include:
allowing ADUs and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs) to be built concurrently with a
single-family dwelling. JADUs max size is 500 square feet (sf).
opening areas where ADUs can be created to include all zoning districts that allow single-family
and multi-family uses
maximum size cannot be less than 850 sf for a one-bedroom ADU or 1,000 sf for more than one
bedroom (California Department of Housing and Community Development, 2020)
About 92% of the ADUs in California are being built in the single family zoned parcels (University of
California Berkeley, 2020). The increase in ADUs implies an increase in number of people per dwelling
unit which potentially translates to higher water demand.
In coordination with the General Plan Advisory Group, the City identified the following five focus areas
suitable for new growth and development in the October 2020 Public Hearing Draft General Plan:
South Main Street
Grand Avenue/17th Street
West Santa Ana Boulevard
55 Freeway/Dyer Road
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South Bristol Street
These five areas are along major travel corridors, the Orange County Streetcar line, and/or linked to the
Downtown. The intent is to expand opportunities for development through a transition to multiuse land
use designations near transit corridors. The Industrial Flex designation is being introduced on areas
already designated for industrial land uses in order to allow for cleaner industrial and commercial uses,
professional office, and creative live-work spaces.
Additionally, the City has seven planning areas including specific plans and other special zoning areas,
that were adopted before the General Plan and have remaining development capacity:
Adaptive Reuse Overlay (2014)
Bristol Street Corridor Specific Plan (1991/2018)
Harbor Mixed Use Corridor Specific Plan (2014)
MainPlace Specific Plan (2019)
Metro East Overlay Zone (2007/2018)
Midtown Specific Plan (1996)
Transit Zoning Code Specific Devt (2010)
Figure 3-4 below shows the above listed five focus areas and the seven planning areas of the City.
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Figure 3-4: Special Planning Areas of the City of Santa Ana
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Table 3-4 lists the buildout potential of the City based on the City’s October 2020 Public Hearing Draft
General Plan.
Table 3-4: Buildout Potential of the City
Planning Area
Existing1 Buildout
Dwelling Units Building
(square feet)2 Dwelling Units Building
(square feet)2
Specific Plan / Special Zoning 4,685 13,924,891 20,524 16,958,445
Adaptive Reuse Overlay Zone3 260 976,935 1,260 976,935
Bristol Street Corridor Specific Plan 136 140,348 135 143,139
Harbor Corridor Specific Plan 1,324 1,767,937 4,622 1,967,982
MainPlace Specific Plan 0 1,108,080 1,900 2,426,923
Metro East Overlay Zone 844 2,516,056 5,551 4,685,947
Midtown Specific Plan 607 1,885,065 607 1,818,253
Transit Zoning Code 1,514 5,530,470 6,449 4,939,266
Focus Areas 6,380 13,421,155 23,955 15,684,285
South Main Street 1,720 1,685,978 2,308 946,662
Grand Avenue/17th Street 561 1,400,741 2,283 703,894
West Santa Ana Boulevard 2,658 3,090,472 3,920 2,808,805
55 Freeway/Dyer Road 1,221 5,666,453 9,952 6,142,283
South Bristol Street 220 1,577,511 5,492 5,082,641
All Other Areas of the City4 67,727 39,772,550 70,574 40,325,086
Citywide Total 78,792 67,118,596 115,053 72,967,816
Source: City of Santa Ana with assistance from PlaceWorks, 2020.
Notes:
1."Existing" represents conditions as of December 2019 as derived from the City of Santa Ana Planning
Information Network and projects already under construction per the January 2020 monthly development
project report.
2.Only includes nonresidential building square footage.
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Planning Area
Existing1 Buildout
Dwelling Units Building
(square feet)2 Dwelling Units Building
(square feet)2
3.The figures shown on the row for the Adaptive Reuse Overlay represent parcels that are exclusively in the
Adaptive Reuse Overlay boundary. Figures for parcels that are within the boundaries of both the Adaptive
Reuse Overlay Zone and a specific plan, other special zoning, or focus area boundary are accounted for in the
respective specific plan, other special zoning, or focus area.
4.The City has included an assumption for growth on a small portion (5%) of residential parcels through the
construction of second units, which is distributed throughout the City and is not concentrated in a subset of
neighborhoods. Additional growth includes known projects in the pipeline and an increase of 10% in building
square footage and employment for the professional office surrounding the Orange County Global Medical Center
and along Broadway north of the Midtown Specific Plan as well as the commercial and retail along 1st Street south
of the West Santa Ana Boulevard focus area.
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4 WATER USE CHARACTERIZATION
Water Use Overview
Water use within the City’s service area has been relatively stable in the past decade with an annual
average of 36,245 AF. The potable and non-potable water use accounts for an average of 99% and 1% of
total City water use, respectively. In FY2019/20, the City’s water use was 33,240 AF of potable water
(groundwater and imported) and 249 AF of direct recycled water for landscape irrigation. In FY2019-20,
the City’s potable water use profile was comprised of 65.5% residential use, 24.5% commercial, industrial,
and institutional (CII), and 4.0% large landscape/irrigation, with non-revenue water and other uses
comprising about 5.9%. As described in Section 3, the City’s service area is almost completely built-out
and is projected to add minimum land use and small population increase. Water demand is likely to
increase ~1.2% over the next 5 years. In the longer term, water demand is projected to decrease
~0.2% from 2025 through 2045. The projected potable and non-potable water use for 2045 is 33,578 AF
and 249 AF, respectively. The passive savings are anticipated to continue for the next 25 years and are
considered in the water use projections. Permanent water conservation requirements and water
conservation strategies are discussed in Section 8 and 9 of this document.
Past and Current Water Use
Water use within the City’s service area has been relatively stable in the past decade with an annual
average of 36,245 AF. A stable trend is expected because the city is essentially built-out and the rate of
population growth is expected to average less than 0.12% per year for the next 25 years. Water
conservation efforts also kept per capita water use down.
As a result of Governor Jerry Brown’s mandatory water conservation order in 2014, the City’s water use in
the last five years decreased below the 10-year average. Between FY2015/16 and FY2019/20, water use
within the City’s service area ranged from 33,148 to 35,343 acre-feet per year (AFY) (potable and
non-potable combined). In the past decade, between FY2010/11 and FY 2019/20, potable and
non-potable water use accounts for an average of 99% and 1% of total City water use, respectively.
Potable water uses include demands from residential, CII, and large landscape irrigation. Non-potable
use includes the use of recycled water for large landscape and golf course irrigation.
As of FY2019/20 there are 45,037 active service connections in the City’s water distribution system. Of
these, 18 are recycled water accounts. Table 4-1 summarizes the City’s total water demand for potable
and non-potable water for FY2019-20. The City has a mix of commercial uses (markets, restaurants,
etc.), public entities (schools, fire stations and government offices), industrial uses and office complexes.
Single and multi- family residential water demand combined accounts for 65.5% of the total water
demand. Commercial use, governmental/institutional, and industrial account for 16.1%, 5.4%, and 3.0%
of total demand, respectively. Large landscape (irrigation) accounts for 4.0% of total demand. Other uses
and non-revenue water account for 5.9%.
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Table 4-1 Retail: Demands for Potable and Non-Potable Water – Actual
DWR Submittal Table 4-1 Retail: Demands for Potable and Non-Potable1 Water - Actual
Use Type 2020 Actual
Additional Description
(as needed)
Level of Treatment
When Delivered Volume2
Single Family Drinking Water 11,916
Multi-Family Drinking Water 9,872
Commercial Drinking Water 5,364
Industrial Drinking Water 987
Institutional/Governmental Drinking Water 1,788
Landscape
Represents large landscape
(with irrigation meters)
served by potable water
and not recycled water
Drinking Water 1,349
Losses Non-revenue water Drinking Water 1,940
Other Water-only customer
outside of City boundary Drinking Water 24
TOTAL 33,240
1 Recycled water demands are NOT reported in this table. Recycled water demands are reported in Table 6-4.
2 Units of measure (AF, CCF, MG) must remain consistent throughout the UWMP as reported in Table 2-3.
NOTES: Volumes reported in AF. This table only represents potable water; recycled water
projections are shown in Table 4-4 (DWR Submittal Tables 4-3) and Table 6-8 (DWR Submittal
Tables 6-4).
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Water Use Projections
A key component of this 2020 UWMP is to provide an insight into the City’s future water demand outlook.
This section discusses the considerations and methodology used to estimate the 25-year water use
projection. Overall, total water demand is projected to increase 1.0% between 2020 and 2045. While
both single residential use is projected to decrease, multifamily residential use and usage by CII are
projected to increase. Demands for large landscape applications are projected to increase. Non-revenue
water is projected to decrease in the same period.
4.3.1 Water Use Projection Methodology
In 2021, MWDOC and OCWD, in collaboration with member agencies and MET member agencies, led
the effort to update water demand projections originally done as part of the 2021 OC Water Demand
Forecast for MWDOC and OCWD. The updated demand projections, prepared by CDM Smith, were for
the Orange County region as a whole, and provided retail agency specific demands. The projections span
the years of 2025-2050 and are based upon information surveyed from each Orange County water
agency.
The forecast methodology began with a retail water agency survey that asked for FY 2017-18,
FY 2018-19 and FY 2019-20 water use by major sector, including number of accounts. If an agency
provided recycled water to customers that information was also requested. Given that FY 2017-18 was a
slightly above-normal demand year (warmer/drier than average) and FY 2018-19 was a slightly
below-normal demand year (cooler/wetter than average), water use from these two years were averaged
to represent an average-year base water demand.
For the residential sectors (single-family and multifamily) the base year water demand was divided by
households in order to get a total per unit water use (gallons per home per day). In order to split
household water use into indoor and outdoor uses, three sources of information were used, along with
CDM Smith’s expertise. The sources of information included: (1) the Residential End Uses of Water
(Water Research Foundation, 2016); (2) California’s plumbing codes and landscape ordinances; and
(3) CA DWR’s Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) calculator.
Three different periods of residential end uses of water were analyzed as follows:
Pre-2010 efficiency levels – Has an average indoor water use that is considered to be
moderately efficient, also does not include the most recent requirements for MWELO.
High-efficiency levels – Includes the most recent plumbing codes that are considered to be
highly efficient, and also includes the most recent requirements for MWELO.
Current average efficiency levels – Represents the weighted average between pre-2010
efficiency and high efficiency levels, based on average age of homes for each retail water
agency.
For outdoor residential water use, the indoor per capita total was multiplied by each agency-specific
persons per household in order to get an indoor residential household water use (gallons per day per
home), and then was subtracted from the base year total household water use for single-family and
multifamily for each agency based on actual water use as reported by the agency surveys.
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For existing residential homes, the current average indoor and outdoor water use for each agency were
used for the year 2020. It was assumed that indoor water uses would reach the high efficiency level by
2040. Based on current age of homes, replacement/remodeling rates, and water utility rebate programs it
is believed this assumption is very achievable. It was also assumed that current outdoor water use would
be reduced by 5% by 2050.
For new homes, the indoor high efficiency level was assumed for the years 2025 through 2050. Outdoor
uses for new homes were assumed to be 25% and 30% lower than current household water use for
single-family and multifamily homes, respectively. This methodology is illustrated in Figure 4-1 below.
Figure 4-1: Water Use Projection Methodology Diagram
Existing and projected population, single-family and multifamily households for each retail water agency
were provided by CDR under contract by MWDOC and OCWD. CDR provides historical and future
demographics by census tracts for all of Orange County (Section 3.4). Census tract data is then clipped
to retail water agency service boundaries in order to produce historical and projected demographic data
by agency.
For the CII water demands, which have been fairly stable from a unit use perspective
(gallons/account/day), it was assumed that the unit demand in FY 2019-20 would remain the same from
2020-2025 to represent COVID-19 impacts. Reviewing agency water use data from FY 2017-18 through
FY2019-20 revealed that residential water use increased slightly in FY 2019-20 while CII demands
decreased slightly as a result of COVID-19. From 2030 to 2050, the average CII unit use from
FY 2017-18 and 2018-19 was used. These unit use factors were then multiplied by an assumed growth
of CII accounts under three broad scenarios:
Low Scenario – assuming no growth in CII accounts
Mid Scenario – assuming 0.5% annual growth in CII accounts
High Scenario – assuming 1.5% annual growth in CII accounts
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For most retail agencies, the Mid Scenario of CII account growth was used, but for those retail agencies
that have had faster historical growth the High Scenario was used. For those retail agencies that have
had relatively stable CII water demand, the Low Scenario was used. For Santa Ana, the mid-scenario
was used.
For those agencies that supply recycled water for non-potable demands, MWDOC used agency-specified
growth assumptions. Most agencies have already maximized their recycled water and thus are not
expecting for this category of demand to grow. However, a few agencies in South Orange County do
expect moderate growth in recycled water customers.
For large landscape customers served currently by potable water use, MWDOC assumed these demands
to be constant through 2050, except for agencies that have growing recycled water demands. For the
agencies that have growing recycled water demands, large landscape demands served by potable water
reduced accordingly. For non-revenue water, which represents the difference in total water production
less all water billed to customers, this percentage was held constant through 2050. Note that 2050 data
was not presented in the UWMP.
An agency’s water use demand projection is the summation of their residential water demand, CII
demands, large landscape and recycled water demands, and water losses all projected over the 25-year
time horizon. These demands were provided to each of the Orange County water agencies for their
review, feedback, and revision before being finalized.
4.3.1.1 Weather Variability and Long-Term Climate Change Impacts
In any given year water demands can vary substantially due to weather. In addition, long-term climate
change can have an impact on water demands into the future. For the 2014 OC Water Reliability Study,
CDM Smith developed a statistical model of total water monthly production from 1990 to 2014 from a
sample of retail water agencies. This model removed impacts from population growth, the economy and
drought restrictions in order to estimate the impact on water use from temperature and precipitation.
The results of this statistical analysis are:
Hot/dry weather demands will be 5.5% greater than current average weather demands
Cooler/wet weather demands will be 6% lower than current average weather demands
Climate change impacts will increase current average weather demands by:
o 2% in 2030
o 4% in 2040
o 6% in 2050
4.3.2 25-Year Water Use Projection
The projected demand values were provided by MWDOC and reviewed by the City as part of the UWMP
effort. As the regional wholesale supplier for much of Orange County, MWDOC works in collaboration
with each of its retail agencies as well as MET (its wholesaler), and the City (who is a direct Member
Agency of MET) to develop demand projections for imported water. The City has been proactively
decreasing its reliance on imported water by pursuing a variety of water conservation strategies within the
service area. Future water savings and low-income water use are included in these projected values.
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4.3.2.1 Water Use Projections for 2021-2025
The water use projection for normal year conditions without drought for 2021-2025 is presented in Table
4-2. This table will be adjusted to estimate the five-years’ cumulative drought effects as described in the
five-year DRA in Section 7. A linear increase in total water demand is expected between 2021 and 2025.
Table 4-2: Water Use Projections for 2021 to 2025
Retail: Total Water Demand
FY Ending 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Total Water Demand (AF) 33,568 33,647 33,725 33,804 33,882
NOTES:
4.3.2.2 Water Use Projections for 2025-2045
Table 4-3 is a projection of the City’s water demand for 2025-2045. While single and multifamily
residential use is projected to decrease due to water use efficiency measures, usage by CII is projected
to increase. CII projections for 2025 through 2045 were broken down into commercial, industrial, and
institutional/governmental using proportions reported for each billing sector in FY 2019-20. Demands for
large landscape applications are projected to stay consistent, as are projections for non-revenue water.
The demand data presented in this section accounts for passive savings in the future. Passive savings
are water savings as a result of codes, standards, ordinances and public outreach on water conservation
and higher efficiency fixtures. Passive savings are anticipated to continue through 2045 and will result in
continued water saving and reduced consumption levels. Permanent water conservation requirements
and water conservation strategies are discussed in Section 8 and 9 of this document.
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Table 4-3: Retail: Use for Potable and Non-Potable Water – Projected
DWR Submittal Table 4-2 Retail: Use for Potable and Non-Potable1 Water - Projected
Use Type Additional
Description
(as needed)
Projected Water Use2
Report To the Extent that Records are
Available
2025 2030 2035 2040 2045
Add additional rows as needed
Single Family 11,961 11,675 11,390 11,105 11,101
Multi-Family 10,648 10,415 10,211 9,976 9,967
Commercial 5,486 6,155 6,309 6,466 6,466
Industrial 1,009 1,132 1,161 1,190 1,190
Institutional/Governmental 1,828 2,051 2,102 2,155 2,155
Landscape 1,501 1,501 1,501 1,501 1,501
Losses Non-revenue water 1,198 1,217 1,207 1,197 1,196
TOTAL 33,633 34,146 33,881 33,589 33,578
1 Recycled water demands are NOT reported in this table. Recycled water demands are reported in
Table 6-4.
2 Units of measure (AF, CCF, MG) must remain consistent throughout the UWMP as reported in Table
2-3.
NOTES: Volumes reported in AF. This table only represents potable water; recycled water projections
are shown in Table 4-4 (DWR Submittal Tables 4-3) and Table 6-8 (DWR Submittal Tables 6-4).
Source - CDM Smith, 2021
Based on the information provided above, the total demand for potable water is listed below in (Table
4-4). The City currently provides recycled water in its service area and is projected to grow its use.
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Table 4-4 Retail: Total Water Use (Potable and Non-Potable)
DWR Submittal Table 4-3 Retail: Total Water Use (Potable and Non-Potable)
2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 (opt)
Potable Water, Raw, Other
Non-potable 33,240 33,633 34,146 33,881 33,589 33,578
Recycled Water Demand1 249 249 249 249 249 249
Optional Deduction of
Recycled Water Put Into
Long-Term Storage2
TOTAL WATER USE 33,489 33,882 34,395 34,130 33,838 33,827
1Recycled water demand fields will be blank until Table 6-4 is complete 2
Long term storage means water placed into groundwater or surface storage that is not removed from
storage in the same year. Supplier may deduct recycled water placed in long-term storage from their
reported demand. This value is manually entered into Table 4-3.
NOTES: Volumes in AF
Future water savings and low-income water use are included in these projected values (Table 4-5).
Table 4-5 Retail Only: Inclusion in Water Use Projections
DWR Submittal Table 4-5 Retail Only: Inclusion in Water Use Projections
Are Future Water Savings Included in Projections?
(Refer to Appendix K of UWMP Guidebook) Yes
If "Yes" to above, state the section or page number, in the cell to
the right, where citations of the codes, ordinances, or otherwise
are utilized in demand projections are found.
Section 8 and 9
Are Lower Income Residential Demands Included In Projections? Yes
NOTES:
4.3.2.3 Water Use Projections for Lower Income Households
Since 2010, the UWMP Act has required retail water suppliers to include water use projections for
single-family and multi-family residential housing for lower income and affordable households. This will
assist the City in complying with the requirement under Government Code Section 65589.7 granting
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priority for providing water service to lower income households. A lower income household is defined as a
household earning below 80% of the MHI.
DWR recommends retail suppliers rely on the housing elements of city or county general plans to quantify
planned lower income housing with the City's service area (DWR, 2020). RHNA assists jurisdictions in
updating general plan's housing elements section. The RHNA identifies additional housing needs and
assesses households by income level for the City through 2010 decennial Census and 2005-2009
American Community Survey data. The sixth cycle of the RHNA covers the planning period of October
2021 to October 2029. The SCAG adopted the RHNA Allocation Plan for this cycle on March 4, 2021.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development reviewed the housing elements data
submitted by jurisdictions in the SCAG region and concluded the data meets statutory requirements for
the assessment of current housing needs.
Under the assumption that the RHNA household allocations adequately represent ratios of the City’s
overall future income categories (not the exact ratio of all household by income but a conservative one for
low-income household estimates), the RHNA low-income percentage can be used to estimate future low
income demands. One objective of RHNA is to increase affordable housing, therefore RHNA has been
allocating additional low-income households to various regions. Because relying on the RHNA distribution
of households by income category is likely to produce an overestimate of low-income water demands, this
approach represents a conservative projection of future low-income water use.
Table 4-6 presents the City’s RHNA housing allocation. RHNA classifies low income housing into two
categories: very low income (<30% - 50% MHI), and low income (51% - 80% MHI). Altogether 30.6% of
the City’s allocated housing need for the planning period of October 2021 to October 2029 are considered
low-income housing (SCAG, 2021).
Table 4-6: SCAG 6th Cycle Household Allocation Based on Median Household Income
Household Category by Income Number of
Households
% of Total
Allocated
Households
Very Low Income 586 18.9%
Low Income 362 11.7%
Moderate Income 523 16.9%
Above Moderate Income 1,624 52.5%
Total Future Allocated Households 3,095 100.0%
By applying the percentage of low-income housing from the SCAG report to the total projected SF/MF
residential demand calculated in Table 4-3 above, low-income demand can be conservatively estimated
for both SF and MF through 2045. For example, the total low-income single family residential demand is
projected to be 3,664 AF in 2025 and 3,400 AF in 2045 (Table 4-7).
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Table 4-7: Projected Water Use Needed for Low Income Households (AF)
Water Use Sector FY Ending
2025 2030 2035 2040 2045
Total Residential Demand (AF) 22,609 22,090 21,601 21,081 21,068
Single-Family Residential Demand -
Low Income Households (AF) 3,664 3,576 3,489 3,401 3,400
Multi-Family Residential Demand -
Low Income Households (AF) 3262 3190 3128 3056 3053
Total Low Income Households
Demand (AF) 6,925 6,766 6,616 6,457 6,453
Water Loss
The City has conducted annual water loss audit since 2015 per the American Water Works Association
(AWWA) methodology per SB 555 to understand the relationship between water loss, operating costs,
and revenue losses. Non-revenue water for FY2015/16 – FY2019/20 (Figure 4-2) consists of three
components: real losses (e.g., leakage in mains and service lines, and storage tank overflows), apparent
losses (unauthorized consumption, customer metering inaccuracies and systematic data handling errors),
and unbilled water (e.g., hydrant flushing, firefighting, and blow-off water from well start-ups). The City’s
real losses ranged from 157 AFY to 1,007 AFY and apparent losses ranged from 803 AFY to 858 AFY
between FY2015/16 – FY2019/20. The unbilled water ranged from 82 AFY to 411 AFY in the same
timeframe.
In the latest water loss audit (FY2019/20), the City’s total water loss was 1856 AFY (Table 4-8), compared
to the total water use of 33,489 AF in FY2019/20. The total water loss consists of real loss of 1,007 AFY
and apparent loss of 849 AFY in FY2019/20. The non-revenue water was 1,940 AFY. The active and
inactive service connections were relatively consistent in the last five years with 45,037 connections in
FY2019/20. The real loss performance indicator was 20 gals/connection/day in FY2019/20. Figure 4-3
presents the performance indicators of gallons of real and apparent loss per connection per day.
Understanding and controlling water loss from a distribution system is an effective way for the City to
achieve regulatory standards and manage their existing resources. The California State Water Resources
Control Board (SWRCB) is still developing water loss performance standards; these standards have not
yet been adopted.
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Table 4-8: Retail: Last Five Years of Water Loss Audit Reporting
Submittal Table 4-4 Retail: Last Five Years of Water Loss Audit Reporting
Reporting Period Start Date (mm/yyyy) Volume of Water Loss 1,2
07/2015 961
07/2016 1236
07/2017 1638
07/2018 1649
07/2019 1856
1 Taken from the field "Water Losses" (a combination of apparent losses and real losses) from
the AWWA worksheet. 2 Units of measure (AF, CCF, MG) must
remain consistent throughout the UWMP as reported in Table 2-3.
NOTES: Water Loss in AFY
Figure 4-2: Water Loss Audit for FY 2015/16 to FY 2019/20
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020Water Loss (AFY)Year
Real Loss Apparent Loss Unbilled Water
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Figure 4-3: Water Loss Performance Indicators for FY 2015/16 to FY 2019/20
0
5
10
15
20
25
2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020Gal/connection/dayYear
Real Loss Apparent Loss
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5 CONSERVATION TARGET COMPLIANCE
The Water Conservation Act of 2009, also known as SBx7-7 (Senate Bill 7 as part of the Seventh
Extraordinary Session), signed into law on February 3, 2010, requires the State of California to reduce
urban water use by 20% by the year 2020 (20x2020). To achieve this each retail urban water supplier
must determine baseline water use during their baseline period and target water use for the years
2015 and 2020 to meet the state’s water reduction goal. Retail water suppliers are required to comply
with SBx7-7 individually or as a region in collaboration with other retail water suppliers, or demonstrate
they have a plan or have secured funding to be in compliance, in order to be eligible for water related
state grants and loans on or after July 16, 2016.
The City’s actual 2020 water use is lower than its 2020 water use target, therefore, demonstrating
compliance with SBx7-7. In its 2015 UWMP, the City revised its baseline per capita water use calculations
using 2010 U.S. Census data. Changes in the baseline calculations resulted in updated per capita water
use targets.
The following sections describe the efforts by the City to comply with the requirements of SBx7-7 and
efforts by MWDOC to assist retail agencies, including the formation of a Regional Alliance to provide
additional flexibility to all water suppliers in Orange County. A discussion of programs implemented to
support retail agencies in achieving their per capita water reduction goals is covered in Section 8 –
Demand Management Measures of this UWMP.
Complimentary to information presented in this section are SBx7-7 Verification and Compliance Forms, a
set of standardized tables required by DWR to demonstrate compliance with the Water Conservation Act
in this 2020 UWMP (Appendix D) including calculations of recycled water used for groundwater recharge
(indirect reuse) to offset a portion of the agency’s potable demand when meeting the regional as well as
individual water use targets.
Baseline Water Use
The baseline water use is the City’s gross water use divided by its service area population, reported in
GPCD. Gross water use is a measure of water that enters the distribution system of the supplier over a
12-month period with certain allowable exclusions. These exclusions are:
Recycled water delivered within the service area
Indirect recycled water
Water placed in long term storage
Water conveyed to another urban supplier
Water delivered for agricultural use
Process water
Water suppliers within the OCWD Groundwater Basin, including the City, have the option of choosing to
deduct recycled water used for indirect potable reuse (IPR) from their gross water use to account for the
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recharge of recycled water into the OC Basin by OCWD, historically through Water Factory 21 (WF-21),
and now by the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS).
Water suppliers must report baseline water use for two baseline periods, the 10- to 15-year baseline
(baseline GPCD) and the five-year baseline (target confirmation) as described below.
5.1.1 Ten to 15-Year Baseline Period (Baseline GPCD)
The first step to calculating the City’s water use targets is to determine its base daily per capita water use
(baseline water use). The baseline water use is calculated as a continuous (rolling) 10-year average
during a period, which ends no earlier than December 31, 2004 and no later than December 31, 2010.
Water suppliers whose recycled water made up 10% or more of their 2008 retail water delivery can use
up to a 15-year average for the calculation. The City did not have recycled water use in 2008; therefore, a
10-year baseline period is used.
The City’s baseline water use is 130 GPCD, obtained from the 10-year period July 1, 1995 to
June 30, 2005.
5.1.2 Five-Year Baseline Period (Target Confirmation)
Water suppliers are required to calculate water use, in GPCD, for a five-year baseline period.
This number is used to confirm that the selected 2020 target meets the minimum water use reduction
requirements. Regardless of the compliance option adopted by the City, it will need to meet a minimum
water use target of 5% reduction from the five-year baseline water use. This five-year baseline water use
is calculated as a continuous five-year average during a period, which ends no earlier than December 31,
2007 and no later than December 31, 2010. The City’s five-year baseline water use is 122 GPCD,
obtained from the five-year period July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2008.
5.1.3 Service Area Population
The City’s service area boundaries correspond with the boundaries for a city or census designated place.
This allows the City to use service area population estimates prepared by the DOF. CDR is the entity
which compiles population data for Orange County based on DOF data. The calculation of the City’s
baseline water use and water use targets in the 2010 UWMP was based on the 2000 U.S. Census
population numbers obtained from CDR. The baseline water use and water use targets in the
2015 UWMP were revised based on the 2010 U.S. Census population obtained from CDR in 2012.
That baseline remained in use in the 2020 calculations.
SBx7-7 Water Use Targets
In the 2020 UWMP, the City may update its 2020 water use target by selecting a different target method
than what was used previously. The target methods and determination of the 2015 and 2020 targets are
described below. The City selected Option 3 consistent with 2015 and maintained the same 2015 and
2020 target water uses as reported in its 2015 UWMP.
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5.2.1 SBx7-7 Target Methods
DWR has established four target calculation methods for urban retail water suppliers to choose from.
The City is required to adopt one of the four options to comply with SBx7-7 requirements. The four
options include:
Option 1 requires a simple 20% reduction from the baseline by 2020 and 10% by 2015.
Option 2 employs a budget-based approach by requiring an agency to achieve a performance
standard based on three metrics
o Residential indoor water use of 55 GPCD
o Landscape water use commensurate with the Model Landscape Ordinance
o 10% reduction in baseline CII water use
Option 3 is to achieve 95% of the applicable state hydrologic region target as set forth in the
State’s 202020 Water Conservation Plan.
Option 4 requires the subtraction of Total Savings from the baseline GPCD:
o Total savings includes indoor residential savings, meter savings, CII savings, and landscape
and water loss savings.
With MWDOC’s assistance in the calculation of the City’s base daily per capita use and water use targets,
the City selected to comply with Option 3 consistent with the option selected in 2010 and 2015.
5.2.2 2020 Targets and Compliance
Under Compliance Option 3, to achieve 95% of the South Coast Hydrologic Region target as set forth in
the State’s 20x2020 Water Conservation Plan, the City’s 2020 target is 142 GPCD. In addition, the
confirmed 2020 target needs to meet a minimum of 5% reduction from the five-year baseline water use
which is 116 GPCD. Therefore, the City’s confirmed 2020 target is 116 GPCD as summarized in Table
5-1.
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Table 5-1: Baselines and Targets Summary
DWR Submittal Table 5-1 Baselines and Targets Summary from SB X7-7 Verification Form
Retail Supplier or Regional Alliance Only
Baseline
Period Start Year * End Year * Average Baseline
GPCD*
Confirmed 2020
Target*
10-15 year 1996 2005 130
116
5 Year 2004 2008 122
*All cells in this table should be populated manually from the supplier's SBX7-7 Verification Form and reported
in Gallons per Capita per Day (GPCD)
NOTES:
The City’s actual 2020 consumption is 66 GPCD which is below its 2020 target of 116 GPCD (Table 5-2).
The City met its 2020 water use target and is in compliance with SBx7-7. As shown in Table 5-2, the City
did not make any adjustments in its compliance for GPCD using weather normalization, economic
adjustment, or extraordinary events.
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Table 5-2: 2020 Compliance
DWR Submittal Table 5-2: 2020 Compliance from SB X7-7 2020 Compliance Form
Retail Supplier or Regional Alliance Only
2020 GPCD
2020 Confirmed
Target GPCD*
Did Supplier
Achieve Targeted
Reduction for
2020? Y/N
Actual 2020
GPCD*
2020 TOTAL
Adjustments*
Adjusted 2020
GPCD* (Adjusted if
applicable)
66 0 66 116 Y
*All cells in this table should be populated manually from the supplier's SBX7-7 2020 Compliance Form and reported
in Gallons per Capita per Day (GPCD)
NOTES:
Orange County 20x2020 Regional Alliance
A retail supplier may choose to meet the SBx7-7 targets on its own or it may form a regional alliance with
other retail suppliers to meet the water use target as a region. Within a Regional Alliance, each retail
water supplier will have an additional opportunity to achieve compliance under both an individual target
and a regional target.
If the Regional Alliance meets its water use target on a regional basis, all agencies in the alliance
are deemed compliant.
If the Regional Alliance fails to meet its water use target, each individual supplier will have an
opportunity to meet their water use targets individually.
The City is a member of the Orange County 20x2020 Regional Alliance formed by MWDOC, its
wholesaler. This regional alliance consists of 29 retail agencies in Orange County as described in
MWDOC’s 2020 UWMP. MWDOC provides assistance in the calculation of each retail agency’s baseline
water use and water use targets.
In 2020, the regional baseline and targets were revised from 2015 to account for any revisions made by
the retail agencies to their individual 2015 and 2020 targets. The regional water use target is the weighted
average of the individual retail agencies’ targets (by population). The Orange County 20x2020 Regional
Alliance weighted 2020 target is 159 GPCD. The actual 2020 water use in the region is 109 GPCD,
i.e., the region met its 2020 GPCD goal.
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6 WATER SUPPLY CHARACTERIZATION
As a counterpart to Section 4’s Water Use Characterization, this section characterizes the City’s water
supply. This section includes identification and quantification of water supply sources through 2045,
descriptions of each water supply source and their management, opportunities for exchanges and
transfers, and discussion regarding any planned future water supply projects. This section also includes
the energy intensity of the water service, a new UWMP requirement.
Water Supply Overview
The City meets all of its demands with a combination of imported water, local groundwater, and recycled
water. The City works together with two primary agencies, MET and OCWD, to ensure a safe and reliable
water supply that will continue to serve the community in periods of drought and shortage. The sources of
imported water supplies include water from the Colorado River and the State Water Project (SWP)
provided by MET.
The City’s main source of water supply is groundwater from the Orange County Groundwater Basin.
Imported water and recycled water make up the rest of the City’s water supply portfolio. In FY 2019-20,
the City relied on 76% groundwater, 23% imported water, and 1% recycled water (Table 6-1).
It is projected that by 2045, the water supply portfolio will change to approximately to 84% groundwater,
15% imported water, and 1% recycled water (Table 6-2 and Figure 6-1). Note that these representations
of supply match the projected demand. However, the City has a ten-year purchase agreement with
MET that allows the City to purchase significantly more MET water, should the need arise.
This agreement is further discussed is Section 6.2 Additionally, GWRS supplies are included as part of
groundwater pumping numbers.
The following subsections provide a detailed discussion of the City’s water sources as well as the future
water supply portfolio for the next 25 years.
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Table 6-1: Retail: Water Supplies – Actual
DWR Submittal Table 6-8 Retail: Water Supplies — Actual
Water Supply Additional Detail on
Water Supply
2020
Actual Volume
(AF) Water Quality
Groundwater (not desalinated) Orange County
Groundwater Basin 25,591 Drinking Water
Purchased or Imported Water MET 7,649 Drinking Water
Recycled Water Green Acres Project
(OCWD) 249 Recycled Water
Total 33,489
NOTES:
Source - MWDOC, 2020
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Table 6-2: Retail: Water Supplies – Projected
DWR Submittal Table 6-9 Retail: Water Supplies — Projected
Water Supply Additional Detail
on Water Supply
Projected Water Supply (AF)
Report To the Extent Practicable
2025 2030 2035 2040 2045
Reasonably
Available
Volume
Reasonably
Available
Volume
Reasonably
Available
Volume
Reasonably
Available
Volume
Reasonably
Available
Volume
Groundwater (not
desalinated)
Orange County
Groundwater Basin 28,588 29,024 28,799 28,551 28,541
Purchased or
Imported Water MET 5,045 5,122 5,082 5,038 5,037
Recycled Water OCWD 249 249 249 249 249
Total 33,882 34,395 34,130 33,838 33,827
NOTES:
Source - CDM Smith, 2021
Groundwater volumes assume OCWD’s basin production percentage (BPP) to be 85% for all years. Volumes of
groundwater and imported water may vary depending on OCWD's actual BPP projections, which are established
annually. This table only considers direct use of recycled water - this does not include indirect potable recharge.
Per the ten-year (CY 2015 through CY 2024) purchase agreement with MET, the City is contractually able to
purchase more MET water, should the need arise.
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Figure 6-1: City’s Projected Water Supply Sources (AF)
Imported Water
The City supplements its local water supply with imported water purchased from MET. In FY 2019-20,
the City relied on approximately 7,649 AFY – approximately 23% of the City’s water supply portfolio for
FY 2019-20 – of imported water from MET to meet its demands. MET’s principal sources of water are the
Colorado River via the Colorado River Aqueduct (CRA) and the Lake Oroville watershed in Northern
California through the SWP. For Orange County, the water obtained from these sources is treated at the
Robert B. Diemer Filtration Plant located in Yorba Linda. Typically, the Diemer Filtration Plant receives a
blend of Colorado River water from Lake Mathews through the MET Lower Feeder and SWP water
through the Yorba Linda Feeder. The City currently maintains seven imported water connections to the
MET system.
In December 2002, the City entered into a 10-year water purchase agreement with MET. This water
purchase agreement is a 10-year commitment to purchase a minimum quantity of water on an annual
basis and a minimum quantity of water over the course of the 10-year commitment. In return, the City is
able to purchase a greater percentage of MET water at a lower, Tier 1 rate. This purchase agreement
was renewed, and the current ten-year term is effective January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2024.
The City’s annual purchase commitment average is 8,086 AF, with a maximum average annual value set
at 19,617 AF.
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6.2.1 Colorado River Supplies
Background
The Colorado River was MET’s original source of water after MET’s establishment in 1928. The CRA,
which is owned and operated by MET, transports water from the Colorado River to its terminus Lake
Mathews, in Riverside County. The actual amount of water per year that may be conveyed through the
CRA to MET’s member agencies is subject to the availability of Colorado River water. Approximately
40 million people rely on the Colorado River and its tributaries for water with 5.5 million acres of land
using Colorado River water for irrigation. The CRA includes supplies from the implementation of the
Quantification Settlement Agreement and its related agreements to transfer water from agricultural
agencies to urban uses. The 2003 Quantification Settlement Agreement enabled California to implement
major Colorado River water conservation and transfer programs, in order to stabilize water supplies and
reduce the state’s demand on the river to its 4.4 million acre-feet (MAF) entitlement. Colorado River
transactions are potentially available to supply additional water up to the CRA capacity of 1.25 MAF on an
as-needed basis. Water from the Colorado River or its tributaries is available to users in California,
Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Mexico. California is apportioned the use
of 4.4 MAF of water from the Colorado River each year plus one-half of any surplus that may be available
for use collectively in Arizona, California, and Nevada. In addition, California has historically been allowed
to use Colorado River water apportioned to, but not used by, Arizona or Nevada. MET has a basic
entitlement of 550,000 AFY of Colorado River water, plus surplus water up to an additional 662,000 AFY
when the following conditions exists (MET, 2021):
Water is unused by the California holders of priorities 1 through 3
Water is saved by the Palo Verde land management, crop rotation, and water supply program
When the U.S. Secretary of the Interior makes available either one or both of the following:
o Surplus water
o Colorado River water that is apportioned to but unused by Arizona and/or Nevada.
Current Conditions and Supply
MET has not received surplus water for a number of years. The Colorado River supply faces current and
future imbalances between water supply and demand in the Colorado River Basin due to long-term
drought conditions. Analysis of historical records suggests a potential change in the relationship between
precipitation and runoff in the Colorado River Basin. The past 21 years (1999-2020) have seen an overall
drying trend, even though the period included several wet or average years. The river basin has
substantial storage capacity, but the significant reduction in system reservoir storage in the last two
decades is great enough to consider the period a drought (DWR, 2020a). At the close of 2020, system
storage was at or near its lowest since 2000, so there is very little buffer to avoid a shortage from any
future period of reduced precipitation and runoff (MET, 2021). Looking ahead, the long-term imbalance in
the Colorado River Basin’s future supply and demand is projected to be approximately 3.2 MAF by the
year 2060 (USBR, 2012).
Over the years, MET has helped fund and implement various programs to improve Colorado River supply
reliability and help resolve the imbalance between supply and demand. Implementation of such programs
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have contributed to achievements like achieving a record low diversion of the Colorado River in 2019, a
level not seen since the 1950s. Colorado River water management programs include:
Imperial Irrigation District / MET Conservation Program – Under agreements executed in
1988 and 1989, this program allows MET to fund water efficiency improvements within Imperial
Irrigation District’s service area in return for the right to divert the water conserved by those
investments. An average of 105,000 AFY of water has been conserved since the program’s
implementation.
Palo Verde Land Management, Crop Rotation, and Water Supply Program – Authorized in
2004, this 35-year program allows MET to pay participating farmers to reduce their water use,
and for MET to receive the saved water. Over the life of the program, an average of 84,500 AFY
has been saved and made available to MET.
Bard Seasonal Fallowing Program – Authorized in 2019, this program allows MET to pay
participating farmers in Bard to reduce their water use between the late spring and summer
months of selected years, which provides up to 6,000 AF of water to be available to MET in
certain years.
Management of MET-Owned Land in Palo Verde – Since 2001, MET has acquired
approximately 21,000 acres of irrigable farmland that are leased to growers, with incentives to
grow low water-using crops and experiment with low water-consumption practices. If long-term
water savings are realized, MET may explore ways to formally account them for Colorado River
supplies.
Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) and MET Storage and Interstate Release
Agreement – Entered in 2004, this agreement allows SNWA to store its unused, conserved
water with MET, in exchange for MET to receive additional Colorado River water supply. MET
has relied on the additional water during dry years, especially during the 2011-2016 California
drought, and SNWA is not expected to call upon MET to return water until after 2026.
Lower Colorado Water Supply Projects – Authorized in 1980s, this project provides up to
10,000 AFY of water to certain entities that do not have or have insufficient rights to use Colorado
River water. A contract executed in 2007 allowed MET to receive project water left unused by the
project contractors along the River – nearly 10,000 AF was received by MET in 2019 and is
estimated for 2020.
Exchange Programs – MET is involved in separate exchange programs with the United States
Bureau of Reclamation, which takes place at the Colorado River Intake and with San Diego
County Water Authority (SDCWA), which exchanges conserved Colorado River water.
Lake Mead Storage Program – Executed in 2006, this program allows MET to leave excessively
conserved water in Lake Mead, for exclusive use by MET in later years.
Quagga Mussel Control Program – Developed in 2007, this program introduced surveillance
activities and control measures to combat quagga mussels, an invasive species that impact the
Colorado River’s water quality.
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Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan – Signed in 2019, this agreement incentivizes storage
in Lake Mead through 2026 and overall, it increases MET’s flexibility to fill the CRA as needed
(MET, 2021).
Future Programs / Plans
The Colorado River faces long-term challenges of water demands exceeding available supply with
additional uncertainties due to climate change. Climate change impacts expected in the Colorado River
Basin include the following:
More frequent, more intense, and longer lasting droughts, which will result in water deficits
Continued dryness in the Colorado River Basin, which will increase the likelihood of triggering a
first-ever shortage in the Lower Basin
Increased temperatures, which will affect the percentage of precipitation that falls as rain or snow,
as well as the amount and timing of mountain snowpack (DWR, 2020b)
Acknowledging the various uncertainties regarding reliability, MET plans to continue ongoing programs,
such as those listed earlier in this section. Additionally, MET supports increasing water recycling in the
Colorado River Basin and is in the process of developing additional transfer programs for the future
(MET, 2021).
6.2.2 State Water Project Supplies
Background
The SWP consists of a series of pump stations, reservoirs, aqueducts, tunnels, and power plants
operated by DWR and is an integral part of the effort to ensure that business and industry, urban and
suburban residents, and farmers throughout much of California have sufficient water. Water from the
SWP originates at Lake Oroville, which is located on the Feather River in Northern California. Much of the
SWP water supply passes through the Delta. The SWP is the largest state-built, multipurpose,
user-financed water project in the United States. Nearly two-thirds of residents in California receive at
least part of their water from the SWP, with approximately 70% of SWP’s contracted water supply going
to urban users and 30% to agricultural users. The primary purpose of the SWP is to divert and store water
during wet periods in Northern and Central California and distribute it to areas of need in Northern
California, the San Francisco Bay area, the San Joaquin Valley, the Central Coast, and SSouthern
California (MET, 2021).
The Delta is key to the SWP’s ability to deliver water to its agricultural and urban contractors. All but five
of the 29 SWP contractors receive water deliveries below the Delta (pumped via the Harvey O. Banks or
Barker Slough pumping plants). However, the Delta faces many challenges concerning its long-term
sustainability such as climate change posing a threat of increased variability in floods and droughts.
Sea level rise complicates efforts in managing salinity levels and preserving water quality in the Delta to
ensure a suitable water supply for urban and agricultural use. Furthermore, other challenges include
continued subsidence of Delta islands, many of which are below sea level, and the related threat of a
catastrophic levee failure as the water pressure increases, or as a result of a major seismic event.
Current Conditions and Supply
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“Table A” water is the maximum entitlement of SWP water for each water contracting agency. Currently,
the combined maximum Table A amount is 4.17 million acre-feet per year (MAFY). Of this amount,
4.13 MAFY is the maximum Table A water available for delivery from the Delta. On average, deliveries
are approximately 60% of the maximum Table A amount (DWR, 2020b).
SWP contractors may receive Article 21 water on a short-term basis in addition to Table A water if
requested. Article 21 of SWP contracts allows contractors to receive additional water deliveries only
under specific conditions, generally during wet months of the year (December through March). Because a
SWP contractor must have an immediate use for Article 21 supply or a place to store it outside of the
SWP, there are few contractors like MET that can access such supplies.
Carryover water is SWP water allocated to an SWP contractor and approved for delivery to the contractor
in a given year, but not used by the end of the year. The unused water is stored in the SWP’s share of
San Luis Reservoir, when space is available, for the contractor to use in the following year.
Turnback pool water is Table A water that has been allocated to SWP contractors that has exceeded their
demands. This water can then be purchased by another contractor depending on its availability.
SWP Delta exports are the water supplies that are transferred directly to SWP contractors or to San Luis
Reservoir storage south of the Delta via the Harvey O. Banks pumping plant. Estimated average annual
Delta exports and SWP Table A water deliveries have generally decreased since 2005, when Delta
export regulations affecting SWP pumping operations became more restrictive due to federal biological
opinions (Biops). The Biops protect species listed as threatened or endangered under the federal and
state Endangered Species Acts (ESAs) and affect the SWP’s water delivery capability because they
restrict SWP exports in the Delta and include Delta outflow requirements during certain times of the year,
thus reducing the available supply for export or storage.
Before being updated by the 2019 Long-Term Operations Plan, the prior 2008 and 2009 Biops resulted in
an estimated reduction in SWP deliveries of 0.3 MAF during critically dry years to 1.3 MAF in above
normal water years as compared to the previous baseline. However, the 2019 Long-Term Operations
Plan and Biops are expected to increase SWP deliveries by an annual average of 20,000 AF as
compared to the previous Biops (MET, 2021). Average Table A deliveries decreased in the 2019 SWP
Final Delivery Capability Report compared to 2017, mainly due to the 2018 Coordinated Operation
Agreement (COA) Addendum and the increase in the end of September storage target for Lake Oroville.
Other factors that also affected deliveries included changes in regulations associated with the Incidental
Take Permit (ITP) and the Reinitiation of Consultation for Long-Term Operations (RoC on LTO), a shift in
Table A to Article 21 deliveries which occurred due to higher storage in SWP San Luis, and other
operational updates to the SWP and federal Central Valley Project (CVP) (DWR, 2020b). Since 2005,
there are similar decreasing trends for both the average annual Delta exports and the average annual
Table A deliveries (Table 6-3).
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Table 6-3: MET SWP Program Capabilities
Year Average Annual Delta
Exports (MAF)
Average Annual Table A
Deliveries (MAF)
2005 2.96 2.82
2013 2.61 2.55
2019 2.52 2.41
Percent Change*-14.8% -14.3%
*Percent change is between the years 2019 and 2005.
Ongoing regulatory restrictions, such as those imposed by the Biops on the effects of SWP and the
CVP operations on certain marine life, also contribute to the challenge of determining the SWP’s water
delivery reliability. In dry, below-normal conditions, MET has increased the supplies delivered through the
California Aqueduct by developing flexible CVP/SWP storage and transfer programs. The goal of the
storage/transfer programs is to develop additional dry-year supplies that can be conveyed through the
available Harvey O. Banks pumping plant capacity to maximize deliveries through the California Aqueduct
during dry hydrologic conditions and regulatory restrictions. In addition, SWRCB has set water quality
objectives that must be met by the SWP including minimum Delta outflows, limits on SWP and CVP Delta
exports, and maximum allowable salinity level.
The following factors affect the ability to estimate existing and future water delivery reliability:
Water availability at the source: Availability can be highly variable and depends on the amount
and timing of rain and snow that fall in any given year. Generally, during a single-dry year or two,
surface and groundwater storage can supply most water deliveries, but multiple-dry years can
result in critically low water reserves. Fisheries issues can also restrict the operations of the
export pumps even when water supplies are available.
Water rights with priority over the SWP: Water users with prior water rights are assigned
higher priority in DWR’s modeling of the SWP’s water delivery reliability, even ahead of
SWP Table A water.
Climate change: Mean temperatures are predicted to vary more significantly than previously
expected. This change in climate is anticipated to bring warmer winter storms that result in less
snowfall at lower elevations, reducing total snowpack. From historical data, DWR projects that by
2050, the Sierra snowpack will be reduced from its historical average by 25 to 40%. Increased
precipitation as rain could result in a larger number of “rain-on-snow” events, causing snow to
melt earlier in the year and over fewer days than historically, affecting the availability of water for
pumping by the SWP during summer. Furthermore, water quality may be adversely affected due
to the anticipated increase in wildfires. Rising sea levels may result in potential pumping cutbacks
on the SWP and CVP.
Regulatory restrictions on SWP Delta exports: The Biops protect special-status species such
as delta smelt and spring- and winter-run Chinook salmon and imposed substantial constraints on
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Delta water supply operations through requirements for Delta inflow and outflow and export
pumping restrictions. Restrictions on SWP operations imposed by state and federal agencies
contribute substantially to the challenge of accurately determining the SWP’s water delivery
reliability in any given year (DWR, 2020b).
Ongoing environmental and policy planning efforts: Governor Gavin Newsom ended
California WaterFix in May 2019 and announced a new approach to modernize Delta
Conveyance through a single tunnel alternative. The EcoRestore Program aims to restore at least
30,000 acres of Delta habitat, with the near-term goal of making significant strides toward that
objective by 2020 (DWR, 2020b).
Delta levee failure: The levees are vulnerable to failure because most original levees were
simply built with soils dredged from nearby channels and were not engineered. A breach of one
or more levees and island flooding could affect Delta water quality and SWP operations for
several months. When islands are flooded, DWR may need to drastically decrease or even cease
SWP Delta exports to evaluate damage caused by salinity in the Delta.
Operational constraints likely will continue until a long-term solution to the problems in the Bay-Delta is
identified and implemented. New Biops for listed species under the Federal ESA or by the California
Department of Fish and Game’s issuance of incidental take authorizations under the Federal ESA and
California ESA might further adversely affect SWP and CVP operations. Additionally, new litigation,
listings of additional species or new regulatory requirements could further adversely affect SWP
operations in the future by requiring additional export reductions, releases of additional water from
storage or other operational changes impacting water supply operations.
Future Programs / Plans
MET’s Board approved a Delta Action Plan in June 2007 that provides a framework for staff to pursue
actions with other agencies and stakeholders to build a sustainable Delta and reduce conflicts between
water supply conveyance and the environment. The Delta Action Plan aims to prioritize immediate
short-term actions to stabilize the Delta while an ultimate solution is selected, and mid-term steps to
maintain the Delta while a long-term solution is implemented. Currently, MET is working towards
addressing four elements: Delta ecosystem restoration, water supply conveyance, flood control,
protection and storage development.
In May 2019, Governor Newsom ended California WaterFix, announced a new approach to modernize
Delta Conveyance through a single tunnel alternative, and released Executive Order 10-19 that directed
state agencies to inventory and assess new planning for the project. DWR then withdrew all project
approvals and permit applications for California WaterFix, effectively ending the project. The purpose of
the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) gives rise to several project objectives (MET, 2021). In proposing to
make physical improvements to the SWP Delta conveyance system, the project objectives are:
To address anticipated rising sea levels and other reasonably foreseeable consequences of
climate change and extreme weather events.
To minimize the potential for public health and safety impacts from reduced quantity and quality
of SWP water deliveries, and potentially CVP water deliveries, south of the Delta resulting from a
major earthquake that causes breaching of Delta levees and the inundation of brackish water into
the areas in which existing pumping plants operate.
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To protect the ability of the SWP, and potentially the CVP, to deliver water when hydrologic
conditions result in the availability of sufficient amounts, consistent with the requirements of state
and federal law.
To provide operational flexibility to improve aquatic conditions in the Delta and better manage
risks of further regulatory constraints on project operations.
6.2.3 Storage
Storage is a major component of MET’s dry year resource management strategy. MET’s likelihood of
having adequate supply capability to meet projected demands, without implementing its Water Supply
Allocation Plan (WSAP), is dependent on its storage resources. Due to the pattern of generally drier
hydrology, the groundwater basins and local reservoirs have dropped to low operating levels and remain
below healthy storage levels. For example, the Colorado River Basin’s system storage at the close of
2020, was at or near its lowest since 2000, so there is very little buffer to avoid a shortage from any future
period of reduced precipitation and runoff (MET, 2021).
MET stores water in both DWR and MET surface water reservoirs. MET’s surface water reservoirs are
Lake Mathews, Lake Skinner, and Diamond Valley Lake, which have a combined storage capacity of over
1 MAF. Approximately 650,000 AF are stored for seasonal, regulatory, and drought use, while
approximately 370,000 AF are stored for emergency use.
MET also has contractual rights to DWR surface Reservoirs, such as 65 TAF of flexible storage at
Lake Perris (East Branch terminal reservoir) and 154 TAF of flexible storage at Castaic Lake
(West Branch terminal reservoir) that provides MET with additional options for managing SWP deliveries
to maximize the yield from the project. This storage can provide MET with up to 44 TAF of additional
supply over multiple dry years, or up to 219 TAF to Southern California in a single dry year (MET, 2021).
MET endeavors to increase the reliability of water supplies through the development of flexible storage
and transfer programs including groundwater storage (MET, 2021). These include:
Lake Mead Storage Program: Executed in 2006, this program allows MET to leave excessively
conserved water in Lake Mead, for exclusive use by MET in later years. MET created
“Intentionally Created Surplus” (ICS) water in 2006-2007, 2009-2012, and 2016-2019, and
withdrew ICS water in 2008 and 2013-2015. As of January 1, 2021, MET had a total of 1.3 MAF
of Extraordinary Conservation ICS water.
Semitropic Storage Program: The maximum storage capacity of the program is 350 TAF, and
the minimum and maximum annual yields available to MET are 34.7 TAF and 236.2 TAF,
respectively. The specific amount of water MET can expect to store in and subsequently receive
from the program depends on hydrologic conditions, any regulatory requirements restricting
MET’s ability to export water for storage and demands placed by other program participants.
During wet years, MET has the discretion to use the program to store portions of its SWP
supplies which are in excess, and during dry years, the Semitropic Water Storage District returns
MET’s previously stored water to MET by direct groundwater pump-in or by exchange of surface
water supplies.
Arvin-Edison Storage Program: The storage program is estimated to deliver 75 TAF, and the
specific amount of water MET can expect to store in and subsequently receive from the program
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depends on hydrologic conditions and any regulatory requirements restricting MET’s ability to
export water for storage. During wet years, MET has the discretion to use to program to store
portions of its SWP supplies which are in excess, and during dry years, the Arvin-Edison Water
Storage District returns MET’s previously stored water to MET by direct groundwater pump-in or
by exchange of surface water supplies.
Antelope Valley-East Kern (AVEK) Water Agency Exchange and Storage Program: Under
the exchange program, for every two AF MET receives, MET returns 1 AF back to AVEK, and
MET will also be able to store up to 30 TAF in the AVEK’s groundwater basin, with a dry-year
return capability of 10 TAF.
High Desert Water Bank Program: Under this program, MET will have the ability to store up to
280 TAF of its SWP Table A or other supplies in the Antelope Valley groundwater basin, and in
exchange will provide funding for the construction of monitoring and production wells, turnouts
from the California Aqueduct, pipelines, recharge basins, water storage, and booster pump
facilities. The project is anticipated to be in operation by 2025.
Kern-Delta Water District Storage Program: This groundwater storage program has 250 TAF
of storage capacity, and water for storage can either be directly recharged into the groundwater
basin or delivered to Kern-Delta Water District farmers in lieu of pumping groundwater. During dry
years, the Kern-Delta Water District returns MET’s previously stored water to MET by direct
groundwater pump-in return or by exchange of surface water supplies.
Mojave Storage Program: MET entered into a groundwater banking and exchange transfer
agreement with Mojave Water Agency that allows for the cumulative storage of up to 390 TAF.
The agreement allows for MET to store water in an exchange account for later return.
6.2.4 Planned Future Sources
Beyond the programs highlighted in Sections 6.2.1 through 6.2.3, MET continues to invest in efforts to
meet its goal of long-term regional water supply reliability, focusing on the following:
Continuing water conservation
Developing water supply management programs outside of the region
Developing storage programs related to the Colorado River and the SWP
Developing storage and groundwater management programs within the Southern California
region
Increasing water recycling, groundwater recovery, stormwater and seawater desalination
Pursuing long-term solutions for the ecosystem, regulatory and water supply issues in the
California Bay-Delta (MET, 2021)
Groundwater
Historically, local groundwater has been the cheapest and most reliable source of supply for the City.
The City draws water from the Basin. In FY 2019-20, the City relied on approximately 25,591 AFY –
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approximately 76% of the City’s water supply portfolio for FY 2019-20 – from the OC Basin to meet its
demands.
This section describes the OC Basin and the management measures taken by OCWD, the basin
manager to optimize local supply and minimize overdraft. This section also provides information on
historical groundwater production as well as a 25-year projection of the City's groundwater supply.
The OCWD was formed in 1933 by a special legislative act of the California State Legislature to protect
and manage the County's vast, natural, groundwater supply using the best available technology and
defend its water rights to the OC Basin. This legislation is found in the State of California Statutes, Water
– Uncodified Acts, Act 5683, as amended. The OC Basin is managed by OCWD under the Act, which
functions as a statutorily-imposed physical solution. The OCWD Management Area includes
approximately 89% of the land area of the OC Basin, and 98% of all groundwater production occurs
within the area. OCWD monitors the basin by collecting groundwater elevation and quality data from wells
and manages an electronic database that stores water elevation, water quality, production, recharge, and
other data on over 2,000 wells and facilities within and outside OCWD boundaries (City of La Habra
et al., 2017).
Groundwater levels are managed within a safe basin operating range to protect the long-term
sustainability of the OC Basin and to protect against land subsidence. OCWD regulates groundwater
levels in the OC Basin by regulating the annual amount of pumping and setting the Basin Production
Percentage (BPP) for the water year. As defined in the District Act, the BPP is the ratio of water produced
from groundwater supplies within the district to all water produced within the district from both
supplemental sources and groundwater within the district (OCWD, 2020). On a per agency basis
including the City, the BPP is the total percentage amount of groundwater allowed to be produced
towards that agency’s or city’s demand. For the City, the remaining percentage of potable water demand
is achieved through MET water.
6.3.1 Historical Groundwater Production
The City pumps groundwater through its 21 active operating groundwater wells. One of the City’s wells is
currently offline but is being rehabilitated with goals to be completed by the end of 2021. The City has
experienced relative stability in the groundwater volume pumped for the last five years (Table 6-4).
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Table 6-4: Retail: Groundwater Volume Pumped
DWR Submittal Table 6-1 Retail: Groundwater Volume Pumped
Supplier does not pump groundwater.
The supplier will not complete the table below.
All or part of the groundwater described below is desalinated.
Groundwater Type Location or Basin Name 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Alluvial Basin Orange County
Groundwater Basin 24,722 24,357 21,327 25,505 25,591
TOTAL 24,722 24,357 21,327 25,505 25,591
NOTES:
Source: MWDOC, 2020
6.3.2 Basin Characteristics
The OC Basin underlies the northerly half of Orange County beneath broad lowlands. The OC Basin,
managed by OCWD, covers an area of approximately 350 square miles, bordered by the Coyote and
Chino Hills to the north, the Santa Ana Mountains to the northeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the
southwest. The OC Basin boundary extends to the Orange County-Los Angeles Line to the northwest,
where groundwater flows across the county line into the Central Groundwater Basin of Los Angeles
County. A map of the OC Basin is shown on Figure 6-2. The total thickness of sedimentary rocks in the
OC Basin is over 20,000 feet, with only the upper 2,000 to 4,000 feet containing fresh water.
The OC Basin’s full volume is approximately 66 MAF.
There are three major aquifer systems that have been subdivided by OCWD, the Shallow Aquifer System,
the Principal Aquifer System, and the Deep Aquifer System. These three aquifer systems are
hydraulically connected as groundwater is able to flow between each other through intervening aquitards
or discontinuities in the aquitards. The Shallow Aquifer system occurs from the surface to approximately
250 feet below ground surface. Most of the groundwater from this aquifer system is pumped by small
water systems for industrial and agricultural use. The Principal Aquifer system occurs at depths between
200 and 1,300 feet below ground surface. Over 90% of groundwater production is from wells that are
screened within the Principal Aquifer system. Only a minor amount of groundwater is pumped from the
Deep Aquifer system, which underlies the Principal Aquifer system and is up to 2,000 feet deep in the
center of the OC Basin.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of thousands of manmade chemicals that
includes perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). PFAS compounds were
once commonly used in many products including, among many others, stain- and water-repellent fabrics,
nonstick products (e.g., Teflon), polishes, waxes, paints, cleaning products, and fire-fighting foams.
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Beginning in the summer of 2019, the California State Division of Drinking Water (DDW) began requiring
testing for PFAS compounds in some groundwater production wells in the OCWD area.
Groundwater production in FY 2019-20 was expected to be approximately 325,000 AF but declined to
286,550 AF primarily due to PFAS impacted wells being turned off around February 2020.
OCWD expects groundwater production to be in the area of 245,000 AF in FY 2020-21 due to the
currently idled wells and additional wells being impacted by PFAS and turned off. As PFAS treatment
systems are constructed, OCWD expects total annual groundwater production to slowly increase back to
normal levels (310,000 to 330,000 AF) (OCWD, 2020).
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Figure 6-2: Map of the OC Basin
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6.3.3 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
In 2014, the State of California adopted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) to help
manage its groundwater sustainably, and limit adverse effects such as significant groundwater-level
declines, land subsidence, and water quality degradation. SGMA requires all high- and medium-priority
basins, as designated by DWR, be sustainably managed. DWR designated the non-adjudicated Coastal
Plain of OC Basin (“Basin 8-1” or “Basin”) as a medium-priority basin, primarily due to heavy reliance on
the Basin’s groundwater as a source of water supply. Compliance with SGMA can be achieved in one of
two ways:
1) A Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) is formed, and a Groundwater Sustainability Plan
(GSP) is adopted, or
2) Special Act Districts created by statute, such as OCWD, and other agencies may prepare and
submit an Alternative to a GSP (City of La Habra et al., 2017)
The agencies within Basin 8-1, led by OCWD collaborated to submit an Alternative to a GSP in 2017,
titled the “Basin 8-1 Alternative” to meet SGMA compliance. This document will be updated every
five years. The current (2017) version is included in Appendix G.
6.3.4 Basin Production Percentage
Background
The OC Basin is not adjudicated and as such, pumping from the OC Basin is managed through a process
that uses financial incentives to encourage groundwater producers to pump a sustainable amount of
water. The framework for the financial incentives is based on establishing the BPP, the percentage of
each Producer’s total water supply that comes from groundwater pumped from the OC Basin.
Groundwater production at or below the BPP is assessed the Replenishment Assessment (RA).
While there is no legal limit as to how much an agency pumps from the OC Basin, there is a financial
disincentive to pump above the BPP. The BPP is set uniformly for all Producers by OCWD on an annual
basis. Agencies that pump above the BPP are charged the RA plus the Basin Equity Assessment (BEA).
The BEA is presently calculated so that the cost of groundwater production is equivalent to the cost of
importing potable water supplies. This approach serves to discourage, but not eliminate, production
above the BPP, and the BEA can be increased to discourage production above the BPP if necessary.
The BPP is set based on groundwater conditions, availability of imported water supplies, and Basin
management objectives. The supplies available for recharge must be estimated for a given year.
The supplies of recharge water that are estimated are: 1) Santa Ana River stormflow, 2) Natural incidental
recharge, 3) Santa Ana River baseflow, 4) GWRS supplies, and 5) other supplies such as imported water
and recycled water purchased for the Alamitos Barrier. The BPP is a major factor in determining the cost
of groundwater production from the OC Basin for that year. The BPP set for Water Year 2021-22 is 77%.
BPP Adjustments for Basin Management
OCWD has established management guidelines that are used to establish future BPPs, as seen in Table
6-5. Raising or lowering the BPP allows OCWD to manage the amount of pumping from the basin. OCWD
has a policy to manage the groundwater basin within a sustainable range to avoid adverse impacts to the
basin. OCWD seeks to maintain some available storage space in the basin to maximize surface water
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recharge when such supplies are available, especially in relatively wet years. By keeping the basin
relatively full during wet years, and for as long as possible in years with near-normal recharge, the
maximum amount of groundwater could be maintained in storage to support pumping in future drought
conditions. During dry hydrologic years when less water would be available for recharge, the BPP could
be lowered to maintain groundwater storage levels. A component of OCWD’s BPP policy is to manage
the groundwater basin so that the BPP will not fluctuate more that 5 percent from year to year.
Based on most recent modeling of water supplies available for groundwater recharge and water demand
forecasts, OCWD anticipates being able to sustain the BPP at 85% starting in 2025. The primary reasons
for the higher BPP are the expected completion of the GWRS Final Expansion (GWRSFE) in 2023 and
the relatively low water demands of approximately 400,000 AFY.
Modeling and forecasts generate estimates based on historical averages. Consequently, forecasts use
average hydrologic conditions which smooth the dynamic and unpredictable local hydrology. Variations in
local hydrology are the most significant impact to supplies of water available to recharge the groundwater
basin.The BPP projection of 85% is provided based upon average annual rainfall weather patterns. If the
City were to experience a relatively dry period, the BPP could be reduced to maintain water storage
levels, by as much as five percent.
Table 6-5: Management Actions Based on Changes in Groundwater Storage
Available Storage Space
(amount below full basin
condition, AF)
Considered Basin Management Action
Less than 100,000 Raise BPP
100,000 to 300,000 Maintain and / or raise BPP towards 75% goal
300,000 to 350,000 Seek additional supplies to refill basin and / or lower the BPP
Greater than 350,000 Seek additional supplies to refill basin and lower the BPP
BPP Exemptions
In some cases, OCWD encourages pumping and treating groundwater that does not meet drinking water
standards in order to protect water quality. This is achieved by using a financial incentive called the
BEA Exemption. A BEA Exemption is used to promote beneficial uses of poor-quality groundwater and
reduce or prevent the spread of poor-quality groundwater into non-degraded aquifer zones. OCWD uses
a partial or total exemption of the BEA to compensate a qualified participating agency or Producer for the
costs of treating poor quality groundwater, which typically include capital, interest and operations and
maintenance costs for treatment facilities. When OCWD authorizes a BEA exemption for a project, it is
obligated to provide the replenishment water for the production above the BPP and forgo the BEA
revenue that OCWD would otherwise receive from the producer (City of La Habra et al., 2017).
Similarly, for proactive water quality management, OCWD exempts a portion of the BEA for their Coastal
Pumping Transfer Program (CPTP). The CPTP encourages inland groundwater producers to increase
pumping and coastal producers to decrease pumping in order to reduce the groundwater basin drawdown
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at the coast and protect against seawater intrusion. Inland pumpers can pump above the BPP without
having to pay the full BEA for the amount pumped above the BPP (OCWD, 2015). Coastal pumpers
receive BEA revenue from OCWD to assist in offsetting their additional water supply cost from taking less
groundwater.
6.3.4.1 2020 OCWD Groundwater Reliability Plan
In order to adapt to the substantial growth in water demands in OCWD’s management area, it is
paramount to anticipate and understand future water demands and develop projects to increase future
water supplies proactively to match demands. The GRP is a continuation of these planning efforts that
estimates the OC Basin’s sustainable average annual production and extrapolates water needs of the OC
Basin by combining recently completed water demand projections and modeling of Santa Ana River flows
available for recharge. These data will be used to evaluate future water supply projects and guide
management of the OC Basin. OCWD is currently developing the GRP, and the first public draft is
expected to be available May 2021.
Current water demand projections show a relatively slow increase over the 25-year planning horizon,
which is generally of similar magnitude as the additional production from the GWRSFE in early 2023.
Once complete, the GWRSFE will increase capacity from 100,000 to 134,000 AFY of high-quality
recycled water. This locally controlled, drought proof supply of water reduces the region’s dependance on
imported water.
Historically, the Santa Ana River has served as the primary source of water to recharge the OC Basin.
To determine the availability of future Santa Ana River flows, OCWD utilized surface water flow modeling
of the upper watershed. Modeling was developed to predict the impacts future stormwater capture and
wastewater recycling projects in the upper watershed would have on future Santa Ana River flow rates at
Prado Dam. Santa Ana River base flows are expected to decrease as more water recycling projects are
built in the upper watershed. OCWD continues to work closely with the US Army Corps of Engineers to
temporarily impound and slowly release up to approximately 20,000 AF of stormwater in the Prado Dam
Conservation Pool. To some extent, the losses in baseflow are partially offset through the capture of
additional stormwater held in the Prado Dam Conservation Pool. When available, OCWD will continue to
augment groundwater recharge through the purchase of imported water through MET. OCWD will
diligently monitor and evaluate future water supply projects to sustainably manage and protect the OC
Basin for future generations.
6.3.4.2 OCWD Engineer’s Report
The OCWD Engineer’s Report reports on the groundwater conditions and investigates information related
to water supply and groundwater basin usage within OCWD’s service area.
The overall BPP achieved in the 2019 to 2020 water year within OCWD for non-irrigation use was 75.9%.
The achieved pumping was less than the BPP established for the 2019 to 2020 water year primarily due
to the water quality impacts of PFAS. As indicated in Section 6.3.4, a BPP of 77% was established for
water year 2021-22. Analysis of the groundwater basin’s projected accumulated overdraft, the available
supplies to the OC Basin (assuming average hydrology) and the projected pumping demands indicate
that this level of pumping can be sustained for 2021-22 without detriment to the OC Basin (OCWD, 2021).
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In FY 2021-22 additional production of approximately 22,000 AF above the BPP will be undertaken by the
City of Tustin, City of Garden Grove, City of Huntington Beach, Mesa Water District, and IRWD.
These agencies use the additional pumping allowance in order to accommodate groundwater quality
improvement projects. As in prior years, production above the BPP from these projects would be partially
or fully exempt from the BEA as a result of the benefit provided to the OC Basin by removing poor-quality
groundwater and treating it for beneficial use (OCWD, 2021).
6.3.5 Recharge Management
Recharging water into the OC Basin through natural and artificial means is essential to support pumping
from the OC Basin. Active recharge of groundwater began in 1949, in response to increasing drawdown
of the OC Basin and, consequently, the threat of seawater intrusion. The OC Basin’s primary source of
recharge is flow from the Santa Ana River, which is diverted into recharge basins and its main Orange
County tributary, Santiago Creek. Other sources of recharge water include natural infiltration, recycled
water, and imported water. Natural recharge consists of subsurface inflow from local hills and mountains,
infiltration of precipitation and irrigation water, recharge in small flood control channels, and groundwater
underflow to and from Los Angeles County and the ocean.
Recycled water for the OC Basin recharge is from two sources. The main source of recycled water is from
the GWRS, which is injected into the Talbert Seawater Barrier and recharged in the Kraemer, Miller and
Miraloma Basins (City of La Habra et al., 2017). The second source of recycled water is water purified at
the Water Replenishment District’s Leo J. Vander Lans Treatment Facility, which supplies water to the
Alamitos Seawater Barrier (owned and operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Public
Works). OCWD’s share of the Alamitos Barrier injection total for water year 2018-19 was less than half of
the total injection, based on barrier wells located within Orange County. The Water Replenishment District
of Southern California (WRD) also works closely with OCWD to ensure that the water demands at the
Alamitos Barrier are fulfilled through the use of recycled water as opposed to imported water, however the
recycled portion was less than 33% for the last six years due to operational issues and wastewater supply
interruptions (OCWD, 2020a). Injection of recycled water into these barriers is an effort by OCWD to
control seawater intrusion into the OC Basin. Operation of the injection wells forms a hydraulic barrier to
seawater intrusion.
OCWD purchases imported water for recharge from MWDOC. Untreated imported water can be used to
recharge the OC Basin through the surface water recharge system in multiple locations, such as Anaheim
Lake, Santa Ana River, Irvine Lake, and San Antonio Creek. Treated imported water can be used for
in-lieu recharge, as was performed extensively from 1977 to 2007 (City of La Habra et al., 2017).
For detailed recharge management efforts from OCWD, refer to OCWD’s 2017 “Basin 8-1 Alternative
Plan” (Appendix G).
6.3.6 MET Groundwater Replenishment Program
In the past, OCWD, MWDOC, and MET have coordinated water management to increase storage in the
OC Basin when imported supplies are available for this purpose. MET’s groundwater replenishment
program was discontinued on January 1, 2013, and currently MET via MWDOC sells replenishment water
to OCWD at the full service untreated MET rate.
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MWDOC’s imported water sales to OCWD since FY 1990-91 averages approximately 31,200 AF per
year. Recently, due to low Santa Ana River flows as a result of low precipitation and increased use along
the river, OCWD has needed to purchase more imported replenishment water per year than the average
of 31,200 AFY over the last 25 years (this does not include water amounts from MET’s Conjunctive Use
Program (CUP) or its Cyclic Storage Account). However, with the emergence of PFAS affecting
groundwater production, the need to purchase imported water has been temporary suspended.
Until PFAS treatment is in place for most groundwater producers in the region, imported replenishment
water will be significantly reduced.
6.3.7 MET Conjunctive Use Program / Cyclic Storage Program with OCWD
Since 2004, OCWD, MWDOC, and certain groundwater producers have participated in MET’s CUP.
This program allows for the storage of MET water in the OC Basin. The existing MET program provides
storage up to 66,000 AF of water in the OC Basin to be pumped by participating producers in place of
receiving imported supplies during water shortage events in exchange for MET’s contribution to
improvements in basin management facilities and an annual administrative fee. These improvements
include eight new groundwater production wells, improvements to the seawater intrusion barrier, and
construction of the Diemer Bypass Pipeline. The water is accounted for via the CUP program
administered by the wholesale agencies and is controlled by MET such that it can be withdrawn over a
three-year time period (OCWD, 2020). As of 2021, the CUP has not been in use since 2014. The CUP
contract ends in 2028.
The Cyclic Storage account is an alternative storage account with MET. However, unlike the CUP
program, OCWD controls when the water is used. The Cyclic Water Storage Program allows MET to
store water in a local groundwater basin during surplus conditions, where MET has limited space in its
regional storage locations. Once the water is stored via direct delivery or In-lieu the groundwater agency
has the ability to purchase this water at a future date or over a 5-year period.
6.3.8 Overdraft Conditions
Annual groundwater basin overdraft, as defined in OCWD's Act, is the quantity by which production of
groundwater supplies exceeds natural replenishment of groundwater supplies during a water year.
This difference between extraction and replenishment can be estimated by determining the change in
volume of groundwater in storage that would have occurred had supplemental water not been used for
any groundwater recharge purpose, including seawater intrusion protection, advanced water reclamation,
and the in-Lieu Program.
The annual analysis of basin storage change and accumulated overdraft for water year 2019-20 has been
completed. Based on the three-layer methodology, an accumulated overdraft of 200,000 AF was
calculated for the water year ending June 30, 2020. The accumulated overdraft for the water year ending
June 30, 2019 was 236,000 AF, which was also calculated using the three-layer storage method.
Therefore, an annual increase of 36,000 AF in stored groundwater was calculated as the difference
between the June 2019 and June 2020 accumulated overdrafts (OCWD, 2021).
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6.3.9 Planned Future Sources
The City plans to build two new future wells, build three new wells at existing sites, and rehabilitate
two wells to ensure reliable local groundwater and continued drinking water safety. These well projects
are further described in Section 6.9.
On a regional scale, OCWD regularly evaluates potential projects and conducts studies to improve the
existing facilities and build new facilities to include in their Long-Term Facilities Plans (LTFP).
OCWD’s 2014 LTFP evaluated 65 potential projects for water supply, basin management, recharge
facilities, operational improvements, and operational efficiency. Some of OCWD’s planned water projects
that would increase supply are listed below. For a more detailed list of projects, refer to the 2014 LTFP
(OCWD).
GWRSFE – The Final Expansion of the GWRS is currently underway and is the third and final phase
of the project. When the Final Expansion is completed in early 2023, the plant’s treatment capacity
will increase from 100 to 130 MGD. To produce 130 MGD, additional treated wastewater from Orange
County Sanitation District (OC San)’s Treatment Plant 2 is required. This recycled water represents a
high quality, drought-proof source of water to protect and enhance the OC Basin. The Final
Expansion project will include expanding the existing GWRS treatment facilities, constructing new
conveyance facilities at OC San Plant 2, and rehabilitating an existing pipeline between OC San Plant
2 and the GWRS. Once completed, the GWRS plant will recycle 100% of OC San’s reclaimable
sources and produce enough water to meet the needs of over one million people.
Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) at Prado Dam – Stormwater represents a
significant source of water used by OCWD to recharge the OC Basin. Much of this recharge is made
possible by the capture of Santa Ana River stormflows behind Prado Dam in the Conservation Pool.
FIRO represents the next generation of operating water reservoirs using the best available
technology. Advances in weather and stormwater runoff forecasting hold promise to allow USACE to
safety impound more stormwater while maintaining equivalent flood risk management capability
behind Prado Dam. Preliminary modeling show that by expanding the Conservation Pool from
elevation 505 to 512 ft msl, annual recharge to the groundwater basin could increase by as much as
4,500 to 7,000 AFY.
Surface Water
6.4.1 Existing Sources
There are, currently, no direct surface water uses in the City’s service area.
6.4.2 Planned Future Sources
As of 2021, there are no planned direct uses of surface water in the City’s service area.
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Stormwater
6.5.1 Existing Sources
There are, currently, no direct stormwater uses in the City’s Service area.
6.5.2 Planned Future Sources
As of 2021, there are no planned stormwater uses in the City’s service area.
Wastewater and Recycled Water
The City is directly involved in wastewater services through its ownership and operation of the wastewater
collection system in its service area. However, the City does not own or operate wastewater treatment
facilities. The sewer system service area encompasses about 27.2 square miles and includes
approximately 390 miles of sewer main. The wastewater system serves about 335,605 residents
(Santa Ana’s Sewer Master Plan, 2016). For additional details on the City’s wastewater services, refer to
the 2016 Santa Ana Sewer Master Plan.
Recycled water is wastewater that is treated through primary, secondary, and tertiary processes and is
acceptable for most non-potable water purposes such as irrigation, and commercial and industrial
process water per Title 22 requirements. Recycled water opportunities have continued to grow in
Southern California as public acceptance and the need to expand local water resources continues to be a
priority. Recycled water also provides a degree of flexibility and added reliability during drought conditions
when imported water supplies are restricted. The City is indirectly involved in recycled water production,
through its supply of wastewater for IPR. The following sections expand on the existing agency
collaboration involved in these efforts as well as the City’s projected recycled water use over the next
25 years.
6.6.1 Agency Coordination
The City does not own or operate wastewater treatment facilities and sends all collected wastewater to
Orange County Sanitation District (OC San) for treatment and disposal. OC San provides treated water to
OCWD, the manager of the Orange County Groundwater Basin. OCWD strives to maintain and increase
the reliability of the Orange County Groundwater Basin through replenishment with imported water,
stormwater, and advanced treated wastewater. A full description of the Orange County Groundwater
Basin is available in Section 6.3.2. OCWD and OC San have jointly constructed and expanded
two water recycling projects to meet this goal including: 1) OCWD GAP, and 2) OCWD GWRS.
6.6.1.1 OCWD Green Acres Project
OCWD owns and operates the GAP, a water recycling system that provides up to 8,400 AFY of recycled
water for irrigation and industrial uses. GAP provides an alternate source of water that is mainly delivered
to parks, golf courses, greenbelts, cemeteries, and nurseries in the cities of Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley,
Newport Beach, and Santa Ana. OCWD produces and distributes GAP water for purchase by the City,
which sells and distributes the water to recycled water customers. Approximately 100 sites use
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GAP water, current recycled water users include Mile Square Park and Golf Courses in Fountain Valley,
Costa Mesa Country Club, Chroma Systems carpet dyeing, Kaiser Permanente, and Caltrans. The City
maintains an agreement with OCWD to supply GAP water to customers where available.
6.6.1.2 OCWD Groundwater Replenishment System
OCWD’s GWRS allows Southern California to decrease its dependency on imported water and creates a
local and reliable source of water. OCWD’s GWRS purifies secondary treated wastewater from OC San to
levels that meet and exceed all state and federal drinking water standards. The GWRS Phase 1 plant has
been operational since January 2008 and uses a three-step advanced treatment process consisting of
microfiltration (MF), reverse osmosis (RO), and ultraviolet (UV) light with hydrogen peroxide. A portion of
the treated water is injected into the seawater barrier to prevent seawater intrusion into the groundwater
basin. The other portion of the water is pumped to ponds where the water percolates into deep aquifers
and becomes part of Orange County’s water supply. The treatment process described on OCWD’s
website is provided below (OCWD, GWRS, 2020).
The GWRS first began operating in 2008 producing 70 million gallons of water per day (MGD) and in
2015, it underwent a 30 MGD expansion. Approximately 39,200 AFY of the highly purified water is
pumped into the injection wells and 72,900 AFY is pumped to the percolation ponds in the City of
Anaheim where the water is naturally filtered through sand and gravel to deep aquifers of the
groundwater basin. The Orange County Groundwater Basin provides approximately 72% of the potable
water supply for north and central Orange County. The design and construction of the first phase
(78,500 AFY) of the GWRS project was jointly funded by OCWD and OC San; Phase 2 expansion
(33,600 AFY) was funded solely by OCWD.
The Final Expansion of the GWRS is currently underway and is the third and final phase of the project.
When the Final Expansion is completed in 2023, the plant will produce 130 MGD. To produce 130 MGD,
additional treated wastewater from OC San is required. This additional water will come from OC San’s
Treatment Plant 2, which is in the City of Huntington Beach approximately 3.5 miles south of the GWRS.
The Final Expansion project will include expanding the existing GWRS treatment facilities, constructing
new conveyance facilities at OC San Plant 2 and rehabilitating an existing pipeline between OC San Plant
2 and the GWRS. Once completed, the GWRS plant will recycle 100% of OC San’s reclaimable sources
and produce enough water to meet the needs of over one million people.
6.6.2 Wastewater Description and Disposal
The City operates and maintains the local sewer system consisting of over 390 miles of pipeline,
7,630 manholes, and two lift stations that connect to OC San's trunk system to convey wastewater to
OC San's treatment plants. OC San has an extensive system of gravity flow sewers, pump stations, and
pressurized sewers. Collected wastewater is sent to OC San's plants located in the Cities of Huntington
Beach and Fountain Valley. OC San’s Plant No. 1 in Fountain Valley has a capacity of 320 million gallons
per day (MGD) and Plant No. 2 in Huntington Beach has a capacity of 312 MGD. Both plants share a
common ocean outfall, but Plant No. 1 currently provides all its secondary treated wastewater to
OCWD’s GWRS for beneficial reuse. The 120-inch diameter ocean outfall extends 4 miles off the coast of
Huntington Beach. A 78-inch diameter emergency outfall also extends 1.3 miles off the coast. Table 6-6
summarizes the wastewater collected by the City and transported to OC San's system in 2020.
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Table 6-6: Retail: Wastewater Collected Within Service Area in 2020
DWR Submittal Table 6-2 Retail: Wastewater Collected Within Service Area in 2020
There is no wastewater collection system. The supplier will not complete the table below.
Percentage of 2020 service area covered by wastewater collection system (optional)
Percentage of 2020 service area population covered by wastewater collection system (optional)
Wastewater Collection Recipient of Collected Wastewater
Name of
Wastewater
Collection Agency
Wastewater
Volume Metered
or Estimated?
Volume of
Wastewater
Collected from
UWMP Service
Area 2020
Name of Wastewater
Treatment Agency
Receiving Collected
Wastewater
Treatment
Plant Name
Is WWTP
Located Within
UWMP Area?
Is WWTP Operation
Contracted to a Third
Party? (optional)
Add additional rows as needed
City of Santa Ana Estimated 21,768 OC San Plant No. 1 /
Plant No. 2 No No
Total Wastewater Collected from
Service Area in 2020: 21,768
NOTES:
Assumed a return rate of 65% (City of Santa Ana, 2015)
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6.6.3 Current Recycled Water Uses
The City provides OCWD GAP recycled water to the southern part of the City. In FY 2019-20,
approximately 249 AF of GAP water was used in the City’s service area. The current users/uses of
recycled water are as follows:
Centennial Park and Soccer Fields
Bomo Koral Park
Flower Street Bike Trail
McFadden Intermediate School
Adams Park
Chroma Systems- Carpet Dyeing
Chroma Systems- Landscape
Kaiser Medical Office Landscape
Chick-fil-A Landscape
Santa Ana River Trail Landscape
Godinez High School Landscape
MacArthur Boulevard Median Landscape
Bear Street Median Landscape
Thornton Park
Harbor Boulevard Median Landscape
Santa Ana Valley High School Sports Complex Landscape
Griset Park
South Coast Park Plaza
For indirect use, the City also benefits from OCWD’s GWRS system that provides IPR through
replenishment of Orange County Groundwater Basin with water that meets state and federal drinking
water standards.
6.6.4 Projected Recycled Water Uses
The City will continue to receive recycled water from GAP and supply it to the various landscape irrigation
sites mentioned in Section 9. The City will continue to supply wastewater to support the region’s IPR via
GWRS. Current and projected recycled water use through 2045 are shown in Table 6-7 and are expected
to remain constant. Although the 2015 UWMP acknowledged IPR of wastewater, it did not quantify
projections. These projections will be prepared moving forward. The projected 2020 recycled water use
from the City's 2015 UWMP are compared to the 2020 actual use in Table 6-8, where the actual use is
slightly less than the projected.
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Table 6-7: Retail: Recycled Water Direct Beneficial Uses Within Service Area
DWR Submittal Table 6-4 Retail: Recycled Water Direct Beneficial Uses Within Service Area
Recycled water is not used and is not planned for use within the service area of the supplier.
The supplier will not complete the table below.
Name of Supplier Producing (Treating) the Recycled Water:
Name of Supplier Operating the Recycled Water Distribution System:
Supplemental Water Added in 2020 (volume)Include units
Source of 2020 Supplemental Water
Beneficial Use Type Potential Beneficial Uses of
Recycled Water (Describe)
Amount of Potential Uses of
Recycled Water (Quantity)
General Description of 2020
Uses
Level of
Treatment 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 (opt)
Landscape irrigation (excludes golf courses) 249 AF
Parks, street medians,
institutional and commercial
landscapes
Tertiary 249 249 249 249 249 249
Total:249 249 249 249 249 249
*IPR - Indirect Potable Reuse
NOTES:
Table does not include groundwater recharge (IPR) numbers as they are not separate from OCWD's supply
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Table 6-8: Retail: 2015 UWMP Recycled Water Use Projection Compared to 2020 Actual
DWR Submittal Table 6-5 Retail: 2015 UWMP Recycled Water Use Projection Compared to 2020 Actual
Recycled water was not used in 2015 nor projected for use in 2020.
The Supplier will not complete the table below.
Use Type 2015 Projection for 2020 2020 Actual Use
Landscape irrigation (excludes golf courses) 320 249
Groundwater recharge (IPR) N/A 8,528
Total 320 8,777
NOTES:
Groundwater recharge (IPR) estimated based on OCWD Groundwater Basin Production x Percent of Total Basin
Production for 2020 (33.3%)
6.6.5 Potential Recycled Water Uses
Potential recycled water users are locations where recycled water could replace potable water use.
Since OCWD is limited in GAP plant capacity, additional users do not exist at the time and the City does
not expect additional GAP use in the future. However, the City will continue to convey its wastewater to
OC San's regional treatment facilities where the wastewater is treated and recycled for IPR.
6.6.6 Optimization Plan
Studies of water recycling opportunities within Southern California provide a context for promoting the
development of water recycling plans. It is recognized that broad public acceptance of recycled water
requires continued education and public involvement. Currently, most of the recycled water available is
being directed toward replenishment of the groundwater basin and improvements in groundwater quality.
As a user of groundwater, the City supports the efforts of OCWD and OC San to use recycled water as a
primary resource for groundwater recharge in Orange County.
Financial Incentives
The implementation of recycled water projects involves a substantial upfront capital investment for
planning studies, Environmental Impact Reports (EIR), engineering design and construction before there
is any recycled water to market. In some cases, these capital costs exceed the short-term expense of
purchasing additional imported water supplies from MET.
The establishment of new supplemental funding sources through federal, state, and regional programs
now provides significant financial incentives for water agencies to develop and make use of recycled
water locally. Potential sources of funding include federal, state, and local funding opportunities.
These funding sources include the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), California
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Proposition 13 Water Bond, Proposition 84 and MET LRP. These funding opportunities may be sought by
the City or possibly more appropriately by regional agencies. The City will continue to support seeking
funding for regional water recycling projects and programs.
Optimizing Recycled Water Use
In Orange County, recycled water is used for irrigating golf courses, parks, schools, businesses, and
communal landscaping, as well as for groundwater recharge. Recycled water users in the City receive
their water from OCWD’s GAP. Analyses have indicated that present worth costs to expand recycled
water within other areas of the City are not cost effective as compared to purchasing imported water from
MET or using groundwater. The City will continue to conduct feasibility studies for recycled water and
seek out creative solutions such as funding, regulatory requirements, institutional arrangement, and
public acceptance for recycled water use with OCWD, MET, and other cooperative agencies.
Desalination Opportunities
In 2001, MET developed a Seawater Desalination Program (SDP) to provide incentives for developing
new seawater desalination projects in MET’s service area. In 2014, MET modified the provisions of their
LRP to include incentives for locally produced seawater desalination projects that reduce the need for
imported supplies. To qualify for the incentive, proposed projects must replace an existing demand or
prevent new demand on MET’s imported water supplies. In return, MET offers three incentive formulas
under the program:
Sliding scale incentive up to $340 per AF for a 25-year agreement term, depending on the unit
cost of seawater produced compared to the cost of MET supplies.
Sliding scale incentive up to $475 per AF for a 15-year agreement term, depending on the unit
cost of seawater produced compared to the cost of MET supplies.
Fixed incentive up to $305 per AF for a 25-year agreement term.
Developing local supplies within MET's service area is part of their IRP goal of improving water supply
reliability in the region. Creating new local supplies reduce pressure on imported supplies from the
SWP and Colorado River.
On May 6th, 2015, the SWRCB approved an amendment to the state’s Water Quality Control Plan for the
Ocean Waters of California (California Ocean Plan) to address effects associated with the construction
and operation of seawater desalination facilities (Desalination Amendment). The amendment supports the
use of ocean water as a reliable supplement to traditional water supplies while protecting marine life and
water quality. The California Ocean Plan now formally acknowledges seawater desalination as a
beneficial use of the Pacific Ocean and the Desalination Amendment provides a uniform, consistent
process for permitting seawater desalination facilities statewide.
If the following projects are developed, MET's imported water deliveries to Orange County could be
reduced. These projects include the Huntington Beach Seawater Desalination Project and the Doheny
Desalination Project.
As for City-led initiatives, the City has not investigated seawater desalination as a result of economic and
physical impediments.
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Brackish groundwater is groundwater with a salinity higher than freshwater, but lower than seawater.
Brackish groundwater typically requires treatment using desalters.
6.7.1 Ocean Water Desalination
Huntington Beach Seawater Desalination Project – Poseidon Resources LLC (Poseidon), a private
company, is developing the Huntington Beach Seawater Desalination Project to be co-located at the
AES Power Plant in the City of Huntington Beach along Pacific Coast Highway and Newland Street.
The proposed project would produce up to 50 MGD (56,000 AFY) of drinking water to provide
approximately 10% of Orange County’s water supply needs.
Over the past several years, Poseidon has been working with OCWD on the general terms and conditions
for selling the water to OCWD. OCWD and MWDOC have proposed a few distribution options to agencies
in Orange County. The northern option proposes the water be distributed to the northern agencies closer
to the plant within OCWD’s service area with the possibility of recharging/injecting a portion of the product
water into the OC Basin. The southern option builds on the northern option by delivering a portion of the
product water through the existing OC-44 pipeline for conveyance to the south Orange County water
agencies. A third option is also being explored, which includes all of the product water to be recharged
into the OC Basin. Currently, a combination of these options could be pursued.
The Huntington Beach Seawater Desalination project plant capacity of 56,000 AFY would be the single
largest source of new, local drinking water available to the region. In addition to offsetting imported
demand, water from this project could provide OCWD with management flexibility in the OC Basin by
augmenting supplies into the Talbert Seawater Barrier to prevent seawater intrusion.
In May 2015, OCWD and Poseidon entered into a non-binding Term Sheet that provided the overall
partner structure in order to advance the project. Based on the initial Term Sheet, which was updated in
2018, Poseidon would be responsible for permitting, financing, design, construction, and operations of the
treatment plant while OCWD would purchase the production volume, assuming the product water quality
and quantity meet specific contract parameters and criteria. Furthermore, OCWD would then distribute
the water in Orange County using one of the proposed distribution options described above.
Currently, the project is in the regulatory permit approval process with the Regional Water Quality Control
Board and the California Coastal Commission. Once all of the required permits are approved, Poseidon
will then work with OCWD and interested member agencies in developing a plan to distribute the water.
Subsequent to the regulatory permit approval process, and agreement with interested parties, Poseidon
estimates that the project could be online as early as 2027.
Under guidance provided by DWR, the Huntington Beach Seawater Desalination Plant’s projected water
supplies are not included in the supply projections due to its current status within the criteria established
by State guidelines (DWR, 2020c).
Doheny Desalination Project – South Coast Water District (SCWD) is proposing to develop an ocean
water desalination facility in Dana Point. SCWD intends to construct a facility with an initial capacity of up
to 5 million gallons per day (MGD). The initial up to 5 MGD capacity would be available for SCWD and
potential partnering water agencies to provide a high quality, locally-controlled, drought-proof water
supply. The desalination facility would also provide emergency backup water supplies, should an
earthquake, system shutdown, or other event disrupt the delivery of imported water to the area. The
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Project would consist of a subsurface slant well intake system (constructed within Doheny Beach State
Park), raw (sea) water conveyance to the desalination facility site (located on SCWD owned property), a
seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination facility, brine disposal through an existing wastewater
ocean outfall, solids handling facilities, storage, and potable water conveyance interties to adjacent local
and regional distribution infrastructure.
The Doheny Ocean Desalination Project has been determined as the best water supply option to meet
reliability needs of SCWD and south Orange County. SCWD is pursuing the Project to ensure it meets
the water use needs of its customers and the region by providing a drought-proof potable water supply,
which diversifies SCWD’s supply portfolio and protects against long-term imported water emergency
outages and supply shortfalls that could have significant impact to our coastal communities, public health,
and local economy. Phase I of the Project (aka, the “Local” Project) will provide SCWD and the region
with up to 5 MGD of critical potable water supply that, together with recycled water, groundwater, and
conservation, will provide the majority of SCWD’s water supply through local reliable sources. An up to
15 MGD capacity project has been identified as a potential future “regional” project that could be phased
incrementally, depending on regional needs.
On June 27, 2019, SCWD certified the final EIR and approved the Project. The Final EIR included
considerable additional information provided at the request of the Coastal Commission and the Regional
Board, including an updated coastal hazard analysis, updated brine discharge modeling, and updated
groundwater modeling, updated hydrology analysis. The approval of the Project also included a
commitment to 100 percent carbon neutrality through a 100 percent offset of emissions through the
expansion of Project mitigation and use of renewable energy sources. SCWD is currently in the
permitting process and finalizing additional due diligence studies. If implemented, SCWD anticipates an
online date of 2025.
Under guidance provided by DWR, the Doheny Seawater Desalination Project’s projected water supplies
are not included in the supply projections due to its current status within the criteria established by State
guidelines (DWR, 2020c).
6.7.2 Groundwater Desalination
There are currently no brackish groundwater opportunities within the City’s service area.
Water Exchanges and Transfers
Interconnections with other agencies result in the ability to share water supplies during short term
emergency situations or planned shutdowns of major imported water systems. However, beyond short
term outages, transfers can also be involved with longer term water exchanges to deal with droughts or
water allocation situations. The following subsections describe the City’s existing and planned exchanges
and transfers.
6.8.1 Existing Exchanges and Transfers
Interconnections with other agencies result in the ability to share water supplies during short term
emergency situations or planned shutdowns of major imported systems. The City maintains seven
connections to MET's system and nine emergency connections with surrounding agencies, including the
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Cities of Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Orange, Tustin, and Southern California Water
Company. These connections can provide a total supply of 60,580 gpm into the City's distribution system.
The MET connections are typically operating as constant flow sources.
6.8.2 Planned and Potential Exchanges and Transfers
The City does not currently have plans to introduce new exchanges and transfers. However,
MET continues to help its retail agencies develop transfer and exchange opportunities that promote
reliability within their systems. Therefore, MET will look to help its retail agencies navigate the operational
and administrative issues of transfers within the MET distribution system.
In an indirect regional scale, the Santa Ana River Conservation and Conjunctive Use Project (SARCCUP)
is a joint project established by five regional water agencies within the Santa Ana River Watershed
(Eastern Municipal Water District, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Western Municipal Water District,
OCWD, and San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District).
In 2016, SARCCUP was successful in receiving $55 million in grant funds from Proposition 84 through
DWR. The overall SARCCUP program awarded by Proposition 84, consists of three main program
elements:
Watershed-Scale Cooperative Water Banking Program
Water Use Efficiency: Landscape Design and Irrigation Improvements and Water Budget
Assistance for Agencies
Habitat Creation and Arundo Donax Removal from the Santa Ana River
The Watershed-Scale Cooperative Water Banking Program is the largest component of SARCCUP and
since 2016, Valley, MET, and the four SARCCUP-MWD Member Agencies, with MWDOC representing
OCWD, have been discussing terms and conditions for the ability to purchase surplus water from Valley
to be stored in the Santa Ana River watershed. With the Valley and MET surplus water purchase
agreement due for renewal, it was the desire of Valley to establish a new agreement with MET that allows
a portion of its surplus water to be stored within the Santa Ana River watershed.
An agreement between MET and four SARCCUP-MWD Member Agencies was approved earlier this year
that gives the SARCCUP agencies the ability to purchase a portion (up to 50%) of the surplus water that
San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District (Valley), a SWP Contractor, sells to MET. Such water will
be stored in local groundwater basins throughout the Santa Ana River watershed and extract during dry
years to reduce the impacts from multiyear droughts. In Orange County, 36,000 AF can be stored in the
OC Basin for use during dry years. More importantly, this stored SARCCUP water can be categorized as
“extraordinary supplies”, if used during a MET allocation, and can enhance a participating agencies’
reliability during a drought. Moreover, if excess water is available MWDOC can purchase additional water
for its service area.
Further details remain to be developed between OCWD, retail agencies, and MWDOC in how the water
will be distributed in Orange County and who participates.
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Summary of Future Water Projects
The City continually reviews practices that will provide its customers with adequate and reliable supplies.
Trained staff continue to ensure the water quality is safe and the water supply will meet present and
future needs in an environmentally and economically responsible manner.
Although the City has various projects planned to maintain and improve the water system (Section 6.9.1),
there are currently no City-specific planned projects that have both a concrete timeline and a quantifiable
increase in supply.
6.9.1 City Initiatives
The City anticipates water demand in the City to remain relatively constant over the next 25 years.
Any new water sources developed will primarily be to better manage the groundwater basin and replace
or upgrade inefficient wells, rather than support population growth and new development. The projects
that have been identified by the City to improve the City’s water supply reliability and enhance the
operations of the City include major well rehabilitation and refurbishment, well casing rehabilitation, minor
motor control center refurbishment, pump station rehabilitation, water main replacements,
MET connection upgrades, emergency power projects, and miscellaneous improvements such as
SCADA improvements. A Capital Improvement Program identified water projects to implement between
FY 2017-18 through FY 2039-40. Those related to increasing the water supply are listed below – for a
more detailed list of projects, refer to the City’s 2017 Water Master Plan (TetraTech, 2017).
New Well Construction – The City has identified projects to build New Wells No. 1 and 2, as well as drill
new wells for Wells No. 16, 22, and 24. These new wells will provide the City with further redundancy and
allow the City to continue achieving pumping capacity for higher BPP rates.
Major Well Rehabilitation – The City has identified projects for major well rehabilitation for Wells 29
and 32.
6.9.2 Regional Initiatives
Beyond City-specific projects, the City consistently coordinates its long-term water shortage planning
with MET and OCWD. MWDOC has identified the following future regional projects, some of which
can indirectly benefit the City to further increase local supplies and offset imported supplies
(CDM Smith, 2019):
Poseidon Huntington Beach Ocean Desalination Project – Poseidon proposes to construct and
operate the Huntington Beach Ocean Desalination Plant on a 12-acre parcel adjacent to the
AES Huntington Beach Generating Station. The facility would have a capacity of 50 MGD and
56,000 AFY, with its main components consisting of a water intake system, a desalination facility, a
concentrate disposal system, and a product water storage tank. This project would provide both system
and supply reliability benefits to the SOC, the OC Basin, and Huntington Beach. The capital cost in the
initial year for the plant is $1.22 billion.
Doheny Ocean Desalination Project – SCWD is proposing to construct an ocean water desalination
facility in Dana Point at Doheny State Beach. The facility would have an initial up to 5 MGD capacity, with
the potential for future expansions up to 15 MGD. The project’s main components are a subsurface water
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intake system, a raw ocean water conveyance pipeline, a desalination facility, a seawater reverse
osmosis (SWRO) desalination facility, a brine disposal system, and a product water storage tank.
San Juan Watershed Project – Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD) and other project partners have
proposed a multi-phased project within the San Juan Creek Watershed to capture local stormwater and
develop, convey, and recharge recycled water into the San Juan Groundwater Basin and treat the water
upon pumping it out of the basin. The first phase includes the installation of three rubber dams within
San Juan Creek to promote in-stream recharge of the basin, with an anticipated production of 700 AFY
on average. The second phase would develop additional surface water and groundwater management
practices by using stormwater and introducing recycled water for infiltration into the basin and has an
anticipated production of 2,660 to 4,920 AFY. The third phase will introduce recycled water directly into
San Juan Creek through live stream recharge, with an anticipated production of up to 2,660 AFY (SMWD,
2021).
Cadiz Water Bank – SMWD and Cadiz, Inc. are developing this project to create a new water supply by
conserving groundwater that is currently being lost to evaporation and recovering the conserved water by
pumping it out of the Fenner Valley Groundwater Basin to convey to MET’s CRA. The project consists of
a groundwater pumping component that includes an average of 50 TAFY of groundwater that can be
pumped from the basin over a 50-year period, and a water storage component that allows participants to
send surplus water supplies to be recharged in spreading basins and held in storage.
South Orange County Emergency Interconnection Expansion – MWDOC has been working with the
South Orange County (SOC) agencies on improvements for system reliability primarily due to the risk of
earthquakes causing outages of the MET imported water system as well as extended grid outages.
Existing regional interconnection agreements between IRWD and SOC agencies provides for the delivery
of water through the IRWWD system to participating SOC agencies in times of emergency. MWDOC and
IRWD are currently studying an expansion of the program, including the potential East Orange County
Feeder No. 2 pipeline and an expanded and scalable emergency groundwater program, with a capital
cost of $867,451.
SARCCUP – SARCCUP is a joint project established between MET, MWDOC, Eastern MWD, Western
MWD, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, and OCWD that can provide significant benefits in the form of
additional supplies during dry years for Orange County. Surplus SWP water from San Bernardino Valley
Water District (SBVMWD) can be purchased and stored for use during dry years. This water can even be
considered an extraordinary supply under MET allocation Plan, if qualified under MET’s extraordinary
supply guidelines. OCWD has the ability to store 36,000 AF of SARCCUP water and if excess water is
available MWDOC has the ability to purchase additional water. Further details remain to be developed
between OCWD, retail agencies, and MWDOC in how the water will be distributed in Orange County and
who participates.
Moulton Niquel Water District (MNWD) / OCWD Pilot Storage Program - OCWD entered into an
agreement with MNWD to develop a pilot program to explore the opportunity to store water in the OC
Basin. The purpose of such a storage account would provide MNWD water during emergencies and/or
provide additional water during dry periods. As part of the agreement, OCWD hired consultants to
evaluate where and how to extract groundwater from the OC Basin with several options to pump the
water to MNWD via the East Orange County Feeder No. 2; as well as a review of existing
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banking/exchange programs in California to determine what compensation methodologies could OCWD
assess for a storage/banking program.
Energy Intensity
A new requirement for this 2020 UWMP is an energy intensity analysis of the Supplier’s water,
wastewater, and recycled water systems, where applicable for a 12-month period. The City owns and
operates a water distribution system and a wastewater collection system. This section reports the energy
intensity for each system using data from CY2019.
Water and energy resources are inextricably connected. Known as the "water-energy nexus", the
California Energy Commission estimates the transport and treatment of water, treatment and disposal of
wastewater, and the energy used to heat and consume water account for nearly 20% of the total
electricity and 30% of non-power plant related natural gas consumed in California. In 2015, California
issued new rules requiring 50% of its power to come from renewables, along with a reduction in
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. Consistent with energy and water
conservation, renewable energy production, and GHG mitigation initiatives, the City reports the energy
intensity of its water and wastewater operations.
The methodology for calculating water energy intensity outlined in Appendix O of the UWMP Guidebook
was adapted from the California Institute for Energy Efficiency exploratory research study titled
“Methodology for Analysis of the Energy Intensity of California’s Water Systems” (Wilkinson 2000).
The study defines water energy intensity as the total amount of energy, calculated on a whole‐system
basis, required for the use of a given amount of water in a specific location.
UWMP reporting is limited to available energy intensity information associated with water processes
occurring within an urban water supplier’s direct operational control. Operational control is defined as
authority over normal business operations at the operational level. Any energy embedded in water
supplies imparted by an upstream water supplier (e.g., water wholesaler) or consequently by a
downstream water purveyor (e.g., retail water provider) is not included in the UWMP energy intensity
tables. The City’s calculations conform to methodologies outlined in the UWMP Guidebook and Wilkinson
study.
6.10.1 Water Supply Energy Intensity
In CY 2019, the City consumed 496.9 kWh per AF for water extraction and distribution services (Table
6-9). The basis for calculations is provided in more detail in the following subsections.
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Table 6-9: Recommended Energy Intensity – Multiple Water Delivery Products
Urban Water Supplier: City of Santa Ana
Water Delivery Product (If delivering more than one type of product use Table O-1C)
dropdown menu
Table O-1A: Recommended Energy Reporting - Water Supply Process Approach
Enter Start Date for
Reporting Period 1/1/2019
Urban Water Supplier Operational Control
End Date 12/31/2019
Water Management Process
Non-Consequential
Hydropower
(if applicable)
Is upstream embedded in the values reported?
Water
Volume
Units
Used
Extract
and
Divert
Place
into
Storage
Convey-
ance
Treat-
ment
Distrib-
ution
Total
Utility
Hydrop
ower Net Utility
Volume of Water Entering Process 25504.78 0 0 0 31784.5 31784.5 0 31784.5
Energy Consumed (kWh)N/A 7142733 0 0 0 8650011 15792744 15792744
Energy Intensity (kWh/vol.)N/A 280.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 272.1 496.9 0.0 496.9
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Quantity of Self-Generated
Renewable Energy
0 kWh
Data Quality (Estimate, Metered Data, Combination of
Estimates and Metered Data)
Combination of
Estimates and Metered
Data
Data Quality Narrative:
Volume of Water Entering Process: Extraction data based on MWDOC Compiled Water Audits “Volume From Own Sources” and Distribution data based
on MWDOC Compiled Water Audits “Authorized Consumption.” Non-Revenue Water is not considered in this calculation – the energy efficiency is
based on water delivered to customers.
Energy consumption from Southern California Edison electric bills.
Narrative:
The City of Santa Ana relies on imported water and local groundwater to meet their customers' water needs. Operational control is limited to
groundwater wells and potable water booster stations. This table does not include upstream embedded energy consumed prior to Santa Ana taking
control.
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6.10.1.1 Operational Control and Reporting Period
As described throughout the report, the City is a retail agency that relies on groundwater and imported
water.
Water supply energy intensity was calculated for the CY 2019. This is a standard for energy and GHG
reporting to the Climate Registry, California Air Resources Board and the United States Environmental
Protection Agency. Calendar year reporting provides consistency when assessing direct and indirect
energy consumption within a larger geographical context, as fiscal year starting dates can vary between
utilities and organizations.
6.10.1.2 Volume of Water Entering Processes
According to the City water audits, the City extracted 25,504 AF of groundwater from the OC Basin and
distributed 31,785 AF of both groundwater and imported water. Water volume is based on metered data.
6.10.1.3 Energy Consumption and Generation
According to Southern California Edison Electricity Bills, groundwater wells consumed 7,142,733 kilowatt
hours (kWh) of electricity and booster pumps and MET Connections along the distribution system
consumed 8,650,011 kWh of electricity. Currently, the City does not generate renewable energy. In the
process of writing this report, the City discovered that the consumption amounts on SCE meters did not
match the consumption amounts listed in SCE bills. The City is in the process of establishing why the
meters and bills do not match but for this report, the Energy Consumption listed in the tables reflects the
consumption noted in SCE bills that the City receives.
6.10.2 Wastewater and Recycled Water Energy Intensity
In CY 2019, the City consumed 2.8 KWh per AF for wastewater services (Table 6-10). The basis for
calculations is provided in more detail in the following subsections.
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Table 6-10: Recommended Energy Intensity – Wastewater & Recycled Water
Urban Water Supplier: City of Santa Ana
Table O-2: Recommended Energy Reporting - Wastewater & Recycled Water
Enter Start Date for Reporting Period 1/1/2019 Urban Water Supplier Operational Control End Date 12/31/2019
Water Management Process
Is upstream embedded in the values reported? Collection /
Conveyance Treatment Discharge /
Distribution Total
Volume of Water Units Used
Volume of Wastewater Entering Process (volume units selected above)21768 0 0 0
Wastewater Energy Consumed (kWh)60245 0 0 60245
Wastewater Energy Intensity (kWh/volume)2.8 0.0 0.0 0.0
Volume of Recycled Water Entering Process (volume units selected above)0 0 0 0
Recycled Water Energy Consumed (kWh)0 0 0 0
Recycled Water Energy Intensity (kWh/volume)0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Quantity of Self-Generated Renewable Energy
related to recycled water and wastewater
operations
kWh
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Data Quality (Estimate, Metered Data,
Combination of Estimates and Metered Data)
Combination of Estimates and Metered Data
Data Quality Narrative:
Wastewater volume is an estimate based on water consumption in the service area. Energy is based on billed consumption.
Narrative:
Santa Ana operates the local wastewater collection system but does not operate treatment facilities. Operational control is limited
to a wastewater lift station in the local collection system. This table does not include downstream energy consumed to treat the
wastewater, after Santa Ana's control.
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6.10.2.1 Operational Control and Reporting Period
The City’s existing sewer system is made up of a network of gravity sewers. As explained in Section 6.6,
the City owns and operates two wastewater lift stations but no treatment facilities. Similar to the water
supply energy intensity, wastewater energy intensity was calculated for the 2019 calendar year. This is a
standard for energy and GHG reporting.
6.10.2.2 Volume of Wastewater Entering Processes
In CY 2019, the City collected and conveyed 21,768 AF of wastewater to OC San. The City provides
water for indirect potable reuse but the City does not have operational control over any part of the
recycled water system.
6.10.2.3 Energy Consumption and Generation
According to estimates referencing Southern California Edison Electricity Bills, the City’s two wastewater
lift stations consumed 60,245 kWh of electricity. There are no other wastewater facilities that are owned
and operated by the City. Currently, the City does not generate renewable energy. Energy consumption
data was estimated, based on pump hours.
6.10.3 Key Findings and Next Steps
Calculating and disclosing direct operationally-controlled energy intensities is another step towards
understanding the water-energy nexus. However, much work is still needed to better understand
upstream and downstream (indirect) water-energy impacts. When assessing water supply energy
intensities or comparing intensities between providers, it is important to consider reporting boundaries as
they do not convey the upstream embedded energy or impacts energy intensity has on downstream
users. Engaging one’s upstream and downstream supply chain can guide more informed decisions that
holistically benefit the environment and are mutually beneficial to engaged parties. Suggestions for further
study include:
Supply-chain engagement – The City relies on a variety of water sources for their customers.
While some studies have used life cycle assessment tools to estimate energy intensities, there is
a need to confirm this data. The 2020 UWMP requirement for all agencies to calculate energy
intensity will help the City and neighboring agencies make more informed decisions that would
benefit the region as a whole regarding the energy and water nexus. A similar analysis could be
performed with upstream supply chain energy, for example, with State Project Water.
Internal benchmarking and goal setting – With a focus on energy conservation and a projected
increase in water demand despite energy conservation efforts, the City’s energy intensities will
likely decrease with time. Conceivably, in a case where water demand decreases, energy
intensities may rise as the energy required to pump or treat is not always proportional to water
delivered. In the course of exploring the water-energy nexus and pursuing renewable energy
goals, there is a need to assess whether energy intensity is a meaningful indicator or if it makes
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sense to use a different indicator to reflect the City’s commitment to energy and water
conservation.
Regional sustainability – Water and energy efficiency are two components of a sustainable future.
Efforts to conserve water and energy, however, may impact the social, environmental, and
economic livelihood of the region. In addition to the relationship between water and energy, over
time, it may also be important to consider and assess the connection these resources have on
other aspects of a sustainable future.
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7 WATER SERVICE RELIABILITY AND DROUGHT RISK
ASSESSMENT
Building upon the water supply identified and projected in Section 6, this key section of the
UWMP examines the City’s water supplies, water uses, and the resulting water supply reliability. Water
service reliability reflects the City’s ability to meet the water needs of its customers under varying
conditions. For the UWMP, water supply reliability is evaluated in two assessments: 1) the Water Service
Reliability Assessment and 2) the DRA. The Water Service reliability assessment compares projected
supply to projected demand in 2025 through 2045 for three hydrological conditions: a normal year, a
single dry year, and a drought period lasting five consecutive years. The DRA, a new UWMP requirement,
assesses near-term water supply reliability. It compares projected water supply and demand assuming
the City’ experiences a drought period for the next five consecutive years. Factors affecting reliability,
such as climate change and regulatory impacts, are accounted for.
Water Service Reliability Overview
Every urban water supplier is required to assess the reliability of their water service to their customers
under normal, single-dry, and multiple dry water years. The City depends on a combination of imported
and local supplies to meet its water demands and has taken numerous steps to ensure it has adequate
supplies. Development of local supplies augments the reliability of the water system. There are various
factors that may impact reliability of supplies such as legal, environmental, water quality and climatic
which are discussed below. MET’s 2020 UWMP concludes that they can meet full-service demands of
their member agencies starting 2025 through 2045 during normal years, single-dry year, and multiple-dry
years. Consequently, the City is projected to meet full-service demands through 2045 for the same
scenarios, due to diversified supply and conservation measures.
MET’s 2020 IRP update describes the core water resources that will be used to meet full-service
demands at the retail level under all foreseeable hydrologic conditions from 2025 through 2045.
The foundation of MET’s resource strategy for achieving regional water supply reliability has been to
develop and implement water resources programs and activities through its IRP preferred resource mix.
This preferred resource mix includes conservation, local resources such as water recycling and
groundwater recovery, Colorado River supplies and transfers, SWP supplies and transfers, in-region
surface reservoir storage, in-region groundwater storage, out-of-region banking, treatment, conveyance,
and infrastructure improvements.
Table 7-1 shows the basis of water year data used to predict drought supply availability. Per the Demand
Forecast TM, the average (normal) hydrologic condition for the Orange County region is represented by
FY 2017-18 and FY 2018-19 and the single-dry year hydrologic condition by FY 2013-14. The five
consecutive years of FY 2011-12 to FY 2015-16 represent the driest five consecutive year historic
sequence for the region. Locally, Orange County rainfall for the five-year period totaled 36 inches, the
driest on record.
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Table 7-1 Retail: Basis of Water Year Data (Reliability Assessment)
DWR Submittal Table 7-1 Retail: Basis of Water Year Data (Reliability Assessment)
Year Type Base Year
Available Supplies if
Year Type Repeats
Quantification of available supplies is not
compatible with this table and is provided
elsewhere in the UWMP.
Location __________________________
Quantification of available supplies is
provided in this table as either volume only,
percent only, or both.
Volume
Available % of Average Supply
Average Year 2018-2019 - 100%
Single-Dry Year 2014 - 106%
Consecutive Dry Years 1st Year 2012 - 106%
Consecutive Dry Years 2nd Year 2013 - 106%
Consecutive Dry Years 3rd Year 2014 - 106%
Consecutive Dry Years 4th Year 2015 - 106%
Consecutive Dry Years 5th Year 2016 - 106%
NOTES:
Assumes an increase of 6% above average year demands in dry and multiple dry years based on the Demand
Forecast TM (CDM Smith, 2021). 106% represents the percent of average supply needed to meet demands of
a single-dry and multiple-dry years. Since the City is able to meet all of its demand with imported water from
MET (on top of local groundwater and recycled water) the percent of average supply value reported is
equivalent to the percent of average demand under the corresponding hydrologic condition.
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The following sections provide a detailed discussion of the City’s water source reliability. Additionally, the
following sections compare the City’s projected supply and demand under various hydrological
conditions, to determine the City’s supply reliability for the 25-year planning horizon.
Factors Affecting Reliability
In order to prepare realistic water supply reliability assessments, various factors affecting reliability were
accounted for. These include climate change and environmental requirements, regulatory changes, water
quality impacts, and locally applicable criteria.
7.2.1 Climate Change and the Environment
Changing climate patterns are expected to shift precipitation patterns and affect water supply availability.
Unpredictable weather patterns will make water supply planning more challenging. Although climate
change impacts are associated with exact timing, magnitude, and regional impacts of these temperature
and precipitation changes, researchers have identified several areas of concern for California water
planners (MET, 2021). These areas include:
A reduction in Sierra Nevada Mountain snowpack.
Increased intensity and frequency of extreme weather events.
Prolonged drought periods.
Water quality issues associated with increase in wildfires.
Changes in runoff pattern and amount.
Rising sea levels resulting in:
o Impacts to coastal groundwater basins due to seawater intrusion.
o Increased risk of damage from storms, high-tide events, and the erosion of levees.
o Potential pumping cutbacks to the SWP and CVP.
Other important issues of concern due to global climate change include:
Effects on local supplies such as groundwater.
Changes in urban and agricultural demand levels and patterns.
Increased evapotranspiration from higher temperatures.
Impacts to human health from water-borne pathogens and water quality degradation.
Declines in ecosystem health and function.
Alterations to power generation and pumping regime.
Increases in ocean algal blooms affected seawater desalination supplies.
The major impact in California is that without additional surface storage, the earlier and heavier runoff
(rather than snowpack retaining water in storage in the mountains), will result in more water being lost to
the oceans. A heavy emphasis on storage is needed in California.
In addition, the Colorado River Basin supplies have been inconsistent since about the year 2000, with
precipitation near normal while runoff has been less than average in two out of every three years.
Climate models are predicting a continuation of this pattern whereby hotter and drier weather conditions
will result in continuing lower runoff, pushing the system toward a drying trend that is often characterized
as long term drought.
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Dramatic swings in annual hydrologic conditions have impacted water supplies available from the
SWP over the last decade. The declining ecosystem in the Delta has also led to a reduction in water
supply deliveries, and operational constraints, which will likely continue until a long-term solution to these
problems is identified and implemented (MET, 2021).
Legal, environmental, and water quality issues may have impacts on MET supplies. It is felt, however,
that climatic factors would have more of an impact than legal, water quality, and environmental factors.
Climatic conditions have been projected based on historical patterns but severe pattern changes are still
a possibility in the future (MET, 2021).
7.2.2 Regulatory and Legal
Ongoing regulatory restrictions, such as those imposed by the Biops on the effects of SWP and the
federal CVP operations on certain marine life, also contributes to the challenge of determining water
delivery reliability. Endangered species protection and conveyance needs in the Delta have resulted in
operational constraints that are particularly important because pumping restrictions impact many water
resources programs – SWP supplies and additional voluntary transfers, Central Valley storage and
transfers, and in-region groundwater and surface water storage. Biops protect special-status species
listed as threatened or endangered under the ESAs and imposed substantial constraints on Delta water
supply operations through requirements for Delta inflow and outflow and export pumping restrictions.
In addition, the SWRCB has set water quality objectives that must be met by the SWP including minimum
Delta outflows, limits on SWP and CVP Delta exports, and maximum allowable salinity level. SWRCB
plans to fully implement the new Lower San Joaquin River (LSJR) flow objectives from the Phase 1 Delta
Plan amendments through adjudicatory (water rights) and regulatory (water quality) processes by 2022.
These LSJR flow objectives are estimated to reduce water available for human consumptive use.
New litigation, listings of additional species under the ESAs, or regulatory requirements imposed by the
SWRCB could further adversely affect SWP operations in the future by requiring additional export
reductions, releases of additional water from storage, or other operational changes impacting water
supply operations.
The difficulty and implications of environmental review, documentation, and permitting pose challenges
for multi-year transfer agreements, recycled water projects, and seawater desalination plants.
The timeline and roadmap for getting a permit for recycled water projects are challenging and
inconsistently implemented in different regions of the state. Indirect potable reuse projects face regulatory
restraints such as treatment, blend water, retention time, and Basin Plan Objectives, which may limit how
much recycled water can feasibly be recharged into the groundwater basins. New regulations and
permitting uncertainty are also barriers to seawater desalination supplies, including updated Ocean Plan
Regulations, Marine Life Protected Areas, and Once-Through Cooling Regulations (MET, 2021).
7.2.3 Water Quality
The following sub-sections include narratives on water quality issues experienced in various water
supplies, if any, and the measures being taken to improve the water quality of these sources.
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7.2.3.1 Imported Water
MET is responsible for providing high quality potable water throughout its service area. Over
300,000 water quality tests are performed per year on MET’s water to test for regulated contaminants and
additional contaminants of concern to ensure the safety of its waters. MET’s supplies originate primarily
from the CRA and from the SWP. A blend of these two sources, proportional to each year’s availability of
the source, is then delivered throughout MET’s service area.
MET’s primary water sources face individual water quality issues of concern. The CRA water source
contains higher total dissolved solids (TDS) and the SWP contains higher levels of organic matter,
lending to the formation of disinfection byproducts. To remediate the CRA’s high level of salinity and the
SWP’s high level of organic matter, MET blends CRA and SWP supplies and has upgraded all of its
treatment facilities to include ozone treatment processes. In addition, MET has been engaged in efforts
to protect its Colorado River supplies from threats of uranium, perchlorate, and chromium VI while
also investigating the potential water quality impact of the following emerging contaminants:
N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP), microplastics,
PFAS, and 1,4-dioxane (MET, 2021). While unforeseeable water quality issues could alter reliability,
MET’s current strategies ensure the delivery of high-quality water.
The presence of quagga mussels in water sources is a water quality concern. Quagga mussels are an
invasive species that was first discovered in 2007 at Lake Mead, on the Colorado River. This species of
mussels forms massive colonies in short periods of time, disrupting ecosystems and blocking water
intakes. They can cause significant disruption and damage to water distribution systems. MET has had
success in controlling the spread and impacts of the quagga mussels within the CRA, however the future
could require more extensive maintenance and reduced operational flexibility than current operations
allow. It also resulted in MET eliminating deliveries of CRA water into Diamond Valley Lake to keep the
reservoir free from quagga mussels (MET, 2021).
7.2.3.2 Groundwater
OCWD is responsible for managing the OC Basin. To maintain groundwater quality, OCWD conducts an
extensive monitoring program that serves to manage the OC Basin’s groundwater production, control
groundwater contamination, and comply with all required laws and regulations. A network of nearly
700 wells provides OCWD a source for samples, which are tested for a variety of purposes.
OCWD collects samples each month to monitor Basin water quality. The total number of water samples
analyzed varies year-to-year due to regulatory requirements, conditions in the basin and applied research
and/or special study demands. These samples are collected and tested according to approved federal
and state procedures as well as industry-recognized quality assurance and control protocols (City of
La Habra et al., 2017).
PFAS are of particular concern for groundwater quality, and since the summer of 2019, DDW requires
testing for PFAS compounds in some groundwater production wells in the OCWD area. In February 2020,
the DDW lowered its Response Levels (RL) for PFOA and PFOS to 10 and 40 parts per trillion (ppt)
respectively. The DDW recommends Producers not serve any water exceeding the RL – effectively
making the RL an interim Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) while DDW undertakes administrative
action to set a MCL. In response to DDW’s issuance of the revised RL, as of December 2020,
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approximately 45 wells in the OCWD service area have been temporarily turned off until treatment
systems can be constructed. As additional wells are tested, OCWD expects this figure may increase to at
least 70 to 80 wells. The state has begun the process of establishing MCLs for PFOA and PFOS and
anticipates these MCLs to be in effect by the Fall of 2023. OCWD anticipates the MCLs will be set at or
below the RLs.
In April 2020, OCWD as the groundwater basin manager, executed an agreement with the impacted
Producers to fund and construct the necessary treatment systems for production wells impacted by
PFAS compounds. The PFAS treatment projects includes the design, permitting, construction, and
operation of PFAS removal systems for impacted Producer production wells. Each well treatment system
will be evaluated for use with either granular activated carbon (GAC) or ion exchange (IX) for the removal
of PFAS compounds. These treatment systems utilize vessels in a lead-lag configuration to remove
PFOA and PFOS to less than 2 ppt (the current non-detect limit). Use of these PFAS treatment systems
are designed to ensure the groundwater supplied by Producer wells can be served in compliance with
current and future PFAS regulations. With financial assistance from OCWD, the Producers will operate
and maintain the new treatment systems once they are constructed.
To minimize expenses and provide maximum protection to the public water supply, OCWD initiated
design, permitting, and construction of the PFAS treatment projects on a schedule that allows rapid
deployment of treatment systems. Construction contracts were awarded for treatment systems for
production wells in the City of Fullerton and Serrano Water District in Year 2020. Additional construction
contracts will likely be awarded in the first and second quarters of 2021. OCWD expects the treatment
systems to be constructed for most of the initial 45 wells above the RL within the next 2 to 3 years.
As additional data are collected and new wells experience PFAS detections at or near the current RL,
and/or above a future MCL, and are turned off, OCWD will continue to partner with the affected Producers
and take action to design and construct necessary treatment systems to bring the impacted wells back
online as quickly as possible.
Groundwater production in FY 2019-20 was expected to be approximately 325,000 AF but declined
to 286,550 AF primarily due to PFAS impacted wells being turned off around February 2020.
OCWD expects groundwater production to be in the area of 245,000 AF in FY 2020-21 due to the
currently idled wells and additional wells being impacted by PFAS and turned off. As PFAS treatment
systems are constructed, OCWD expects total annual groundwater production to slowly increase back
to normal levels (310,000 to 330,000 AF) (OCWD, 2020).
Salinity is a significant water quality problem in many parts of Southern California, including Orange
County. Salinity is a measure of the dissolved minerals in water including both TDS and nitrates.
OCWD continuously monitors the levels of TDS in wells throughout the OC Basin. TDS currently has a
California Secondary MCL of 500 mg/L. The portions of the OC Basin with the highest levels are
generally located in the cities of Irvine, Tustin, Yorba Linda, Anaheim, and Fullerton. There is also a broad
area in the central portion of the OC Basin where TDS ranges from 500 to 700 mg/L. Sources of
TDS include the water supplies used to recharge the OC Basin and from onsite wastewater treatment
systems, also known as septic systems. The TDS concentration in the OC Basin is expected to decrease
over time as the TDS concentration of GWRS water used to recharge the OC Basin is approximately
50 mg/L (City of La Habra et al., 2017).
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Nitrates are one of the most common and widespread contaminants in groundwater supplies, originating
from fertilizer use, animal feedlots, wastewater disposal systems, and other sources. The MCL for nitrate
in drinking water is set at 10 mg/L. OCWD regularly monitors nitrate levels in groundwater and works with
producers to treat wells that have exceeded safe levels of nitrate concentrations. OCWD manages the
nitrate concentration of water recharged by its facilities to reduce nitrate concentrations in groundwater.
This includes the operation of the Prado Wetlands, which was designed to remove nitrogen and other
pollutants from the Santa Ana River before the water is diverted to be percolated into OCWD’s surface
water recharge system.
Although water from the Deep Aquifer System is of very high quality, it is amber-colored and contains a
sulfuric odor due to buried natural organic material. These negative aesthetic qualities require treatment
before use as a source of drinking water. The total volume of the amber-colored groundwater is estimated
to be approximately 1 MAF.
There are other potential contaminants that are of concern to and are monitored by OCWD.
These include:
Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) – MTBE is an additive to gasoline that increases octane
ratings but became a widespread contaminant in groundwater supplies. The greatest source of
MTBE contamination comes from underground fuel tank releases. The primary MCL for MTBE in
drinking water is 13 µg/L.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) – VOCs come from a variety of sources including industrial
degreasers, paint thinners, and dry cleaning solvents. Locations of VOC contamination within the
OC Basin include the former El Toro marine Corps Air Station, the Shallow Aquifer System, and
portions of the Principal Aquifer System in the Cities of Fullerton and Anaheim.
NDMA – NDMA is a compound that can occur in wastewater that contains its precursors and is
disinfected via chlorination and/or chloramination. It is also found in food products such as cured
meat, fish, beer, milk, and tobacco smoke. The California Notification Level for NDMA is 10 ng/L
and the RL is 300 ng/L. In the past, NDMA has been found in groundwater near the Talbert
Barrier, which was traced to industrial wastewater dischargers.
1,4-Dioxane – 1,4-Dioxane is a suspected human carcinogen. It is used as a solvent in various
industrial processes such as the manufacture of adhesive products and membranes.
Perchlorate – Perchlorate enters groundwater through application of fertilizer containing
perchlorate, water imported from the Colorado River, industrial or military sites that have
perchlorate, and natural occurrence. Perchlorate was not detected in 84% of the 219 production
wells tested between the years 2010 through 2014.
Selenium – Selenium is a naturally occurring micronutrient found in soils and groundwater in the
Newport Bay watershed. The bio-accumulation of selenium in the food chain may result in
deformities, stunted growth, reduced hatching success, and suppression of immune systems in
fish and wildlife. Management of selenium is difficult as there is no off-the-shelf treatment
technology available.
Constituents of Emerging Concern (CEC) – CECs are either synthetic or naturally occurring
substances that are not currently regulated in water supplies or wastewater discharged but can
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be detected using very sensitive analytical techniques. The newest group of CECs include
pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and endocrine disruptors. OCWD’s laboratory is one of
a few in the state of California that continuously develops capabilities to analyze for new
compounds (City of La Habra et al., 2017).
7.2.4 Locally Applicable Criteria
Within Orange County, there are no significant local applicable criteria that directly affect reliability.
Through the years, the water agencies in Orange County have made tremendous efforts to integrate their
systems to provide flexibility to interchange with different sources of supplies. There are emergency
agreements in place to ensure all parts of the County have an adequate supply of water. In the northern
part of the County, agencies are able to meet a majority of their demands through groundwater with very
little limitation, except for the OCWD BPP. For the agencies in southern Orange County, most of their
demands are met with imported water where their limitation is based on the capacity of their system,
which is very robust.
However, if a major earthquake on the San Andreas Fault occurs, it will be damaging to all three key
regional water aqueducts and disrupt imported supplies for up to six months. The region would likely
impose a water use reduction ranging from 10-25% until the system is repaired. However, MET has taken
proactive steps to handle such disruption, such as constructing DVL, which mitigates potential impacts.
DVL, along with other local reservoirs, can store a six to twelve-month supply of emergency water (MET,
2021).
Water Service Reliability Assessment
This Section assesses the City’s reliability to provide water services to its customers under various
hydrological conditions. This is completed by comparing the projected long-term water demand
(Section 4), to the projected water supply sources available to the City (Section 6), in five-year
increments, for a normal water year, a single dry water year, and a drought lasting five consecutive
water years.
7.3.1 Normal Year Reliability
The water demand forecasting model developed for the Demand Forecast TM (described in Section 4.3),
to project the 25-year demand for Orange County water agencies, also isolated the impacts that weather
and future climate can have on water demand through the use of a statistical model. The explanatory
variables of population, temperature, precipitation, unemployment rate, drought restrictions, and
conservation measures were used to create the statistical model. The impacts of hot/dry weather
condition are reflected as a percentage increase in water demands from the average condition. The
average (normal) demand is represented by the average water demand of FY 2017-18 and FY 2018-19
(CDM Smith, 2021).
The City is 100 percent reliable for normal year demands from 2025 through 2045 (Table 7-2) due to
diversified supply and conservation measures. For simplicity, the table shows supply to balance demand
in the table. However, based on the purchase agreement the City has with MET (Section 6.2), the City is
contractually able to purchase more water from MET, should the need arise. The City has entitlements to
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receive imported water from MET via connections to MET's regional distribution system. All imported
water supplies are assumed available to the City from existing water transmission facilities, as per MET’s
2020 UWMP. The demand and supplies listed in Table 7-2 also include local groundwater supplies that
are available to the City through OCWD by an assumed BPP of 85%, per Section 6.3.4.
Table 7-2: Retail: Normal Year Supply and Demand Comparison
DWR Submittal Table 7-2 Retail: Normal Year Supply and Demand Comparison
2025 2030 2035 2040 2045
Supply totals (AF) 33,882 34,395 34,130 33,838 33,827
Demand totals (AF) 33,882 34,395 34,130 33,838 33,827
Difference (AF) 0 0 0 0 0
NOTES:
This table compares the projected demand and supply volumes determined in Sections
4.3.2 and 6.1, respectively.
7.3.2 Single Dry Year Reliability
A single dry year is defined as a single year of minimal to no rainfall within a period where average
precipitation is expected to occur. The water demand forecasting model developed for the Demand
Forecast TM (described in Section 4.3) isolated the impacts that weather and future climate can have on
water demand through the use of a statistical model. The impacts of hot/dry weather condition are
reflected as a percentage increase in water demands from the normal year condition (average of FY
2017-18 and FY 2018-19). For a single dry year condition (FY 2013-14), the model projects a six percent
increase in demand for the OC Basin area where the City’s service area is located (CDM Smith, 2021).
Detailed information of the model is included in Appendix E.
The City has documented that it is 100 percent reliable for single dry year demands from 2025 through
2045 with a demand increase of 6% from normal demand with significant reserves held by MET, local
groundwater supplies, and conservation. A comparison between the supply and the demand in a single
dry year is shown in (Table 7-3). For simplicity, the table shows supply to balance the modeled demand in
the table. However, based on the purchase agreement the City has with MET (Section 6.2), the City is
contractually able to purchase more water from MET, should the need arise.
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Table 7-3: Retail: Single Dry Year Supply and Demand Comparison
DWR Submittal Table 7-3 Retail: Single Dry Year Supply and Demand Comparison
2025 2030 2035 2040 2045
Supply totals (AF) 35,915 36,459 36,178 35,868 35,857
Demand totals (AF) 35,915 36,459 36,178 35,868 35,857
Difference (AF) 0 0 0 0 0
NOTES:
It is conservatively assumed that a single dry year demand is 6% greater than each respective
year's normally projected total water demand. Groundwater is sustainably managed through the
BPP and robust management measures (Section 6.3.4 and Appendix G), direct and indirect recycled
water uses provides additional local supply (Section 6.6), and based on MET’s UWMP, imported
water is available to close any potable water supply gap that local sources cannot meet (Section
7.5.1).
7.3.3 Multiple Dry Year Reliability
Assessing the reliability to meet demand for five consecutive dry years is a new requirement for the
2020 UWMP, as compared to the previous requirement of assessing three or more consecutive dry years.
Multiple dry years are defined as five or more consecutive dry years with minimal rainfall within a period of
average precipitation. The water demand forecasting model developed for the Demand Forecast TM
(described in Section 4.3) isolated the impacts that weather and future climate can have on water
demand through the use of a statistical model. The impacts of hot/dry weather condition are reflected as a
percentage increase in water demands from the normal year condition (average of FY 2017-18 and
FY 2018-19). For a single dry year condition (FY 2013-14), the model projects a six percent increase in
demand for the OC Basin area where the City’s service area is located (CDM Smith, 2021). It is
conservatively assumed that a five consecutive dry year scenario is a repeat of the single dry year over
five consecutive years.
Even with a conservative demand increase of 6% each year for five consecutive years, the City is
capable of meeting all customers’ demands from 2025 through 2045 (Table 7-4), with significant reserves
held by MET and conservation. For simplicity, the table shows supply to balance the modeled demand in
the table. However, based on the purchase agreement the City has with MET (Section 6.2), the City is
contractually able to purchase more water from MET, should the need arise.
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Table 7-4: Retail: Multiple Dry Years Supply and Demand Comparison
DWR Submittal Table 7-4 Retail: Multiple Dry Years Supply and Demand Comparison
2025* 2030* 2035* 2040* 2045*
(Opt)
First year
Supply totals 35,581 36,024 36,403 36,116 35,866
Demand
totals 35,581 36,024 36,403 36,116 35,866
Difference 0 0 0 0 0
Second year
Supply totals 35,665 36,133 36,347 36,054 35,864
Demand
totals 35,665 36,133 36,347 36,054 35,864
Difference 0 0 0 0 0
Third year
Supply totals 35,748 36,241 36,290 35,992 35,861
Demand
totals 35,748 36,241 36,290 35,992 35,861
Difference 0 0 0 0 0
Fourth year
Supply totals 35,831 36,350 36,234 35,930 35,859
Demand
totals 35,831 36,350 36,234 35,930 35,859
Difference 0 0 0 0 0
Fifth year
Supply totals 35,915 36,459 36,178 35,868 35,857
Demand
totals 35,915 36,459 36,178 35,868 35,857
Difference 0 0 0 0 0
NOTES:
It is conservatively assumed that a five consecutive dry year scenario is a repeat of the single dry year
(106% of projected normal year values) over five consecutive years. The 2025 column assesses supply
and demand for FY 2020-21 through FY 2024-25; the 2030 column assesses FY 2025-26 through FY
2029-30 and so forth, in order to end the water service reliability assessment in FY 2044-45.
Groundwater is sustainably managed through the BPP and robust management measures (Section
6.3.4 and Appendix G), direct and indirect recycled water uses provide additional local supply (Section
6.6), and based on MET's UWMP, imported water is available to close any potable water supply gap
that local sources cannot meet (Section 7.5.1).
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Management Tools and Options
Existing and planned water management tools and options for the City, OCWD, and MWDOC’s service
area that seek to maximize local resources and result in minimizing the need to import water are
described below. Although they are a direct MET Member Agency, the City benefits from collaboration
between MWDOC and OCWD to maximize local resources.
Reduced Delta Reliance: MET has demonstrated consistency with Reduced Reliance on the
Delta Through Improved Regional Water Self-Reliance (Delta Plan policy WR P1) by reporting
the expected outcomes for measurable reductions in supplies from the Delta. MET has improved
its self-reliance through methods including water use efficiency, water recycling, stormwater
capture and reuse, advanced water technologies, conjunctive use projects, local and regional
water supply and storage programs, and other programs and projects. In 2020, MET had a
602,000 AF change in supplies contributing to regional-self-reliance, corresponding to a
15.3% change, and this amount is projected to increase through 2045 (MET, 2021). For detailed
information on the Delta Plan Policy WR P1, refer to Appendix C.
The continued and planned use of groundwater: The water supply resources within the City’s
service area are enhanced by the existence of groundwater basins that account for the majority of
local supplies available and are used as reservoirs to store water during wet years and draw from
storage during dry years, subsequently minimizing the City’s reliance on imported water.
Groundwater basins are managed within a safe basin operating range so that groundwater wells
are only pumped as needed to meet water use. The City supports and partners in recycled water
efforts, including groundwater recharge, through its coordination with OCWD and OC San.
The City is currently planning for new well construction and major well rehabilitation at seven well
sites, described in Section 6.9.
Groundwater storage and transfer programs: MET and OCWD’s involvement in
SARCCUP includes participation in a CUP that improves water supply resiliency and increases
available dry-year yield from local groundwater basins. The groundwater bank has 137,000 AF of
storage (OCWD, 2020b). Additionally, MET has numerous groundwater storage and transfer
programs in which MET endeavors to increase the reliability of water supplies, including the
AVEK Waster Agency Exchange and Storage Program and the High Desert Water Bank
Program. The IRWD Strand Ranch Water Banking Program has approximately 23,000 AF stored
for IRWD’s benefit, and by agreement, the water is defined to be an "Extraordinary Supply" by
MET and counts essentially 1:1 during a drought/water shortage condition under MET’s Water
Supply Allocation Plan. In addition, MET has encouraged storage through its cyclic and
conjunctive use programs that allow MET to deliver water into a groundwater basin in advance of
agency demands, such as the Cyclic Storage Agreements under the Main San Gabriel Basin
Judgement.
Water Loss Program: The water loss audit program reduces MET’s dependency on imported
water from the Delta by implementing water loss control technologies after assessing audit data
and leak detection.
Increased use of recycled water: The City partners with OCWD in recycled water efforts to
identify opportunities for the use of recycled water for irrigation purposes, groundwater recharge
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and some non-irrigation applications. OCWD’s GWRS and GAP allow Southern California to
decrease its dependency on imported water and create a local and reliable source of water that
meet or exceed all federal and state drinking level standards. Expansion of the GWRS is currently
underway to increase the plant’s production to 130 MGD, and further reduce reliance on imported
water.
Implementation of demand management measures during dry periods: During dry periods,
water reduction methods to be applied to the public through the retail agencies, will in turn reduce
the City’s overall demands on MET and reliance on imported water. The City’s specific demand
management measures are further discussed in Section 9.
Drought Risk Assessment
Water Code Section 10635(b) requires every urban water supplier include, as part of its UWMP, a
DRA for its water service as part of information considered in developing its DMMs and water supply
projects and programs. The DRA is a specific planning action that assumes the City is experiencing a
drought over the next five years and addresses the City’s reliability in the context of presumed drought
conditions. Together, the water service reliability assessment (Sections 7.1 through 7.3), DRA, and
WSCP (Section 8 and Appendix H) allow the City to have a comprehensive picture of its short-term and
long-term water service reliability and to identify the tools to address any perceived or actual shortage
conditions.
Water Code Section 10612 requires the DRA to be based on the driest five-year historic sequence of the
City’s water supply. However, Water Code Section 10635 also requires that the analysis consider
plausible changes on projected supplies and demands due to climate change, anticipated regulatory
changes, and other locally applicable criteria.
The following sections describe the City’s methodology and results of its DRA.
7.5.1 DRA Methodology
The water demand forecasting model developed for the Demand Forecast TM (described in Section 4.3
isolated the impacts that weather and future climate can have on water demand through the use of a
statistical model. The impacts of hot/dry weather condition are reflected as a percentage increase in
water demands from the average condition (average of FY 2017-18 and FY 2018-19). For a single dry
year condition (FY 2013-14), the model projects a 6% increase in demand for the region encompassing
the City’s service area (CDM Smith, 2021).
Locally, the five-consecutive years of FY 2011-12 through FY 2015-16 represent the driest five
consecutive year historic sequence for the City’s water supply. This period that spanned water years
2012 through 2016 included the driest four-year statewide precipitation on record (2012-2015) and the
smallest Sierra Cascades snowpack on record (2015, with 5% of average). It was marked by
extraordinary heat: 2014, 2015 and 2016 were California’s first, second and third warmest year in terms
of statewide average temperatures. Locally, Orange County rainfall for the five year period totaled
36 inches, the driest on record.
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As explained in Section 6, the City currently relies on, and will continue to rely on, three main water
sources: local groundwater, recycled water, and imported water supply from MET. The City maximizes
local water groundwater supply use before the purchase of imported water. The difference between total
forecasted demands and local supply projections is the demand on MET’s imported water supplies from
the Colorado River, SWP, and in-region storage. Local groundwater supply for the City comes from the
OC Basin and is dictated by the BPP set annually by OCWD. Therefore, the City’s DRA focuses on the
assessment of imported water from MET, which will be used to close any potable water supply gap local
groundwater does not fill.
Water Demand Characterization
Beyond local supplies, the City’s water supplies are purchased from MET, regardless of hydrologic
conditions. As described in Section 6.2, MET’s supplies are from the Colorado River, SWP, and in-region
storage. In their 2020 UWMP, MET’s DRA concluded that even without activating WSCP actions, MET
can reliably provide water to all of their member agencies, including the City, through 2045, assuming a
five-year drought from FY 2020-21 through FY 2024-25. Beyond this, MET’s DRA indicated a surplus of
supplies that would be available to all of its member agencies, including the City, should the need arise.
Therefore, any increase in demand that is experienced in the City's service area will be met by MET's
water supplies.
Based on the Demand Forecast TM, in a single dry year, demand is expected to increase by 6% above a
normal year. The City’s DRA conservatively assumes a drought from FY 2020-21 through FY 2024-25 is
a repeat of the single dry year over five consecutive years.
The City’s demand projections were developed as part of the Demand Forecast TM, led by MWDOC.
As part of the study, MWDOC first estimated total retail demands for its service area. This was based on
estimated future demands using historical water use trends, future expected water use efficiency
measures, additional projected land-use development, and changes in population. The City’s projected
water use, linearly interpolated per the demand forecast, is presented annually for the next five years in
Table 4-2. Next, MWDOC estimated the projections of local supplies derived from current and expected
local supply programs from the participating agencies. Finally, the demand model calculated the
difference between total forecasted demands and local supply projections. The resulting difference
between total demands net of savings from conservation and local supplies is the expected regional
demands on MET supply.
Water Supply Characterization
The City’s assumptions for its supply capabilities are discussed and presented in 5-year increments under
its UWMP water reliability assessment. For the City’s DRA, these supply capabilities are further refined
and presented annually for the years 2021 to 2025 by assuming a repeat of historic conditions from
FY 2011-12 to FY 2015-16. For its DRA, the City assessed the reliability of supplies available from MET
using historical supply availability under dry-year conditions. MET’s supply sources under the Colorado
River, SWP, and in-region supply categories are individually listed and discussed in detail in MET’s
UWMP. Future supply capabilities for each of these supply sources are also individually tabulated in
Appendix 3 of MET’s UWMP, with consideration for plausible changes on projected supplies under
climate change conditions, anticipated regulatory changes, and other factors. In addition, the City has
access to supply augmentation actions through MET. MET may exercise these actions based on regional
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need, and in accordance with their WSCP, and may include the use of supplies and storage programs
within the Colorado River, SWP, and In-Region.
7.5.2 Total Water Supply and Use Comparison
The City’s DRA concludes that water supplies meet total water demand, assuming a five-year
consecutive drought from FY 2020-21 through FY 2024-25 (Table 7-5). For simplicity, the table shows
supply to balance the modeled demand in the table. However, based on the purchase agreement the City
has with MET (Section 6.2), the City is contractually able to purchase more water from MET, should the
need arise.
Table 7-5: Five-Year Drought Risk Assessment Tables to Address Water Code Section 10635(b)
DWR Submittal Table 7-5: Five-Year Drought Risk Assessment Tables to
address Water Code Section 10635(b)
2021 Total
Total Water Use 35,581
Total Supplies 35,581
Surplus/Shortfall w/o WSCP Action 0
Planned WSCP Actions (use reduction and supply augmentation)
WSCP - supply augmentation benefit 0
WSCP - use reduction savings benefit 0
Revised Surplus/(shortfall)0
Resulting % Use Reduction from WSCP action 0%
2022 Total
Total Water Use 35,665
Total Supplies 35,665
Surplus/Shortfall w/o WSCP Action 0
Planned WSCP Actions (use reduction and supply augmentation)
WSCP - supply augmentation benefit 0
WSCP - use reduction savings benefit 0
Revised Surplus/(shortfall)0
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DWR Submittal Table 7-5: Five-Year Drought Risk Assessment Tables to
address Water Code Section 10635(b)
Resulting % Use Reduction from WSCP action 0%
2023 Total
Total Water Use 35,748
Total Supplies 35,748
Surplus/Shortfall w/o WSCP Action 0
Planned WSCP Actions (use reduction and supply augmentation)
WSCP - supply augmentation benefit 0
WSCP - use reduction savings benefit 0
Revised Surplus/(shortfall)0
Resulting % Use Reduction from WSCP action 0%
2024 Total
Total Water Use 35,831
Total Supplies 35,831
Surplus/Shortfall w/o WSCP Action 0
Planned WSCP Actions (use reduction and supply augmentation)
WSCP - supply augmentation benefit 0
WSCP - use reduction savings benefit 0
Revised Surplus/(shortfall)0
Resulting % Use Reduction from WSCP action 0%
2025 Total
Total Water Use 35,915
Total Supplies 35,915
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DWR Submittal Table 7-5: Five-Year Drought Risk Assessment Tables to
address Water Code Section 10635(b)
Surplus/Shortfall w/o WSCP Action 0
Planned WSCP Actions (use reduction and supply augmentation)
WSCP - supply augmentation benefit 0
WSCP - use reduction savings benefit 0
Revised Surplus/(shortfall)0
Resulting % Use Reduction from WSCP action 0%
Note: Groundwater is sustainably managed through the BPP and robust management measures (Section
6.3.4 and Appendix G), direct and indirect recycled water uses provide additional local supply (Section
6.6), and based on MET’s UWMP, imported water is available to close any potable water supply gap that
local sources cannot meet (Section 7.5.1).
7.5.3 Water Source Reliability
Locally, approximately 77% (BPP for Water Year 2021-22) of the City’s total water supply can rely on
OC Basin groundwater through FY 2024-25. The BPP is projected to increase to 85% starting in
FY 2024-25. Based on various storage thresholds and hydrologic conditions, OCWD, who manages the
OC Basin, has numerous management measures that can be taken, such as adjusting the BPP or
seeking additional supplies to refill the basin, to ensure the reliability of the Basin. For more information
on the OC Basin’s management efforts, refer to Section 6.3.
Additionally, the City’s use of direct (OCWD GAP) and indirect recycled water (OCWD GWRS) should
also be considered. The ability to continue producing water locally greatly improves the City’s water
reliability. More detail on these programs is available in Section 6.6 .
Furthermore, as discussed in Section 6.2 the City has a 10-year purchase agreement with MET that sets
a minimum and maximum volume of water to be purchased from MET annually, and over the 10-year
contract term. Currently, the City is not currently purchasing near the maximum levels. As so, the City is
contractually able to purchase significantly more MET water should the need arise.
Moreover, although they would not normally be considered part of the City’s water portfolio, the
emergency interconnections the City has with the surrounding Cities of Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley,
Garden Grove, Orange, Tustin, and Southern California Water Company could help mitigate any water
supply shortages, though shortages are not expected. Emergency interconnections are described in
Section 6.8.
The City’s DRA concludes that its water supplies meet total water demand, assuming a five-year
consecutive drought from FY 2020-21 through FY 2024-25 (Table 7-5). For simplicity, the table shows
supply to balance the modeled demand in the table. However, based on the purchase agreement the City
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has with MET (Section 6.2), the City is contractually able to purchase more water from MET, should the
need arise.
As detailed in Section 8, the City has in place a robust WSCP and comprehensive shortage response
planning efforts that include demand reduction measures and supply augmentation actions. However,
since the City’s DRA shows a balance between water supply and demand, no water service reliability
concern is anticipated, and no shortfall mitigation measures are expected to be exercised over the next
five years. The City will periodically revisit its representation of the supply sources and of the gross water
use estimated for each year and will revise its DRA if needed.
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8 WATER SHORTAGE CONTINGENCY PLANNING
Layperson Description
Water shortage contingency planning is a strategic planning process that the City engages to prepare
for and respond to water shortages. A water shortage, when water supply available is insufficient to meet
the normally expected customer water use at a given point in time, may occur due to a number of
reasons, such as water supply quality changes, climate change, drought, and catastrophic events
(e.g., earthquake). The City’s WSCP provides real-time water supply availability assessment and
structured steps designed to respond to actual conditions. This level of detailed planning and preparation
will help maintain reliable supplies and reduce the impacts of supply interruptions.
Water Code Section 10632 requires that every urban water supplier that serves more than 3,000 AFY or
have more than 3,000 connections prepared and adopt a standalone WSCP as part of its UWMP. The
WSCP is required to plan for a greater than 50% supply shortage. This WSCP due to be updated based
on new requirements every five years and will be adopted as a current update for submission to DWR by
July 1, 2021.
Overview of the WSCP
The WSCP serves as the operating manual that the City will use to prevent catastrophic service
disruptions through proactive, rather than reactive, mitigation of water shortages. The WSCP contains
processes and procedures documented in the WSCP, which are given legal authority through the WSCP
Response Ordinance. This way, when shortage conditions arise, the City’s governing body, its staff, and
the public can easily identify and efficiently implement pre-determined steps to mitigate a water shortage
to the level appropriate to the degree of water shortfall anticipated. Figure 8-1 illustrates the
interdependent relationship between the three procedural documents related to planning for and
responding to water shortages.
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Figure 8-1: UWMP Overview
A copy of the City’s WSCP is provided in Appendix H and includes the steps to assess if a water shortage
is occurring, and what level of shortage drought actions to trigger the best response as appropriate to the
water shortage conditions. WSCP has prescriptive elements, including an analysis of water supply
reliability; the drought shortage actions for each of the six standard water shortage levels, that correspond
to water shortage percentages ranging from 10% to greater than 50%; an estimate of potential to close
supply gap for each measure; protocols and procedures to communicate identified actions for any current
or predicted water shortage conditions; procedures for an annual water supply and demand assessment;
monitoring and reporting requirements to determine customer compliance; reevaluation and improvement
procedures for evaluating the WSCP.
Summary of Water Shortage Response Strategy and Required
DWR Tables
This WSCP is organized into three main sections, with Section 3 aligned with the Water Code Section
16032 requirements.
Section 1 Introduction and WSCP Overview gives an overview of the WSCP fundamentals.
Section 2 Background provides a background on the City’s water service area.
Section 3.1 Water Supply Reliability Analysis provides a summary of the water supply analysis and
water reliability findings from the 2020 UWMP.
Section 3.2 Annual Water Supply and Demand Assessment Procedures provide a description of
procedures to conduct and approve the Annual Assessment.
Section 3.3 Six Standard Water Shortage Stages explains the WSCP’s six standard water shortage
levels corresponding to progressive ranges of up to 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and more than 50% shortages.
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Section 3.4 Shortage Response Actions describes the WSCP’s shortage response actions that align
with the defined shortage levels.
Section 3.5 Communication Protocols addresses communication protocols and procedures to inform
customers, the public, interested parties, and local, regional, and state governments, regarding any
current or predicted shortages and any resulting shortage response actions.
Section 3.6 Compliance and Enforcement describes customer compliance, enforcement, appeal, and
exemption procedures for triggered shortage response actions.
Section 3.7 Legal Authorities is a description of the legal authorities that enable the City to implement
and enforce its shortage response actions.
Section 3.8 Financial Consequences of the WSCP provides a description of the financial
consequences of and responses for drought conditions.
Section 3.9 Monitoring and Reporting describes monitoring and reporting requirements and procedures
that ensure appropriate data is collected, tracked, and analyzed for purposes of monitoring customer
compliance and to meet state reporting requirements.
Section 3.10 WSCP Refinement Procedures addresses reevaluation and improvement procedures for
monitoring and evaluating the functionality of the WSCP.
Section 3.11 Special Water Feature Distinction.
Section 3.12 Plan Adoption, Submittal, and Implementation provides a record of the process the City
followed to adopt and implement its WSCP.
The WSCP is based on adequate details of demand reduction and supply augmentation measures that
are structured to match varying degrees of shortage will ensure the relevant stakeholders understand
what to expect during a water shortage situation. The City has adopted water shortage levels consistent
with the requirements identified in Water Code Section 10632 (a)(3)(A) (Table 8-1).
The supply augmentation actions that align with each shortage level are described in DWR Table 8-3
(Appendix B). These augmentations represent short-term management objectives triggered by the WSCP
and do not overlap with the long-term new water supply development or supply reliability enhancement
projects.
The demand reduction measures that align with each shortage level are described in DWR Table 8-2
(Appendix B). This table also estimates the extent to which that action will reduce the gap between
supplies and demands to demonstrate to the that choose suite of shortage response actions can be
expected to deliver the expected outcomes necessary to meet the requirements of a given shortage level.
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Table 8-1: Water Shortage Contingency Plan Levels
Submittal Table 8-1 Water Shortage Contingency Plan Levels
Shortage
Level
Percent
Shortage Range Shortage Response Actions
0 0% (Normal)
A Level 0 Water Supply Shortage – Condition exists when the City notifies its water
users that no supply reductions are anticipated in this year. The City proceeds with
planned water efficiency best practices to support consumer demand reduction in line
with state mandated requirements and local City goals for water supply
reliability. Permanent water waste prohibitions are in place as stipulated in the City’s
Water Shortage Response Ordinance.
1 Up to 10%
A Level 1 Water Supply Shortage – Condition exists when the City notifies its water
users that due to drought or other supply reductions, a consumer demand reduction
of up to 10% is necessary to make more efficient use of water and respond to existing
water conditions. Upon the declaration of a Water Aware condition, the City
shall implement the mandatory Level 1 conservation measures identified in this
ordinance. The type of event that may prompt the City to declare a Level 1 Water
Supply Shortage may include, among other factors, a finding that its wholesale water
provider calls for extraordinary water conservation.
2 11% to 20%
A Level 2 Water Supply Shortage – Condition exists when the City notifies its water
users that due to drought or other supply reductions, a consumer demand reduction
of up to 20% is necessary to make more efficient use of water and respond to existing
water conditions. Upon declaration of a Level 2 Water Supply Shortage condition,
the City shall implement the mandatory Level 2 conservation measures identified in
this ordinance.
3 21% to 30%
A Level 3 Water Supply Shortage – Condition exists when the City declares a water
shortage emergency condition pursuant to California Water Code section 350 and
notifies its residents and businesses that up to 30% consumer demand reduction is
required to ensure sufficient supplies for human consumption, sanitation and fire
protection. The City must declare a Water Supply Shortage Emergency in the manner
and on the grounds provided in California Water Code section 350.
4 31% to 40%
A Level 4 Water Supply Shortage – Condition exists when the City declares a water
shortage emergency condition pursuant to California Water Code section 350 and
notifies its residents and businesses that up to 40% consumer demand reduction is
required to ensure sufficient supplies for human consumption, sanitation and fire
protection. The City must declare a Water Supply Shortage Emergency in the manner
and on the grounds provided in California Water Code section 350.
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Submittal Table 8-1 Water Shortage Contingency Plan Levels
5 41% to 50%
A Level 5 Water Supply Shortage – Condition exists when the City declares a water
shortage emergency condition pursuant to California Water Code section 350 and
notifies its residents and businesses that up to 50% or more consumer demand
reduction is required to ensure sufficient supplies for human consumption, sanitation
and fire protection. The City must declare a Water Supply Shortage Emergency in the
manner and on the grounds provided in California Water Code section 350.
6 >50%
A Level 6 Water Supply Shortage – Condition exists when the City declares a water
shortage emergency condition pursuant to California Water Code section 350 and
notifies its residents and businesses that greater than 50% or more consumer demand
reduction is required to ensure sufficient supplies for human consumption, sanitation
and fire protection. The City must declare a Water Supply Shortage Emergency in the
manner and on the grounds provided in California Water Code section 350.
NOTES:
Water shortage contingency planning is a strategic planning process to prepare for and respond to water
shortages. Detailed planning and preparation can help maintain reliable supplies and reduce the impacts
of supply interruptions. This chapter provides a structured plan for dealing with water shortages,
incorporating prescriptive information and standardized action levels, along with implementation actions in
the event of a catastrophic supply interruption.
A well-structured WSCP allows real-time water supply availability assessment and structured steps
designed to respond to actual conditions, to allow for efficient management of any shortage with
predictability and accountability. A water shortage, when water supply available is insufficient to meet the
normally expected customer water use at a given point in time, may occur due to a number of reasons,
such as population growth, climate change, drought, and catastrophic events. The WSCP is the City’s
operating manual that is used to prevent catastrophic service disruptions through proactive, rather than
reactive, management. This way, if and when shortage conditions arise, the City’s governing body, its
staff, and the public can easily identify and efficiently implement pre-determined steps to manage a water
shortage.
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9 DEMAND MANAGEMENT MEASURES
The City, along with other Retail water agencies throughout Orange County, recognizes the need to use
existing water supplies efficiently. This ethic of efficient use of water has evolved as a result of the
development and implementation of water use efficiency programs that make good economic sense and
reflect responsible stewardship of the region’s water resources. The City works closely with MET and
MWDOC to promote regional efficiency by participating in the MET regional water savings programs. This
chapter communicates the City’s efforts to promote conservation and to reduce demand on water
supplies. A detailed description of demand management measures is available in Appendix J.
Demand Management Measures for Retail Suppliers
The goal of the Demand Management Measures (DMM) section is to provide a comprehensive
description of the water conservation programs that a supplier has implemented, is currently
implementing, and plans to implement in order to meet its urban water use reduction targets. The
reporting requirements for DMM has been significantly modified and streamlined in 2014 by Assembly Bill
2067. This section of the UWMP will report on the role of the City’s programs in meeting new state
regulations for complying with the SWRCB’s new Conservation Framework. These categories of demand
management measures are as follows:
Water waste prevention ordinances;
Metering;
Conservation pricing;
Public education and outreach;
Programs to assess and manage distribution system real loss;
Water conservation program coordination and staffing support;
Other demand management measures that have a significant impact on water use as
measured in gallons per capita per day, including innovative measures, if implemented;
Programs to assist retailers with Conservation Framework Compliance
9.1.1 Water Waste Prevention Ordinances
The City Council adopted the Water Conservation and Supply Shortage Program Ordinance No. NS-2877
on May 19, 2015. Ordinance No. NS-2877 establishes permanent water conservation requirements and
prohibition against waste that are effective at all times and is not dependent upon a water shortage for
implementation, as follows:
No washing down hard or paved surfaces
Limit on watering hours
Re-circulating water required for water fountains and decorative water features
Drinking water served upon request only
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Limits on washing vehicles
Commercial lodging establishments must provide guests option to decline daily linen services
Restaurants required to use water conserving dish wash spray valves
Obligation to fix leaks, break, or malfunctions
No installation of single pass cooling systems
Commercial car wash systems
No excessive water flow or runoff
No installation of non-recirculating water systems in commercial car wash and laundry
systems
No watering during or within 48 hours of measurable rainfall
No irrigation of ornamental turf on public street medians with potable water
Limit on irrigation with potable water of landscapes outside of new construction
In an event of a water supply shortage, the ordinance further establishes six levels of water supply
shortage response actions to be implemented during times of declared water shortage or declared water
shortage emergency, with increasing restrictions on water use in response to worsening drought or
emergency conditions and decreasing supplies. The provisions and water conservation measures to be
implemented in response to each shortage level are described in the Water Shortage Contingency Plan
(WSCP) located in Appendix H of this 2020 UWMP. The City’s water conservation ordinance is included
in Appendix D of the WSCP. The City maintains active water wasting prohibition measures at all times
and has the ability to implement additional measures as water conservation needs dictate
The City maintains active water wasting prohibition measures at all times and has the ability to implement
additional measures as water conservation needs dictate. In 2015, as a result of the Governor’s drought
mandates, the City began to track its water wasting prohibition enforcement activities. On June 2, 2015
the City declared a Phase 2 water supply shortage in Resolution No. 2015-025 by formally requiring all
water consumers to reduce use by 12% relative to their 2013 consumption. Additionally, on August 4,
2015, a water wasting penalty rate was established by Resolution No. 2015-047. This new penalty rate
permits City staff to penalize those users not meeting their water use reduction targets of 12%. The City
of Santa Ana as a whole has been meeting its State mandated target; as a result the City has yet to
impose any monetary penalties on any of its users. The City has communicated the water wasting
prohibitions and water conservation measures via various communication outlets available including
messaging on water bills, bill inserts, bill envelopes, the City website, bus shelter advertisements, City
newsletters, pole banners across the City, and a water conservation booth at community events. As a
result, in 2015 the City received 1,064 water waster complaints: a dramatic increase from prior years. The
City intends to continue both its water waste enforcement efforts and water conservation messaging in
the future; however, the intensity of both activities will be directly related to the level of water conservation
required to meet stated use reductions.
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9.1.2 Metering
The City requires individual metering for all new connections and bills by volume-of-use. All existing
connections are metered.
The City has a meter replacement and calibration program in place. Over the past 5 years, the program
focused on replacing aging meters and those with high use, replacing approximately 500-1,000 meters
per year. In 2020, the City Council approved a project proposal to expand the meter replacement and
calibration program by implementing and deploying Automated Meter Infrastructure (AMI) and a proactive
calibration and testing program focused on periodically testing high use meters. The City will replace all
meters to the AMI system over a 42 month period. The City is also upgrading the billing system software
and customer portals, etc.
In accordance with the City’s municipal code, all new development with over 1,000 square feet of
landscape requires the installation of dedicated landscape meters. The City has also adopted a policy
requiring individual metering of all users such as individual tenants of commercial plazas, residential
condominiums, and apartments.
9.1.3 Conservation Pricing
There are two parts to the City’s water service charges: a fixed Basic Service Charge and a variable
Commodity Charge. The Basic Service Charge is a fixed amount based on the connection’s meter size
and is billed bi-monthly. The Commodity Charge is determined by the amount of water served to the
property and is measured in hundred cubic feet (HCF). The City also provides private fire water service
and recycled water to specific customers and also has a Private Fire Service Charge and a Recycled
Water Commodity Charge.
The City’s current Commodity Charge rate schedule and Tier Allocation, effective from January 1, 2020,
was approved in 2019 and is shown in Table 9-1 and Table 9-2, respectively.
Table 9-1: Water Rates Effective January 1, 2020
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Table 9-2: Water Tier Allocations Effective January 1, 2020
9.1.4 Public Education and Outreach
The City administers its own public education and outreach program and develops, coordinates,
and delivers a substantial number of public information, education, and outreach events aimed at
elevating consumer awareness and understanding of current water issues as well as efficient wat
er use and watersaving practices, sound policy, and water reliability investments that are in the b
est interest of the region. These efforts encourage good water stewardship that benefit all City res
idents, businesses, and industries across all demographics. The City also collaborates with MWD
OC and their educational programming. Several examples are shown in Figures 91 to 98.
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Figure 9-1: Youth Outreach Flyer
Figure 9-2: Outreach and Education Material
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Figure 9-3: Outreach Event Photo 1
Figure 9-4: Outreach Event Photo 2
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Figure 9-5: Outreach Event Photo 3
Figure 9-6: Outreach Event Photo 4
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Figure 9-7: Landscape Transformation Program Outreach Flyer, Page 1
Figure 9-8: Landscape Transformation Program Outreach Flyer, Page 2
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Print and Electronic Materials
The City of Santa Ana offers a variety of print and electronic materials that are designed to assist City’s
water users of all ages in discovering where their water comes from, what the water industry
professionals are doing to address water challenges, how to use water most efficiently, and more.
Through the City’s social media presence, its website, Santa Ana Green newsletter, public service
announcements, flyers, brochures, and other outreach materials, The City ensures that its residents are
equipped with sufficient information and subject knowledge to assist them in making good behavioral and
civic choices that ultimately affect the quality and quantity of the region’s water supply.
Public Events
Each year, the City of Santa Ana participates in an array of public events intended to engage and educate
a diverse range of water users in water use efficiency and water quality topics. Some of these public
events include:
Children’s Water Education Festival the largest festival of its kind, takes place every March at
the University of California, Irvine.
The Festival presents a unique opportunity to educate students about local water issues and help
them understand how they can protect and preserve water and their environment. Approximately
7,000 third, fourth and fifth grade students attend the event, presented by the Orange County
Water District (OCWD), the Disneyland Resort, the National Water Research Institute and the
OCWD Groundwater Guardian Team.
This two-day event brings students and their teachers together to learn about the importance of
our natural resources. Students who attend the Festival are presented with a unique opportunity
to learn about their local water issues and what they can do in their homes and community to
protect and conserve water and the environment. Organizations and public agencies from Orange
County and throughout California dedicate their time to help educate these young environmental
stewards. Since its inception, more than 135,000 children from schools throughout Orange
County have been able to experience the Festival and all it has to offer.
City-Sponsored or Private Events provide opportunities to interact with the City’s water users
in a fun and friendly way, offer useful water-related information and education to engage them in
important discussions about the value of water and how their decisions at home, at work, and as
tax- or ratepayers may impact the City’s quality and quantity of water for generations to come.
Education Programs and Initiatives
Over the past several years, the City of Santa Ana has amplified its efforts in water education programs
and activities throughout its service area. This is accomplished by continuing to grow professional
networks and partnerships that consist of education groups, advisories, Communication Linkage Forums
and SAUSD teachers’ groups for watercentric learning. Several key water education programs and
initiatives include:
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Landscape Training Classes provide Santa Ana’s residents with an opportunity to learn about
rainwater capture, gardening practices that build a healthy soil, proper plant selection that are
consistent with our local environment. These classes educate City’s customers to conserve water
in their landscapes through sound practices and water-wise choices.
Choice School Programs The City of Santa Ana collaborates with MWDOC to provide
educational programs and activities for the City’s youngest water users. Through this
collaboration, the City has supplied its K-12 students with water-focused learning experiences for
nearly five (5) decades. Interactive, grade-specific lessons invite students to connect with, and
learn from, their local ecosystems, guiding them to identify and solve local water-related
environmental challenges affecting their communities. Choice School Programs are aligned with
state standards, and participation includes a dynamic in-class or virtual presentation, and pre-
and post-activities that encourage and support Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and
Mathematics (STEAM)-based learning and good water stewardship.
City of Santa Ana’s Annual Youth Water Poster Contest is an annual activity developed to
encourage City’s K-12 students to investigate and explore their relationship to water, connect the
importance of good water stewardship to their daily lives, and express their conclusions creatively
through art. Each year, the City of Santa Ana receives hundreds of entries, and 12 winners from
across the City are invited to attend a special awards ceremony with their parents and teachers.
9.1.5 Programs to Assess and Manage Distribution System Real Loss
Senate Bill 1420 signed into law in September 2014 requires urban water suppliers that submit
UWMPs to calculate annual system water losses using the water audit methodology developed by the
AWWA. SB 1420 requires the water loss audit be submitted to DWR every five years as part of the urban
water supplier’s UWMP. Water auditing is the basis for effective water loss control. DWR’s UWMP
Guidebook include a water audit manual intended to help water utilities complete the AWWA Water
Audit on an annual basis.
A Water Loss Audit was completed for the City which identified areas for improvement and quantified total
loss. Based on the data presented, the three priority areas identified were water imported, billed metered,
and unauthorized consumption. Multiple criteria are a part of each validity score and a system wide
approach will need to be implemented for the City’s improvement. The City completes a system water
audit to calculate water losses on an annual basis. As part of the AMI project, the City will be adding the
customer leak detection and system leak detection sensors system-wide. Expressing water loss audit
results in terms of Real Losses per Service Connection per Day allows for standardized comparison
across retailer agencies and is a metric consistent with the Water Board’s forthcoming economic model.
The Real Losses per Service Connection per Day for calendar year 2019 was 19.59 gal/connection/day.
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9.1.6 Water Conservation Program Coordination and Staffing Support
The City’s Water Service Quality Coordinator, a position created in 1991, acts as the water conservation
coordinator. The conservation coordinator is responsible for conservation program activities and acts as a
liaison with MWDOC, MET, California Water Efficiency Partnership (CalWEP), and others.
The City’s conservation coordinator’s duties include the following:
Administer the contracts that the City has with MET and MWDOC regarding rebate programs.
Conduct surveys at the request of residential and business customers (or designate a staff
member to do so).
Coordinate with other agencies and public groups’ displays on conservation information and
provide free water conservation materials to the public.
Monitor the recycled water program for the City.
Administer the City’s education program using contractors or staff to educate children of City
schools or other locations.
The City’s water conservation programs are funded by the water ratepayers. The conservation program
efforts are factored into the City’s existing and future water rates as currently adopted.
9.1.7 Other Demand Management Measures (DMMs)
9.1.7.1 Residential Program
As a direct member of MET, residential DMMs are made available to City water users through the SoCal
WaterSmart Program.to increase landscape and indoor water use efficiency for residential customers.
High Efficiency Clothes Washer Rebate Program
The High Efficiency Clothes Washer (HECW) Rebate Program provides residential customers with
rebates for purchasing and installing HECWs that. Approximately 15% of home water use goes towards
laundry, and HECWs use 35-50% less water than standard washer models, with savings of approximately
10,500 gallons per year, per device. Devices must meet or exceed the Consortium for Energy Efficiency
(CEE) Tier 1 Standard, and a listing of qualified products can be found at socalwatersmart.com. There is
a maximum of one rebate per home.
Premium High Efficiency Toilet Rebate Program
The largest amount of water used inside a home, 30%, goes toward flushing the toilet. The Premium High
Efficiency Toilet (HET) Rebate Program offers incentives to residential customers for replacing their toilets
using 1.6 gallons per flush or more. Premium HETs use just 1.1 gallons of water or less per flush, which is
20% less water than WaterSense standard toilets. In addition, Premium HETS save an average of
9 gallons of water per day while maintaining high performance standards.
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9.1.7.2 Commercial, Industrial and Institutional (CII) Programs
MET provides a variety of financial incentives to help City businesses, restaurants, institutions, hotels,
hospitals, industrial facilities, and public sector sites achieve their efficiency goals. Water users in these
sectors have options to choose from a standardized list of water efficient equipment/devices or may
complete customized projects through a pay-for-performance where the incentive is proportional to the
amount of water saved. Such projects include high efficiency commercial equipment installation and
manufacturing process improvements.
Water Savings Incentive Program
The Water Savings Incentive Program (WSIP) is designed for non-residential customers to improve their
water efficiency through upgraded equipment or services that do not qualify for standard rebates. WSIP is
unique because it provides an incentive based on the amount of water customers actually save.
This “pay-for-performance” design lets customers implement custom projects for their sites.
Projects must save at least 10 million gallons of water to qualify for the Program and are offered from
$195 to $390 per acre foot of water saved. Examples of successfully projects include but are not limited
to changing industrial process system water, capturing condensation and using it to supplement cooling
tower supply, and replacing water-using equipment with more efficient products.
On-site Retrofit Program
The On-site Retrofit Program provides another pay-for-performance financial incentive to commercial,
industrial and institutional property owners, including Homeowner Associations, who convert potable
water irrigation or industrial water systems to recycled water use.
Projects commonly include the conversion of mixed or dedicated irrigation meters using potable water to
irrigate with reclaimed water, or convert industrial processes use to recycled water, such as a cooling
towers. Financial incentives of up to $1,300 per AF of potable water saved are available for customer-side
on the meter retrofits. Funding is provided by MET, USBR, and DWR.
Device Retrofits
The City offers financial incentives under the Socal Water$mart Rebate Program which offers rebates for
various water efficient devices to CII customers.
9.1.7.3 Landscape Programs
One of the most active and exciting water use efficiency sectors MET provides services for are those
programs that target the reduction of outdoor water use. With close to 60% of water consumed outdoors,
this sector has been and will continue to be a focus for MET and the City.
Turf Removal Program
The Orange County Turf Removal Program offers incentives to remove turf grass from residential,
commercial, and public properties throughout the County. This program is a partnership between
MWDOC, MET, and local retail water agencies. The goals of this program are to increase water use
efficiency through sustainable landscaping practices that result in multi-benefit projects across Orange
County. Participants replace their turf grass with drought-tolerant, CA Friendly, or CA Native landscaping,
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and retrofit their irrigation systems to high efficiency equipment, such as drip, or remove it entirely, and
are encouraged to utilize smart irrigation timers. Furthermore, projects are required to include a
stormwater capture feature, such as a rain garden or dry stream bed, and have a minimum of three plants
per 100 square feet to increase plant density and promote healthy soils. These projects save water and
also reduce dry and wet weather runoff, increase urban biomass, and sequester more carbon than turf
landscapes.
Smart Timer Rebate Program
Smart Timers are irrigation clocks that are either weather-based irrigation controllers (WBICs) or soil
moisture sensor systems. WBICs adjust automatically to reflect changes in local weather and site-specific
landscape needs, such as soil type, slopes, and plant material. When WBICs are programmed properly,
turf and plants receive the proper amount of water throughout the year. During the fall months, when
property owners and landscape professionals often overwater, Smart Timers can save significant
amounts of water.
Rotating Nozzles Rebate Program
The Rotating Nozzle Rebate Program provides incentives to residential and commercial properties for
the replacement of high-precipitation rate spray nozzles with low-precipitation rate multi-stream,
multi-trajectory rotating nozzles. The rebate offered through this Program aims to offset the cost of the
device and installation.
Socal Water$mart Rebate Program for Landscape
The City also offers financial incentives under the SoCal Water$mart Rebate Program for a variety of
water efficient landscape devices, such as Central Computer Irrigation Controllers, large rotary nozzles,
and in-stem flow regulators.
Landscape Training Classes
The California Friendly and Native Landscape Training and the Turf Removal and Garden Transformation
Workshops provide education to residential homeowners, property managers, and professional
landscape contractors on a variety of landscape water efficiency practices that they can employ and use
to help design a beautiful garden using California Friendly and native plant landscaping principles.
The California Friendly and Native Landscape Class demonstrates how to: implement storm water
capture features in the landscape; create a living soil sponge that holds water; treat rainwater by a
resource; select and arrange plants to maximize biodiversity and minimize water use; and control
irrigation to minimize water waste, runoff and non-point source pollution.
The Turf Removal and Garden Transformation Workshop teaches participants how to transform thirsty
turfgrass into a beautiful, climate-appropriate water efficient garden. This class teaches how to: evaluate
the landscape’s potential; plan for garden transformation; identify the type of turfgrass in the yard; remove
grass without chemicals; build healthy, living soils; select climate-appropriate plants that minimize water
use and maximize beauty and biodiversity; and implement a maintenance schedule to maintain the
garden.
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Implementation over the Past Five Years
During the past five years, FY 2015-16 to 2020-21, the City, with the assistance of MET, has continued
water use efficiency programs for its residential, CII, and landscape customers as described in Table 9-3.
Implementation data is provided in Appendix I. The City will continue to implement all applicable
programs in the next five years.
Table 9-3: City of Santa Ana Water Conservation Efficiency Program Participation
Measure Metric FY15/16 FY16/17 FY17/18 FY18/19 FY19/20
Central Computer
Irrigation Controllers computer controllers - - - - 9
Flow Restrictor restrictors 4 91 - - -
HECWs washers 260 197 151 149 96
HETs toilets 441 2 - 4 8
Rain Barrels barrels 177 40 9 3 7
Cisterns cisterns - - - - -
Premium HETs toilets 1,163 158 582 7 920
Rotating Nozzles nozzles 208 2,356 - - 64
CII WBICs clocks 26 3 - 20 120
Residential WBICs clocks 22 16 32 25 22
Zero Water Urinals urinals - - - - -
Plumbing Flow
Control valves - - - - -
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Measure Metric FY15/16 FY16/17 FY17/18 FY18/19 FY19/20
Soil Moisture Sensor controllers - - - - -
Ice-Making Machine machines - 4 - - -
Ultra Low Water
Urinal urinals - 3 - - -
Turf sf 368,012 197,651 720 1,700 6,775
Spray-to-Drip sf Not
eligible
WSIP projects 1 0 0 0 0
Recycled Water projects; sf irrigated
Large Landscape
Survey surveys 1
Water Use Objectives (Future Requirements)
To support Orange County retailers with SB 606 and AB 1668 compliance (Conservation Framework),
MET provides support to members agencies to ensure they meet the primary goals of the legislation
including to Use Water More Wisely and to Eliminate Water Waste. Beginning in 2023, Urban water
suppliers are required to calculate and report their annual urban water use objective (WUO), submit
validated water audits annually, and to implement and report BMP CII performance measures.
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Urban Water Use Objective
An Urban Water Supplier’s urban WUO is based on efficient water use of the following:
Aggregate estimated efficient indoor residential water use;
Aggregate estimated efficient outdoor residential water use;
Aggregate estimated efficient outdoor irrigation landscape areas with dedicated irrigation
meters or equivalent technology in connection with CII water use;
Aggregate estimated efficient water losses;
Aggregate estimated water use for variances approved the State Water Board;
Allowable potable reuse water bonus incentive adjustments.
Table 9-4 describes MET’s programs that will assist the City in meeting their WUO through both direct
measures: programs/activities that result in directly quantifiable water savings; and indirectly: programs
that provide resources promoting water efficiencies to the public that are impactful but not directly
measurable.
Table 9-4: MET Programs to Assist in Meeting WUO
WUO
Component Calculation Program Impact
Indoor
Residential
Population and
GPCD standard
Direct Impact
HECW
HET
Multi-Family HET (DAC/
non-DAC)
Direct Impact: Increase
of indoor residential
efficiencies and
reductions of GPCD use
Outdoor
Residential
Irrigated/irrigable
area measurement
and a percent
factor of local ETo
Direct Impact
Turf Removal
Smart Timer
HEN
Rain Barrels/Cisterns
Direct Impact: Increase
outdoor residential
efficiencies and
reductions of gallons
per ft2 of irrigated/
irrigable area used
Outdoor
Dedicated
Irrigation
Meters
Irrigated/irrigable
area measurement
and a percent
factor of local ETo
Direct Impact
Turf Removal
Smart Timer
HEN
Direct Impact: Increase
outdoor residential
efficiencies and
reductions of gallons
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WUO
Component Calculation Program Impact
Central Computer Irrigation
Controllers
Large Rotary Nozzles
In-Stem Flow Regulators
per ft2 of irrigated/
irrigable area used
Indirect Impact:
Provide information,
resources, and
education to promote
efficiencies in the
landscape
Water Loss Following the
AWWA M36 Water
Audits and Water
Loss Control
Program, Fourth
Edition and AWWA
Water Audit
Software V5
Direct Impact
Water Balance Validation
Customer Meter Accuracy
Testing
Distribution System
Pressure Surveys
Distribution System Leak
Detection
No-Discharge Distribution
System Flushing
Water Audit Compilation
Component Analysis
Direct Impact: Identify
areas of the distribution
system that need repair,
replacement or other
action
CII Performance Measures
Urban water supplies are expected to report BMPs and more for CII customers. Through MET, the City
offers a broad variety of programs and incentives to help CII customers implement BMPs and increase
their water efficiencies.
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Table 9-5: CII BMP Implementation Programs Offered
Component Program Offered Impact
CII Performance Measures Water Savings Incentive
Program (WSIP)
On-Site Retrofit
Program (ORP)
HETs
HE Urinals
Plumbing Flow Control
Valves
Connectionless Food
Steamers
Air-cooled Ice Machines
Cooling Tower
Conductivity controllers
Cooling Tower pH
Controllers
Dry Vacuum Pumps
Laminar Flow
Restrictors
WSIP incentivizes customized
CII water efficiency projects that
utilize BMPs.
ORP incentivizes the conversion
of potable to recycled water,
and is applicable to CII
dedicated irrigation meters or
CII mixed-use meters that may
be split to utilize recycled water
for irrigation.
Additional CII rebates based on
BMPS increase the economic
feasibility of increasing water
efficiencies.
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10 PLAN ADOPTION, SUBMITTAL, AND IMPLEMENTATION
The Water Code requires the UWMP to be adopted by the Supplier’s governing body. Before the
adoption of the UWMP, the Supplier has to notify the public and the cities and counties within its service
area per the Water Code and hold a public hearing to receive input from the public on the UWMP.
Post adoption, the Supplier submits the UWMP to DWR and the other key agencies and makes it
available for public review.
This section provides a record of the process the City followed to adopt and implement its UWMP.
Overview
Recognizing that close coordination among other relevant public agencies is key to the success of its
UWMP, the City worked closely with many other entities, including representation from diverse social,
cultural, and economic elements of the population within the City’s service area, to develop and update
this planning document. The City also encouraged public involvement through its public hearing process,
which provided residents with an opportunity to learn and ask questions about their water supply
management and reliability. Through the public hearing, the public has an opportunity to comment and
put forward any suggestions for revisions of the Plan.
Table 10-1 summarizes external coordination and outreach activities carried out by the City and their
corresponding dates. The UWMP checklist to confirm compliance with the Water Code is provided in
Appendix A.
Table 10-1: External Coordination and Outreach
External Coordination and Outreach Date Reference
Notified the cities and counties within the Supplier’s service area
that Supplier is preparing an updated UWMP (at least 60 days
prior to public hearing)
3/8/2021 Appendix K
Public Hearing Notice 5/19/2021 &
5/28/2021 Appendix K
Held Public Hearing 6/1/2021 Appendix K
Adopted UWMP 6/1/2021 Appendix L
Submitted UWMP to DWR (no later than 30 days after adoption) 7/1/2021 -
Submitted UWMP to the California State Library (no later than 30
days after adoption) 7/1/2021 -
Submitted UWMP to the cities and counties within the Supplier’s
service area (no later than 30 days after adoption) 7/1/2021 -
Made UWMP available for public review (no later than 30 days
after filing with DWR) 8/1/2021 -
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This UWMP was adopted by the City Council on June 1, 2021. A copy of the adopted resolution is
provided in Appendix L.
Agency Coordination
The Water Code requires the Suppliers preparing UWMPs to notify any city or county within their service
area at least 60 days prior to the public hearing. As shown in Table 10-2, the City sent a Letter of
Notification to the County of Orange and the City of Orange on March 8, 2021 to state that it was in the
process of preparing an updated UWMP (Appendix K).
Table 10-2: Retail: Notification to Cities and Counties
DWR Submittal Table 10-1 Retail: Notification to Cities
and Counties
City Name 60 Day Notice Notice of Public
Hearing
Orange
County Name 60 Day Notice Notice of Public
Hearing
Orange County
The City's water supply planning relates to the policies, rules, and regulations of its regional and local
water providers. The City is dependent on imported water from MET, its regional wholesaler. The City is
also dependent on groundwater from OCWD, the agency that manages the OC Basin and provides
recycled water in partnership with the OC San. As such, the City involved the relevant agencies in this
2020 UWMP at various levels of contribution as described below.
This 2020 UWMP was developed in collaboration with MET’s 2020 UWMP to ensure consistency
between the two documents. MET provided the information quantifying water availability to meet the
City’s projected demands for the next 25 years, in five-year increments.
MWDOC provided assistance to the City’s 2020 UWMP development by providing much of the data and
analysis such as population projections from the California State University at Fullerton CDR and demand
projections for the next 25 years. Additionally, MWDOC led the effort to develop a Model Water Shortage
Ordinance that its retail agencies as well as the City, Anaheim and Fullerton can adopt as is or customize
and adopt as part of developing their WSCPs. The City also takes part in many regional programs
administered by MWDOC to assist retail agencies meet various State compliance, such as the OC
Regional Alliance for SB x7-7 compliance, regional water loss program for SB555 compliance, and
regional water conservation programs.
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As a groundwater producer who relies on supplies from the OCWD-managed OC Basin, the City
coordinated the preparation of this 2020 UWMP with OCWD. Several OCWD documents, such as the
Groundwater Reliability Plan, Engineer’s Report, and 2017 Basin 8-1 Alternative were used to retrieve the
required relevant information, including the projections of the amount of groundwater the City is allowed
to extract in the 25-year planning horizon.
The various planning documents of the key agencies that were used to develop this UWMP are listed in
Section 2.2.1.
Public Participation
The City encouraged community and public interest involvement in the Plan update through a public
hearing and inspection of the draft document on June 1, 2021. As part of the public hearing, the City
discussed adoption of the UWMP, SBx7-7 baseline values, compliance with the water use targets
(Section 5), implementation, and economic impacts of the water use targets (Section 9).
Copies of the draft plan were made available for public inspection at the City Clerk’s and Utilities
Department offices.
Public hearing notifications were published in local newspapers. A copy of the published Notice of Public
Hearing is included in Appendix K.
The hearing was conducted during a regularly scheduled meeting of the City Council.
UWMP Submittal
The City Council reviewed and approved the 2020 UWMP at its June 1, 2021 meeting after the public
hearing. See Appendix L for the resolution approving the Plan.
By July 1, 2021, the City’s adopted 2020 UWMP was filed with DWR, California State Library, the County
of Orange and the City of Orange. The submission to DWR was done electronically through the online
submittal tool – WUE Data Portal. The City will make the Plan available for public review on its website no
later than 30 days after filing with DWR.
Amending the Adopted UWMP or WSCP
Based on DWR’s review of the UWMP, the City will make any amendments in its adopted UWMP, as
required and directed by DWR and will follow each of the steps for notification, public hearing, adoption,
and submittal for the amending the adopted UWMP.
If the City revises its WSCP after UWMP is approved by DWR, then an electronic copy of the revised
WSCP will be submitted to DWR within 30 days of its adoption.
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11 REFERENCES
California Department of Housing and Community Development. (2020). Accessory Dwelling Units
(ADUs) and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs). https://www.hcd.ca.gov/policy-
research/accessorydwellingunits.shtml
California Department of Water Resources (DWR). (2020a, January). California’s Most Significant
Droughts: Comparing Historical and Recent Conditions. https://water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-
Website/Web-Pages/What-We-Do/Drought-Mitigation/Files/Publications-And-
Reports/a6022_CalSigDroughts19_v9_ay11.pdf. Accessed on October 12, 2020.
California Department of Water Resources (DWR). (2020b, August 26). The Final State Water Project
Delivery Capability Report (DCR) 2019. https://data.cnra.ca.gov/dataset/state-water-project-
delivery-capability-report-dcr-2019. Accessed on December 28, 2020.
California Department of Water Resources (DWR). (2020c, August). Draft Urban Water Management
Plan Guidebook 2020. https://water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Programs/Water-
Use-And-Efficiency/Urban-Water-Use-Efficiency/Urban-Water-Management-Plans/Draft-2020-
UWMP-Guidebook.pdf?la=en&hash=266FE747760481ACF779F0F2AAEE615314693456.
Accessed on December 28, 2020.
CDM Smith. (2021, March 30). Orange County Water Demand Forecast for MWDOC and OCWD
Technical Memorandum.
City of La Habra, Irvine Ranch Water District, & Orange County Water District. (2017, January 1). Basin
8-1 Alternative. https://www.ocwd.com/media/4918/basin-8-1-alternative-final-report-1.pdf.
Accessed on December 29, 2020.
City of Santa Ana. (2015). Urban Water Management Plan.
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MET). (2021, June). 2020 Urban Water
Management Plan.
Orange County Water District. (2021, February). 2019-2020 Engineer’s Report on the Groundwater
Conditions, Water Supply and Basin Utilization in the Orange County Water District.
https://www.ocwd.com/media/8791/2018-19-engineers-report-final.pdf. Accessed on December
30, 2020.
Orange County Water District. (2020). 2018-2019 Engineer’s Report on the Groundwater Conditions,
Water Supply and Basin Utilization in the Orange County Water District.
Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD). (2021). San Juan Watershed Project. About the Project: Phases.
http://sanjuanwatershed.com/about-the-project/eir/phases/. Accessed on April 20, 2021.
Tetra Tech. 2017 Water Master Plan: City of Santa Ana. January 2018. https://www.santa-
ana.org/sites/default/files/Documents/2017WaterMasterPlan.pdf
The Metropolitan Water District Act. (1969).
http://www.mwdh2o.com/Who%20We%20Are%20%20Fact%20Sheets/1.2_Metropolitan_Act.pdf
Santa Ana 2020 Urban Water Management Plan
arcadis.com
11-2
United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR). (2012, December). Colorado River Basin Water
Supply and Demand Study: Study Report.
https://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/programs/crbstudy/finalreport/Study%20Report/CRBS_Study_Rep
ort_FINAL.pdf. Accessed on December 29, 2020.
University of California Berkeley. (2020). About Accessory Dwelling Units. https://www.aducalifornia.org/.
Accessed on December 9, 2020.
APPENDICES
Appendix A. UWMP Water Code Checklist
Appendix B. DWR Standardized Tables
Appendix C. Reduced Delta Reliance
Appendix D. SBx7-7 Verification and Compliance Forms
Appendix E. 2021 OC Water Demand Forecast for MWDOC and OCWD
Technical Memorandum
Appendix F. AWWA Water Loss Audits
Appendix G. 2017 Basin 8-1 Alternative
Appendix H. Water Shortage Contingency Plan
Appendix I. Water Use Efficiency Implementation Report
Appendix J. Demand Management Measures
Appendix K. Notice of Public Hearing
Appendix L. Adopted UWMP and WSCP Resolutions
arcadis.com
Arcadis U.S., Inc.
320 Commerce
Suite 200
Irvine, California 92602
Tel 714 730 9052
Fax 714 730 9345
www.arcadis.com
Maddaus Water Management, Inc.
105 Zephyr Place
Danville
California 94526
www.maddauswater.com
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
C&V Consulting, Inc.
CITY OF SANTA ANA
Cabrillo Town Project
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT
ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
PREPARED FOR:
FRH Reality LLC
5510 Morehouse Drive, Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92121
PREPARED BY:
C&V Consulting, Inc.
9830 Irvine Center Drive
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 916-3800
Project Manager: Philip Malcomson, PE
DATE REVISED: FEBRUARY 2023
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
C&V Consulting, Inc.I
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.WSA PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND .................................................................................................4
2.INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................6
2.1. Project Description ......................................................................................................................6
2.1.1. Existing Water Use ...........................................................................................................8
2.1.2. Proposed Water Use ......................................................................................................11
3.REGIONAL WATER SUPPLIES AND DEMANDS ..............................................................................14
3.1. City Water Supplies ...................................................................................................................14
3.2. City Water Demands..................................................................................................................20
4.REGIONAL WATER SUPPLY RELIABILITY ........................................................................................22
4.1. Metropolitan Water District regional water supply reliability.............................................22
4.2. OCWD and City of Santa Ana Local Water supply reliability ................................................24
5.CONCLUSION......................................................................................................................................27
6.REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................29
7.TECHNICAL APPENDICES ..................................................................................................................30
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Vicinity Map...........................................................................................................................7
Figure 2 Exiting Land Use Aerial.......................................................................................................10
Figure 3 Proposed Cabrillo Town Center Site Plan ........................................................................12
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
C&V Consulting, Inc.II
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Project Home Type Details ...................................................................................................6
Table 2 Proposed Water Demands....................................................................................................8
Table 3 City of Santa Ana Connections to Metropolitan Facilities ..............................................11
Table 4 City of Santa Ana Actual Demands for Potable and Non-Potable Water .....................14
Table 5 City of Santa Ana Groundwater Production 2020-21......................................................17
Table 6 City of Santa Ana Projected Total Water Demands.........................................................22
Table 7 Metropolitan Climate Scenario Water Supply Capability and Projected Demands
Comparison from 2025-2040 (AF) ..................................................................................................23
Table 8 City of Santa Ana Multiple Climate Scenario Water Supply and Demand Comparison
from 2025-2045 (AF) ........................................................................................................................26
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix A – Proposed Project Water Demand Calculations
Appendix B – City of Santa Ana Landscape Guidelines
Appendix C – SGMA Basin 8-1 Alternative Plan
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
C&V Consulting, Inc.III
ACRONYMS & ABREVIATIONS
AF Acre-Feet
AFY Acre-Feet per Year
BEA Basin Equity Assessment
BPP Basin Production Percentage
CDR Center for Demographic Research
CEQA California Environmental Quality Act
CII Commercial, Industrial and Institutional
cfs cubic feet per second
CRA Colorado River Aqueduct
DU Dwelling Unit
DWR Department of Water Resources
GPCD Gallons per Capita per Day
gpd gallons per day
GWRS Groundwater Replenishment System
LTFP Long Term Facilities Plan
M&I Municipal and Industrial
MG Million Gallons
OCWD Orange County Water District
QSA Quantification Settlement Agreement
RA Replenishment Assessment
SANDAG San Diego Association of Governments
SAR Santa Ana River
SB Senate Bill
SCAG Southern California Association of Governments
SF Square Feet
SWP State Water Project
UWMP Urban Water Management Plan
WSA Water Supply Assessment
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT NOVEMBER 21, 2022
4
1.WSA PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND
This Water supply Assessment (WSA) was prepared for FRH Reality LLC as the project
sponsor/applicant, and the City of Santa Ana (“City” or “Santa Ana”) as the lead agency
under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), by C&V Consulting, Inc. (C&V), as
the consultant, regarding the Cabrillo Town Center Project (“Cabrillo Town Center” or
“Project”). SB 610 is an act that amended Section 21151.9 of the Public Resources Code,
and Sections 10656, 10910, 10911, 10912, and 10915 of the Water Code. SB 610 was
approved by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State on October 9, 2001, and
became effective January 1, 2002.
Under SB 610, WSAs must be furnished to local governments for inclusion in environmental
documentation for certain projects (as defined in Water Code 10912 [a]) subject to CEQA.
Due to increased population, land use changes and water demands, this water bill seeks to
improve the link between information on water availability and certain land use decisions
made by cities and counties. SB 610 takes a significant step toward managing the demand
of California’s water supply as it provides regulations and incentives to preserve and protect
future water needs. The intent of this bill is to coordinate local water supply and land use
decisions to help provide California’s cities, farms, and industrial developments with
adequate water supplies.
With the introduction of SB 610, any project under CEQA shall provide a WSA if the project
meets the definition of the Water Code Section 10912. “Project” means any of the
following:
A proposed residential development of more than 500 dwelling units.
A proposed shopping center or business establishment employing more than 1,000
persons or having more than 500,000 square feet of floor space.
A proposed commercial office building employing more than 1,000 persons or
having more than 250,000 square feet of floor space.
A proposed hotel or motel, or both, having more than 500 rooms.
A proposed industrial, manufacturing, or processing plant, or industrial park planned
to house more than 1,000 persons, occupying more than 40 acres of land, or having
more than 650,000 square feet of floor area.
A mixed-use project that includes one or more of the projects specified in this
subdivision.
A project that would demand an amount of water equivalent to, or greater than, the
amount of water required by a 500 dwelling unit project.
If a public water system has fewer than 5,000 service connections, then “project”
means any proposed residential, business, commercial, hotel or motel, or industrial
development that would account for an increase of 10 percent or more in the
number of the public water system’s existing service connections, or mixed-use
project that would demand an amount of water equivalent to, or greater than, the
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
5
amount of water required by residential development that would represent an
increase of 10 percent or more in number of the public water system’s existing
service connections.
After review of Water Code Section 10912, the 4th and Cabrillo Project is deemed a “Project”
because it proposes a residential development of more than 500 dwelling units.
In addition, it is also necessary to include the passing (September 24, 2016) of Senate Bill 1262
(Chapter 594) which acts to amend Section 66473.7 of the Government Code, and to amend
Section 10910 of the Water Code, relating to land use1 and the Sustainable Groundwater
Management Act (SGMA) that was passed by California’s Governor on September 16, 2014.
Pursuant to SB 1262, as January 1, 2017, WSAs are now required to include certain SGMA-
related information if water supply for a proposed project includes groundwater. Specifically, if
a water supply for a proposed project includes groundwater, the following additional
information shall be included in the water supply assessment:
A description of any groundwater basin or basins from which the proposed project will
be supplied.
For those basins for which a court or the board has adjudicated the rights to pump
groundwater, a copy of the order or decree adopted by the court or the board and a
description of the amount of groundwater the public water system, or the city or county
if either is required to comply with this part pursuant to subdivision (b), has the legal
right to pump under the order or decree.
For a basin that has not been adjudicated that is a basin designated as high- or medium-
priority pursuant to Section 10722.4, information regarding the following:
o Whether the department has identified the basin as being subject to critical
conditions of overdraft pursuant to Section 12924.
o If a groundwater sustainability agency has adopted a groundwater sustainability
plan or has an approved alternative, a copy of that alternative or plan.
For a basin that has not been adjudicated that is a basin designated as low- or very low
priority pursuant to Section 10722.4, information as to whether the department has
identified the basin or basins as over drafted or has projected that the basin will become
over drafted if present management conditions continue, in the most current bulletin of
the department that characterizes the condition of the groundwater basin, and a
detailed description by the public water system, or the city or county if either is required
to comply with this part pursuant to subdivision (b), of the efforts being undertaken in
the basin or basins to eliminate the long-term overdraft condition.
As described in more detail throughout this WSA, the proposed Project will utilize water from
the Orange County Groundwater Basin that is designated as a medium priority basin. Therefore,
1 Senate Bill No. 1262, CHAPTER 594, found here:
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1262
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
6
additional information regarding groundwater supply and management will be included in the
WSA to satisfy the requirements of SB 1262.
2. INTRODUCTION
2.1 PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Cabrillo Town Center Project is an approximately 9.0-acre residential and mixed-use
commercial project located in the City of Santa Ana. The Project address is bounded by East 4th
Street and Cabrillo Park Drive to the south and west, office buildings to the east, and Cabrillo
Park to the north. See Figure 1 for a vicinity map of the proposed site location. The existing
property is currently occupied by four-3-story office buildings.
The proposed project includes the development of a five-story mixed-use building consisting of
449 apartment units, approximately 23,300 SF of retail and commercial space, and a garage at
the south side of the site, and 58 townhome units at the north side of the site.
Parking for the project will be provided within a garage structure for the mixed-use building and
street parking and home garages for the townhomes. Amenities of the project include pool,
spa, fitness center, lounge, and clubroom. Landscaped open space is provided through common
areas and courtyards. See Table 1 below for additional specifications related to the proposed
project.
Table 1 Project Home Type Details
Home Type Unit Count Percentage of Total Unit
Count
Studio Apartment 23 4.5%
1 bedroom Apartment 264 52.1%
2 bedroom Apartment 148 29.2%
Live/work+2 bedroom Apt 14 2.8%
2 bedroom townhome 26 5.1%
3 bedroom townhome 20 3.9%
4 bedroom townhome 12 2.4%
Total 507 100%
As mentioned above, the purpose of this WSA is to provide information to confirm that the City
of Santa Ana has sufficient water supply to provide for the proposed project in addition to other
service area demands now and into the future. This WSA compares the existing water demand
of the project site to the proposed water demand of the project and to the City of Santa Ana
regional water supplies and demands through 2040.
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
7
Figure 1 Vicinity Map
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
8
2.1.1 Existing Water Use
The existing land use of the project site is occupied by four 3-story commercial buildings and
their associated parking lot. Building 1 located in the southwest corner of the property has a
footprint of approximately 21,054 SF. Building 2 located southeast corner of the property has a
footprint of approximately 29,224 SF. Building 3 located at the center of the property (end of
the driveway entering from the intersection of Cabrillo Park Drive and Parkcourt Place) has a
footprint of approximately 19,602 SF. Building 4 located in the northwest corner of the
property has a footprint of approximately 17,202 SF. Total existing landscape on the site is
approximately 51,982 SF. See Figure 2 for an aerial image of the existing land uses at the
property.
Water Demand factors from the City of Santa Ana Design Guidelines for Water and Sewer
Facilities (November 2020)2 are as follows:
Single Family: 130 gpd/capita
Multiple Family: 120 gpd/capita
High-Rise Residential: 110 gpd/capita
Commercial Recreational (hotels/motels): 180 gpd/capita
Commercial: 2,500 gpd/acre
Industrial: 3,500 gpd/acre
Open Space/Parks/Landscape Areas: 3,000 gpd/acre
A commercial water demand factor of 2,500 gallons per day (gpd) per acre was utilized for the
four existing commercial office buildings. In addition, a landscape water demand factor of 3,000
gpd/acre was utilized for the scattered landscaping at the Project site. See Table 2 below for
estimated existing water demands of the Project site.
Table 2 Existing Water Demands
Existing Land
Use
Land Use
Square
Footage
Land Use
Acreage
Water
Demand
Factor
(gpd/acre)
Existing
Water
Demand
(gpd)
Existing
Water
Demand
(AFY)
Building 1 21,054 0.48 2,500 1,200 1.3
Building 2 29,224 0.67 2,500 1,675 1.9
Building 3 19,602 0.45 2,500 1,125 1.3
Building 4 17,202 0.39 2,500 975 1.1
Landscaped
Area
51,982 1.19 3,000 3,570 4.0
Total 139,064 3.18 8,545 9.6
2 City of Santa Ana Design Guidelines for Water and Sewer Facilities (November 2020). Found here:
https://www.santa-ana.org/documents/design-guidelines-standard-drawings-for-water-sewer-facilities/
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
9
As shown in Table 2, the estimated existing water use at the project site is approximately 8,545
gallons per day (gpd) or 9.6 acre-feet per year (AFY). An estimated annual difference between
existing water demands and proposed water demands resulting from the proposed project are
calculated and shown in Section 2.1.2 below.
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
10
Figure 2 Aerial Cabrillo Town Center Project
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
11
Section 2.1.2 Proposed Water Use
The Project consist of a total of 507 residential units comprised of 23 studio apartments, 264
one-bedroom apartments, 148 two-bedroom apartments, 14 two-bedroom live/work units, 26
two-bedroom townhomes, 20 three-bedroom townhomes, and 12 four-bedroom townhomes.
Amenities include fitness areas, courtyards, clubroom, and other lounging areas. Additionally,
the project consists of approximately 23,300 SF of commercial space. Approximately 108,676 of
open space is proposed as common areas and private open spaces. See Figure 3 for the
proposed site plan for the project.
The total project residential water demands include estimates of both indoor and outdoor
water demands. Indoor water demands include toilet-flushing, showers, baths, dishwashers,
washing machines, faucets, and leakage. Outdoor water demands include landscape irrigation
estimates. The estimates for residential water demands were developed by following the City
of Santa Ana Design Guidelines for Water and Sewer Facilities (November 2020).
Table 3 Proposed Water Demands
Land Use
Type
Project DU or
acreage
Unit Water Demand1 Daily Water Usage
(gpd)
Annual Water
Usage (AFY)
Residential-
Multifamily
507 190 gpd/DU1 96,330 108.0
Commercial 0.53 2,500 gpd/acre2 1,337 1.5
Open Space 2.94 3,000 gpd/acre2 8,820 9.9
Total Project Water Demand
507 Residential Units
106,487 119.4
Notes
1 Municipal Water District of Orange County – Orange County Water Reliability Study (December 2016)
2 City of Santa Ana Design Guidelines for Water and Sewer Facilities (November 2020)
The proposed Project would have an annual water demand of approximately 119 AFY.
That would be an approximately 110 AFY increase in water demand compared to the existing
water demands at the project site. The following sections evaluates the ability for the City to
meet the proposed increase in water demands.
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144 NORTH ORANGE ST., ORANGE, CA 92866
(714) 639-9860
AO ARCHITECTS
CABRILLO TOWN CENTER SANTA ANA, CA
DATE: 11-10-2022
JOB NO.: 2021-591
G1.0OVERALL SITE PLAN
1"=50'-0"
50'100'150'0 25'
NORTH14'-0"8'-0"14'-0"15'-0"15'-0"15'-0"15'-0"15'-0"15'-0"30'-2"
30'-0"
31'-11"
32'-3"87'-5"124'-1"
61'-9"85'-5"54'-5"63'-9"10'-0"
•STREET TREES TO BE INSTALLED AS 24” BOX SIZE PER THE CITY STANDARDS &
APPROVED PLAN, AS NEEDED
• STREET TREES TO BE 35’ O.C. ALONG THE PROJECT FRONTAGE, INCLUDING DEEP
ROOT IRRIGATION SYSTEMS, PER CITY STANDARDS. CONTACT THE TREE SECTION
SUPERVISOR (714)647-3337 FOR TREE SPECIES & FOR NUMBER AND SIZE OF REQUIRED
TREES REPLACEMENTS
FAIRFIELD 144 NORTH ORANGE ST., ORANGE, CA 92866(714) 639-9860
AO ARCHITECTS
CABRILLO TOWN CENTER SANTA ANA, CA DATE: 05-11-2022
JOB NO.: 2021-591
OWNER/APPLICANT:FAIRFIELD
5355 Mira Sorrento Place
Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92121
(858)824-6487
Contact: Larry Scott
lscott@ffres.com
PROJECT TEAM
CABRILLOTOWN CENTER
SANTA ANA, CA
SUBMITTAL SET
MAY 11, 2022
VICINITY MAP N.T.S.
SOUTHWEST CORNER VIEW ALONG FOURTH STREET AND CABRILLO PARK DRIVE
CS-1COVER SHEET
SITE
IRVINE BOULEVARD
FIRST STREET
MAIN STREET
4TH STREET
CHESTNUT AVENUE
17TH STREET
GRAND AVENUECABRILLO PARK DRIVEYORBA STREETTUSTIN AVENUERESIDENTIAL ARCHITECT:
AO ARCHITECTS
144 North Orange Street
Orange, CA 92866
(714)639-9860
Contact: Ioanna Magiati,
Salvador Madera
ioannam@aoarchitects.com,
salvadorm@aoarchitects.com
TOWNHOMES ARCHITECT:
KTGY
17911 Von Karman Avenue
Suite 200
Irvine, CA 92614
(949)851-2133
Contact: Bryan Sevy
bsevy@ktgy.com
CIVIL ENGINEER:
C&V CONSULTING, INC.
9830 Irvine Center Drive
Irvine, CA 92618
(949)916-3800
Contact: Dane McDougall
dmcdougall@cvc-inc.net
0’
11-08-2022
25’50’100’
CONCEPTUAL LANDSCAPE PLAN L.1
THE “BACKYARDS “
see sheet L.6
APARTMENT POOL COURTYARD
see sheet L.8
ENTERTAINMENT COURTYARD
see sheet L.7
TOWNHOME POOL COURTYARD
see sheet L.10
6’H DECORATIVE MASONRY WALL
THE “BACKYARDS “
see sheet L.6
SHOPKEEPERS PLAZA
see sheet L.5
TOWN CENTER PLAZA
see sheet L.4
ROOF TERRACE
see sheet L.9
COMMERCIAL
SHOPKEEPERS
CO-WORK
MOVE- IN
MOVE- IN
SHOP-
KEEPERS
SHOP-
KEEPERS
SHOPKEEPERSRETAIL
4TH STREETCABRILLO PARK DRIVEPARKCOURT PLACE
PROPOSED CENTRAL
POINTE APARTMENTS &
RETAIL
CABRILLO PARK
LINE OF SIGHT TRIANGLE
• shrubs maintained to 30” high max
• trees trimmed to trunk 7’ from top
of sidewalk
LINE OF SIGHT TRIANGLE GARAGE ENTRY
LINE OF SIGHT TRIANGLE
• shrubs maintained to 30” high max
• trees trimmed to trunk 7’ from top
of sidewalk
6’H TUBULAR STEEL FENCE
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WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
14
3. REGIONAL WATER SUPPLIES AND DEMANDS
3.1 CITY WATER SUPPLIES
The City of Santa Ana obtains its water through its regional wholesaler, Metropolitan Water
District of Southern California (Metropolitan), local groundwater from Orange County
Groundwater Basin (OC Basin), and recycled water from the Orange County Water District
(OCWD).
The City’s 27.5 square mile water services covers the City of Santa Ana and a small
neighborhood in the City of Orange, near Tustin Avenue and Fairhaven by the northeast corner
of Santa Ana. The city operates ten reservoirs with a storage capacity of 49 million gallons (MG),
seven pumping stations, 21 groundwater wells, four pressure regulating stations, and seven
import water connections. The City maintains 510-mile water main systems with 45,037 service
connections. Currently the City relieves on 76 percent groundwater, 23 percent imported
water, and 1 percent recycled water3. The City’s water supply portfolio is expected to change to
84 percent groundwater, 15 percent imported, and 1 percent recycled water. See Table 4
summarizing the City’s recent water supply to satisfy demands from 2020.
Table 4 City of Santa Ana Actual Demands for Potable and Non-Potable Water
Actual 2020
Use Type Volume (AF)
Single Family 11,916
Multi-Family 9,872
Commercial 5,364
Industrial 987
Institutional/Governmental 1,788
Landscape 1,349
Losses 1,940
Other 24
Total 33,240
Note:
1. Values per the City of Santa Ana 2020 UWMP, Table 4-1
As shown in Table 4 above, the actual demand for water in 2020 was 33,240. In the past decade
the City has an annual average of 36,245 AF. The City’s water use in the last five years
3 2020 Urban Water Management Plan. Found here:
https://www.santa-ana.org/urban-water-management-plan/
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WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
15
decreased below the 10-year average due to the result of Governor Jerry Brown’s mandatory
water conservation in 2014. With the City’s combined use of potable and non-potable water it
ranged from 33,418 to 35,343 between FY2015/16 and FY2019/20. Residential, CII, and large
landscape make up the use for potable water. Non-potable use includes the use of recycled
water for large landscape and golf course irrigation. Additional details on the strategic
management of these resources are explained below.
OCWD Groundwater
The primary source of water for the City is the Orange County Groundwater Basin (“OC Basin”)
which is managed by the Orange County Water District (OCWD). The OC Basin underlies the
north half of Orange County beneath broad lowlands. The OC Basin covers an area of
approximately 350 square miles, bordered by the Coyote and Chino Hills to the north, the Santa
Ana Mountains to the northeast, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, and terminates at the
Orange County line to the northwest, where its aquifer systems continue into the Central Basin
of Los Angeles County.
The OC Basin storage capacity is estimated to be 66 million AF4, of which only a fraction is
available for use to prevent against physical damage to the Basin such as seawater intrusion or
land subsidence. To ensure the Basin is not overdrawn, OCWD recharges the Basin with local
and imported water. The Basin is recharged primarily by four sources including local rainfall,
storm and base flows form the Santa Ana River (SAR), purchased Metropolitan imported water;
and highly treated recycled wastewater. Basin recharge occurs largely in the following recharge
basins that are in or adjacent to the City of Anaheim:
Warner Basin: A 50-foot-deep recharge basin located next to the SAR at the intersection
of the 55 and 91 freeways.
Burris Basin: Located between Lincoln Avenue and Ball Road in the City of Anaheim.
Kraemer Basin: Located adjacent to Burris Pit.
Santiago Creek: Located in the City of Orange between Villa Park Road and E. Bond
Avenue.
As mentioned above, SB 1262 amended Section 10910 of the Water Code and requires the
inclusion of SGMA-related information in WSAs. Specifically, following the SGMA basin
prioritization and designations5, for a non-adjudicated basin that is designated as high- or
medium-priority pursuant to Section 10722.4, information regarding the following must be
included:
Whether the department has identified the basin as being subject to critical conditions
of overdraft pursuant to Section 12924.
4 OCWD Groundwater Management Plan 2015 Update. June 17, 2015.
5 SGMA Groundwater Information Center Interactive Map Application, found here:
https://sgma.water.ca.gov/webgis/?appid=SGMADataViewer#gwlevels
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WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
16
If a groundwater sustainability agency has adopted a groundwater sustainability plan or
has an approved alternative, a copy of that alternative or plan.
The OC Basin (also referred to as Basin 8-1) has been designated as a medium-priority basin
which requires this WSA to address or include information regarding the bullets above. As
mentioned, SGMA provides authority for agencies like OCWD to develop and implement
Groundwater Sustainability Plans or alternative plans (“Alternatives”) that demonstrate the
basin has operated within its sustainable yield over a period of at least 10 years. OCWD decided
to submit an Alternative for evaluation by the California Department of Water Resources
(DWR). An Alternative is required to be submitted to DWR for review no later than January 1,
2017, and every 5 years thereafter. In general, Alternatives must be consistent with one of the
following (Water Code §10733.6(b)):
A plan developed pursuant to Part 2.75 (commencing with Section 10750) or other law
authorizing groundwater management.
Management pursuant to an adjudication action.
An analysis of basin conditions that demonstrates that the basin has operated within its
sustainable yield over a period of at least 10 years. The submission of an alternative
described by this paragraph shall include a report prepared by a registered professional
engineer or geologist who is licensed by the state and submitted under that engineer’s
or geologist’s seal.
OCWD prepared an Alternative that satisfies the third bullet point above to prove the OC Basin
has operated within its sustainable yield over a period of 10 years. This Alternative was
approved by DWR level in July 2019. The Basin 8-1 Alternative is included in Appendix C of this
WSA. The Alternative states that Basin 8-1 has operated within its sustainable yield for more
than 10 years without experiencing significant and unreasonable (1) lowering of groundwater
levels, (2) reduction in storage, (3) water quality degradation, (4) seawater intrusion, (5)
inelastic land subsidence, or (6) depletions of interconnected surface water that have
significant and unreasonable adverse impacts on beneficial uses of the surface water. In
addition, Basin 8-1 has not been in conditions of critical overdraft. DWR has one year to
evaluate the Basin 8-1 Alternative. The paragraphs below will further explain how OCWD
successfully manages the OC Basin to meet these new groundwater monitoring and
managements.
OCWD manages the Basin through the Basin Production Percentage (BPP) which is determined
each water year. The BPP is set bason on groundwater conditions, availability of imported
water supplies, water year precipitation, SAR runoff, and basin management objectives. The
BPP represents an established percentage identifying the amount of groundwater all pumpers
in the Basin can pump without paying a “pumping tax” or Basin Equity Assessment (BEA) to
OCWD. For example, if the BPP is set to 75 percent, all pumpers within the Basin, including the
City, can supply 75 percent of their water needs form the groundwater supplies at a cost
significantly less than the cost of imported water. If groundwater production is equal to or less
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WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
17
than the BPP (i.e., less than 75 percent in the example above), all producers within the Basin
pay a replenishment assessment (RA) fess which is used to fund groundwater replenishment
and recharge programs aimed at ensuring the long-term viability and stability of the Basin. If
groundwater production is greater than the established BPP for that water year (i.e., greater
than 75 percent in the example above), the BEA is determined for the producer of that amount
of groundwater provided in excess of the BPP. The BEA is an additional fee paid on each AF of
water pumped above the BPP, making the total cost of that additional water equal to the higher
cost of imported water form Metropolitan.
According to OCWD’s Engineer’s Report for fiscal year 2020-21, the actual BPP was 77.1 percent
as shown in table 5 below. Total water demands within OCWD were 406,992 AF for the water
year (July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021). Groundwater production for the water year totaled
281,793 AF including any available In-Lieu Program water and excluding Metropolitan
Groundwater Storage Program extractions. Groundwater stored in the basin decreased by
48,000 AF. For the water year, the “annual overdraft” (annual basin storage decrease without
supplemental replenishment water) was 149,800 AF. The accumulated overdraft was 248,000
AF on June 20, 2021.6 The table below shows the water production data from 2020/21 for the
City of Santa Ana.
Table 5 City of Santa Ana Groundwater Production 2020-21
Groundwater Supplemental Water (AF)(AF)Actual
BPP
Groundwater
Producer Non-
Irrigation
Pumping
Metropolitan
CUP Total Delivery Irrigation
Deliveries Total Grand
Total
Non-
Irrigation
Only
City of Santa
Ana 26,104 -26,104 7,738 -7,738 33,842 77.1%
Source: OCWD Engineer’s Report, 2020-21 Engineer’s Report on Groundwater Conditions, Water Supply and Basin Utilization in the Orange County
Water District, Appendix 1
Over the recent past, production capability of the Basin has increased as a result of increased
wastewater reclamation at the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) located in
Fountain Valley. The GWRS, which is designed to turn wastewater into drinking water, is one of
the most technologically advanced wastewater treatment plants in the world. A treatment
plant expansion of 30 million gallons per day was recently put online by OCWD increasing the
recharge capacity of the GWRS to 100 million gallons per day. This equates to the recycling of
over 110,000 AFY of wastewater back into the Basin for future extraction and potable use. A
final expansion of the treatment system is being designed to have a capacity of 130 million
6 OCWD. Engineer’s Report, 2020-21 Engineer’s Report on Groundwater Conditions, Water Supply and Basin
Utilization in the Orange County Water District, February 2022.
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WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
18
gallons per day. Expansion projects to the GWRS increase local water supply reliability and
ensure low-cost water supplies throughout northern Orange County, including the City of Santa
Ana.
Metropolitan Imported Water
The City of Santa Ana is one of only three retail member agencies of Metropolitan in Orange
County. As a member agency, pursuant to the Metropolitan Act, the City has preferential rights
to a certain percentage of water delivered to Metropolitan each year primarily form the State
Water Project and/or the Colorado River Aqueduct as well as other Metropolitan storage
programs. Being a member agency of Metropolitan puts the City in a better position relative to
receiving water directly from Metropolitan, as opposed to other agencies in Orange County
which obtain their imported Metropolitan water through Municipal Water District of Orange
County (MWDOC). The main sources of water metropolitan provides to the City include water
from northern California delivered via the State Water Project (SWP) and water from the
Colorado River Basin delivered via the Colorado River Aqueduct. More details on these sources
of imported water are explained below.
Colorado River
The Colorado River was Metropolitan’s original source of water after Metropolitan’s
establishment in 1928. Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the two largest reservoirs in the United
States, can store 4 times the annual flow of the Colorado River. River flows are primarily
generated from snowpack in the Rocky Mountains. Colorado River water is allocated and
delivered to seven states in the US including Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona,
Nevada, and California. Mexico also has an allocation of 1.5 million acre-feet (MAF) along the
Colorado River each year.
California’s urban water allocation is managed by Metropolitan and imported from the
Colorado River via the Colorado River Aqueduct (CRA) which is stored at Diamond Valley Lake
and Lake Mathews in Riverside County. The CRA includes supplies form the implementation of
the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) and related agreements to transfer water from
agricultural agencies in Imperial County to urban uses throughout Southern California including
Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego. The 2003 QSA enabled California to implement
major Colorado river water conservation and transfer programs, stabilizing water supplies for
75 years and reducing the state’s demand on the river to its 4.4 MAF entitlement. Colorado
River transactions are potentially available to supply additional water up to the CRA capacity of
1.25 MAF on an as-needed basis.
California is apportioned to the largest allocation on the river of 4.4 MAF of water from the
Colorado River each year plus one-half of any surplus that may be available for use collectively
in Arizona, California, and Nevada. In addition, California has historically been allowed to use
Colorado River water apportioned to but not used by Arizona or Nevada. Metropolitan has a
basic entitlement of 550,000 AFY of Colorado River water, plus surplus water up to additional
662,000 AFY if certain conditions exist. The remainder of California’s allocation goes to Imperial
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WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
19
County, primarily to the Imperial Irrigation District, and is used mainly for agriculture
production.
Over the past 16 years (2000-2015), there have only been three years when the Colorado River
flow has been above average.7 The long-term imbalance in future supply and demand is
projected to be approximately 3.2 MAF by the year 2060. Actions are currently being taken and
planned in the (future to resolve the imbalance between water supply and demand in areas
thot use Colorado River water. Such actions include the resolution of uncertainties related to
water conservation, reuse, water banking, and weather modification concepts.8
State Water Project
The State Water Project (SWP) collects water from rivers in Northern California and
redistributes it to the water-scarce but populous central and southern portions of California
through a network of aqueducts, pumping stations, and power plants. Approximately 70% of
the water provided by the SWP is used for urban areas and industry in Southern California and
the San Francisco Bay Area, and 30% is used for irrigation in the Central Valley. The availability
of water supplies from the SWP can be highly variable. A wet water year may be followed by a
dry water year which restricts the amount of water that can be delivered throughout California.
Metropolitan’s SWP imported water is stored at Castaic Lake on the western side of
Metropolitan’s service area and at Silverwood Lake near San Bernardino, as well as in Diamond
Valley Lake.
The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta) is key to the SWP’s ability to deliver water to its
agricultural and urban contractors. The Delta faces many challenges concerning its long-term
sustainability such as climate change posing a threat of increased variability in floods and
droughts. Sea level rise complicates efforts in managing salinity levels and preserving water
quality in the Delta to ensure a suitable water supply for urban and agricultural use.
Furthermore, other challenges include continued subsidence of Delta islands, many of which
are below sea level, and the related threat of a catastrophic level failure as the water pressure
increases, or because of a major seismic event.
Metropolitan’s Board approved a Delta Action Plan in June 2007 that provides a framework for
staff to pursue actions with other agencies and stakeholders to build a sustainable Delta and
reduce conflicts between water supply conveyance and the environment. The Delta action plan
aims to prioritize immediate short-term actions to stabilize the Delta while an ultimate solution
is selected, and mid-term steps to maintain the Delta while a long-term solution is
implemented. Currently, Metropolitan is working towards addressing three basic elements:
Delta ecosystem restoration, water supply conveyance, and flood control protection and
storage development.
7 2020 Metropolitan UWMP.
8 2012 USBR Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study.
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WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
20
In April 2015, the Brown Administration announced California WaterFix, as well as a separate
ecosystem restoration effort called California EcoRestore (formerly known as the Bay Delta
Conservation Plan). Together, the California WaterFix and California EcoRestore would make
significant contributions toward achieving the coequal goals of providing a more reliable water
supply for California and protecting, restoring, and enhancing the Delta ecosystem. The
WaterFix was aimed at making physical and operational improvements to the SWP system in
the Della necessary to restore and protect ecosystem heath, south-of-Delta SWP water
supplies, and water quality.
In May 2019, the Newsom Administration revised their stance on the WaterFix in response to
multiple legal challenges. The revised project would include the construction of one tunnel
instead of the previously proposed two-tunnel system. At this time, the DWR and the US
Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) have withdrawn their water rights petition (the WaterFix Petition)
and the project has been postponed indefinitely.
Recycled Water
The city depends on OCWD for its recycled water supply for non-potable uses such as irrigation.
OCWD provided 352 AF of recycled water to the City of Santa Ana in 2015 as part of the Green
Acres Project (GAP). OCWD owns and operates the GAP, a water recycling system that provides
up to 8,400 AFY of recycled water an alternate source of water that is mainly delivered to parks,
golf courses, greenbelts, cemeteries, and nurseries in the cities of Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley,
Newport Beach, in addition to Santa Ana. The City maintains an agreement with OCWD to
supply GAP water to customers where available. It is anticipated that recycled water supplied
to the City will maintain around 300 AFY through 2040.
3.2 CITY WATER DEMANDS
The City’s Water Utility provides water service within a 27.5-square mile service area to a
population of approximately 308,459 as of May 2022.9 The City is almost completely built-out
and its population is projected to increase by 16 percent by 2045. Approximately 65.5 percent
of the City's water demand is residential including single family and multi-family residential
units. Commercial land uses, including dedicated landscape, accounts for the remaining 24.5
percent of the total demand. The 2020 UWMP10 highlighted that water demands for the fiscal
year of 2019/20 were 33,240 AF.
In April 2015 Governor Brown issued an Executive Order as result of one of the most severe
droughts in California’s history requiring a collective reduction in statewide urban water use of
25% by February 2016, with each agency in the state given a specific reduction target by DWR.
In response to the Governor’s mandate, the City began to track its water wasting prohibition
enforcement activities. On June 2, 2015, the City declared a Phase 2 water supply shortage in
9 Center of Demographics Research (CDR) at California State University, Fullerton
10 2020 City of Santa Ana Urban Water Management Plan. Found here: https://www.santa-
ana.org/documents/2020-urban-water-management-plan/
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WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
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Resolution No. 2015-025 by formally requiring all water consumers to reduce use by 12 percent
relative to their 2013 consumption. Additionally, on August 4, 2015, a water wasting penalty
rate was established by Resolution No. 2015-047. This new penalty rate permits City staff to
penalize those users not meeting their water use reduction targets of 12 percent. The City of
Santo Ana as a whole met its State mandated target; as a result, the City did not have to impose
any monetary penalties on any of its users.
As of January 18, 2022, Governor Newson proclaimed a drought state emergency for all
counties in California. Emergency regulations went into effect and will remain in effect for one
year.11 The City has adopted new water conservation requirements effected June 7, 2022; these
regulations primarily target outdoor use. As example, the City limits outdoor watering to two
days a week and only between the hours of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.12
Such restrictions have significantly reduced water demands throughout California. In addition
to these mandated restrictions, cities must follow the Water Conservation Act of 2009, also
known as Senate Bill (SB)x7-7. This law required the State of California to reduce urban water
use by 20 percent by the year 2020. The City must determine baseline water use during their
baseline period and water use targets for the years 2015 and 2020 to meet the state’s water
reduction goal. The City’s 2015 target was 123 gallons per capita per day (GPCD) and the 2020
target is 116 GPCD. The 2020 UWMP reported that the City has already met both the 2015 and
2020 targets which an actual use in 2015 of 83 GPCD. This is likely due to increased
conservation as required by the Governor’s Executive Order during severe drought conditions
throughout California.
The City’s water demand has been decreasing in recent years due to the combination of the
Governor’s Executive Order and SBx7-7 goals. While residential use is projected to decrease
due to water efficiency measures, usage by CII is projected to increase. CII were broken down
into commercial, industrial, and institutional/governmental for 2025 through 2045 as shown in
Table 6 below.
11 SWRCB Water Conservation Portal – Emergency Conservation Regulation, accessed on 11/11/22. Found here:
https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/conservation_portal/regs/emergency_regulation.html
12 City of Santa Ana – Water Conservation Website, accessed 11/11/22. Found here: https://www.santa-
ana.org/water-conservation/
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WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
22
Table 6 City of Santa Ana Projected Total Water Demands (AFY)
Water
Demand Type
2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045(opt)
Potable and
Raw Water
33,240 33,633 34,146 33,881 33,589 33,578
Recycled
Water
249 249 249 249 249 249
Total Water
Demand
33,489 33,882 34,395 34,130 33,838 33,827
Source: 2020 City of Santa Ana UWMP
The 2020 Metropolitan UWMP stated that Metropolitan would be able to meet the demands of
its member agencies, including the City of Santa Ana, through 2045. Therefore, imported water
demands for the City of Santa Ana are projected to be met through the 20-year requirements of
SB 610 and beyond. The City of Santa Ana 2020 UWMP also confirmed the ability of the local
supplies and the OC Basin to meet the growing demands of the City. The ability of the City to
meet these growing demands in multiple climate scenarios is explained in the sections below.
4. REGIONAL WATER SUPPLY RELIABILITY
The City of Santa Ana currently depends on Metropolitan and local groundwater resources to
provide majority of its water supply. This section provides a description of the ability of
Metropolitan, OCWD, and the City to ensure that adequate water supplies will be available to
satisfy the City’s growing water demands including the proposed Project through 2045 during
normal, single dry year, and multiple dry year scenarios.
4.1 METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT REGIONAL WATER SUPPLY RELIABILITY
Metropolitan’s 2020 Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) was finalized in June 2021 and
has been prepared in compliance with Water Code Sections 10608.36 of SB X7-7 and Sections
10610 through 10656 of the Urban Water Management Planning Act (Act). The information
included in the 2020 UWMP represents the most current and available planning projections of
supply capability and demand developed through a collaborative process with the member
agencies, including the City of Santa Ana. The Act requires reporting agencies to describe their
water reliability under a single dry-year, multiple dry-year, and average year conditions, with
projected information in five-year increments for 20 years.
Metropolitan updates its retail municipal and industrial (M&I) projection periodically based on
the release of official regional demographic and economic projections. The projections of retail
M&I water demands used in the 2020 UWMP are based on data from the Southern California
Association of Governments (SCAG) Connect SoCal: The 2020-2045 Regional Transportation
Plan/Sustainable Community Strategy (May 2020) and the San Diego Association of
Governments (SANDAG) San Diego Forward: The 2019 Federal Regional Transportation Plan
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WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
23
(October 2019). The projected regional demand is adjusted to account for water conserved by
best management practices from active, code-based, and price-effect conservation.
Supply analysis includes Colorado River supplies, SWP supplies, and existing proposed storage
programs through Metropolitan’s service area. Colorado River Aqueduct (CRA) supplies include
supplies that would result from existing and committed programs and from implementation of
the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) and related agreements. State Water Project
(SWP) supplies are estimated using the 2019 SWP Delivery Capability Report distributed by the
California Department of Water Resources (DWR) in August 2020. Regarding storage,
Metropolitan assumed the current (2020) storage levels at the start of simulation and used the
median storage levels going into each of the five-year increments based on the balances of
supplies and demands. See Table 7 below showing Metropolitan’s ability to meet growing
demands in normal, single-dry, and multiple-dry year climate scenarios.
Table 7 Metropolitan Climate Scenario Water Supply Capability and Projected Demands
Comparison from 2025-2040 (AF)
Forecast Year 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045
Normal Year
Capability of Current Supply 3,899,000 3,893,000 3,890,000 3,888,000 3,885,000
Total Demands 1,427,000 1,388,000 1,362,000 1,378,000 1,403,000
Supply Programs Under
Development 13,000 13,000 13,000 13,000 13,000
Total Potential Surplus 2,485,000 2,518,000 2,541,000 2,523,000 2,495,000
Single Dry Year
Capability of Current Supply 2,772,000 2,761,000 2,760,000 2,760,000 2,757,000
Total Demands 1,544,000 1,500,000 1,473,000 1,496,000 1,525,000
Supply Programs Under
Development 0 0 0 0 0
Total Potential Surplus 1,228,000 1,261,000 1,287,000 1,264,000 1,232,000
Five Consecutive Water Years
Capability of Current Supply 2,178,800 2,219,000 2,241,000 2,263,000 2,239,000
Total Demands 1,592,000 1,570,000 1,537,000 1,539,000 1,564,000
Supply Programs Under
Development 0 0 0 0 0
Total Potential Surplus 586,800 649,000 704,000 724,000 675,000
Source: 2020 Metropolitan UWMP
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WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
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The findings of the 2020 UWMP highlight that Metropolitan has supply capabilities that would
be sufficient to meet expected demands from 2020 through 2045 under the normal, single dry-
year and five consecutive water dry-years conditions. Metropolitan also has proposed programs
in place to ensure against water shortages in the future. These programs include projects along
the California Aqueduct and the Colorado River Aqueduct in addition to demand reduction
projects. In all climate scenarios, Metropolitan estimated potential surpluses in water supply
through 2045.
The Metropolitan 2020 UWMP was made public in June 2021 and shared with metropolitan’s
member agencies. Once these findings were finalized, the Metropolitan member agencies could
conclude their own 2020 UWMP findings. The City of Santa Ana published their 2020 UWMP
findings in June 2021 after determining Metropolitan would be able to meet the City’s imported
water demands through 2045. The City of Santa Ana and OCWD local water supply reliability is
summarized below.
4.2 OCWD AND CITY OF LOCAL WATER SUPPLY RELIABILITY
Like Metropolitan, the City of Santa Ana is also required to assess the reliability of their water
service to its customers under normal, single-dry, and multiple-dry water years. As mentioned,
the City depends on a combination of imported water from Metropolitan and local
groundwater supplies from OCWD to meet its water demands. The City has taken numerous
steps to ensure it has adequate supplies to provide for growing demands.
The City has several water demand reduction requirements and resources on their website that
informs its customers on how to save water updated June 7, 2022. Some of the main
requirements are summarized below:
Residential
o Outdoor watering of lawns, landscapes, or other turf areas is limited to two days
a week, and only between the hours of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
o Leaks must be repaired within 48 hours of notification by the City.
o No washing down sidewalks or driveways.
o No excessive water flow or runoff that causes water to flow onto an adjoining
sidewalk, driveway, street, alley, gutter, or ditch.
o No washing vehicles with a hose, unless fitted with a shut-off nozzle.
o No operating a fountain or decorative water feature unless the water is part of a
recirculating system.
o No outdoor watering during the 48 hours following measurable rainfall.
Business
o Restaurants, cafes, and bars can only serve water to customers on request.
o Hotels and motels must provide guests with the option of not having towels and
linens laundered daily.
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WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
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In addition, landscape policies have also been modified to allow drought tolerate landscape
throughout the City (see Appendix B). These programs have been successful in reducing water
demands throughout the City’s service area.
OCWD is also taking strides to ensure local water supplies will meet growing demands now and
into the future. As mentioned, OCWD manages the City’s groundwater supply and the entire OC
Basin utilizing the BPP approach. For Water Year 2021-22 the BPP was set at 77 percent. In the
City’s 2020 UWMP, OCWD anticipated being able to sustain the BPP at 85 percent stating in
2025. The expected completion of GWRS Final Expansion (GWRSFE) in 2023 and relatively low
water demands of approximately 400,000 AFY are the reasons for the higher BPP in 2025. The
BPP projection is based off average annual rainfall weather patterns and if the City was to
experience a relatively dry period, the BPP could be reduced to maintain water storage levels as
much as 5 percent.
As shown in Table 9 below, the City’s available supply including OCWD groundwater and
Metropolitan imported water, will meet projected demand during normal, single dry, and
multiple dry years. For the City’s 2020 UWMP, the normal dry year was selected as the City’s
2025 demand. A single dry year is defined as a single year of no to minimal rainfall within a
period that average precipitation is expected to occur. The City has documented that it is 100
percent reliable for single dry year demands from 2025 through 2045 using FY 2017-18 and FY
2018-19 and the single-dry year hydrologic condition by FY 2013-14. Based on the Demand of
Forecast TM (CDM Smith, 2021) there is a 6 percent assumed increased above average year
demands in dry and multiple dry years. Multiple-dry years are defined as three or more years
with minimal rainfall with a period of average precipitation. The City is capable of meeting all
customer’s demands with significant reserves held by Metropolitan, local groundwater
supplies, and conservation in multiple dry years from 2025 through 2045 with a demand
increase of 6 percent using FY 2012-13 through FY 2015-16 as the driest years.
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WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
26
Table 8 City of Santa Ana Multiple Climate Scenario Water Supply and Demand Comparison
from 2025-2045 (AF)
Forecast Year 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045
Normal Year
Supply totals 33,882 34,395 34,130 33,838 33,827
Demand totals 33,882 34,395 34,130 33,838 33,827
Single-Dry Year
Supply totals 35,915 36,459 36,178 35,868 35,857
Demand totals 35,915 36,459 36,178 35,868 35,857
Multiple-Dry Years
First year
Supply totals 35,581 36,024 36,403 36,116 35,866
Demand totals 35,581 36,024 36,403 36,116 35,866
Second year
Supply totals 35,665 36,133 36,347 36,054 35,864
Demand totals 35,665 36,133 36,347 36,054 35,864
Third year
Supply totals 35,748 36,241 36,290 35,992 35,861
Demand totals 35,748 36,241 36,290 35,992 35,861
Fourth year
Supply totals 35,831 36,350 36,234 35,930 35,859
Demand totals 35,831 36,350 36,234 35,930 35,859
Fifth year
Supply totals 35,915 36,459 36,178 35,868 35,857
Demand totals 35,915 36,459 36,178 35,868 35,857
Source: 2020 City of Santa Ana UWMP
As shown in Table 8 above, in all climate scenarios analyzed in the 2020 UWMP, available water
supplies are projected to meet demands. Reliability of local water supplies will be ensured
through continued implementation of the OCWD Groundwater Management Plan, OCWD’s
LTFP, and the combined efforts and programs among member agencies of Metropolitan.
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
27
The City closely monitors development throughout the City to ensure water supplies will meet
growing demand. The City’s 2020 UWMP reports that there were no current City-specific
planned projects that had both concrete timeline and a quantifiable increase in supply. There
were various projects planned though to maintain and improve the water system. Listed below
are some of those projects:
· City Initiatives
o New Well Construction
o Major Well Rehabilitation
· Regional Initiatives
o Poseidon Huntington Beach Ocean Desalination Project
o Doheny Ocean Desalination Project
o San Juan Watershed Project
o South Orange County Emergency Interconnection Expansion
o SARCCUP
The findings of the Metropolitan 2020 UWMP and the City of Santa Ana 2020 UWMP confirm
that the City of Santa Ana will be able to supply water to growing demands within its service
area which satisfies the requirements of SB 610.
5. Conclusion
The City of Santa Ana depends on local and regional water supplies from OCWD and
metropolitan to satisfy growing demands. OCWD has managed the OC Basin for over 75 years
and has plans to sustainably mange the groundwater system through 2045 under the new
California SGMA policies and guidelines. Metropolitan has stated in its 2020 UWMP that its
water supply portfolio will be able to satisfy regional growth and water demands through 2045.
The same findings were concluded in the City of Santa Ana 2020 UWMP as both Metropolitan
and OCWD supplies are projected to meet future water demands.
With the combination of local conservation, regional drought management regulations, and the
City projection of small population increase, the 2020 City UWMP projected that water
demands would increase 1.2 percent by 2025 and decrease slightly by 0.2 percent from 2025
through 2045.
The 2020 UWMP incorporated regional growth projections and as reported there were no City-
specific planned projects that had both concrete timeline and a quantifiable increase in supply.
With various local and regional water demand regulations and the City UWMP projecting water
demand to be stable from 2025 through 2045, this WSA can conclude adequate supplies are
available. Using projected demands per the 2020 UWMP, demand is projected to increase 0.3
percent after completion of the Project. The 0.3 percent increase in demand is well within the
City’s estimated percentage increase of 1.2 by 2025. The City of Santa Ana can provide form
demands of the proposed Project as well as other service area demands within the City of Santa
Ana.
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
28
6. REFERENCES
2020 Metropolitan of Southern California Urban Water Management Plan
2020 Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) Urban Water Management Plan
2020 City of Santa Ana Urban Water Management Plan
Center of Demographics Research (CDR) at California State University, Fullerton
City of Santa Ana – Water Conservation Website, accessed 11/08/2022. Found here:
https://www.santa-ana.org/water-conservation/
City of Santa Ana Design Guidelines for Water and Sewer Facilities (November 2020)
https://www.santa-ana.org/documents/design-guidelines-standard-drawings-for-water-
sewer-facilities/
OCWD Groundwater Management Plan 2015 Update. June 17, 2015
OCWD. 2020-2021 Engineer’s Report on the Groundwater Conditions, Water Supply and Basin
Utilization in the Orange County Water District
Senate Bill No. 1262, CHAPTER 594, found here:
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1262
SGMA Groundwater Information Center Interactive Map Application, found here:
https://sgma.water.ca.gov/webgis/?appid=SGMADataViewer#gwlevels
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
29
APPENDIX A
PROPOSED PROJECT WATER DEMAND CALCULATIONS
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT NOVEMBER 21, 2022
31
Land Use Type Project DU or
acreage
Unit Water Demand1 Daily Water Usage (gpd)Annual Water Usage
(AFY)
Residential-
Multifamily 507
190 gpd/DU1 96,330 108.0
Commercial 0.53 2,500 gpd/acre2 1,337 1.5
Open Space 2.94 3,000 gpd/acre2 8,820 9.9
Total Project Water Demand
507 Residential Units
106,487 119.4
Notes
1 Municipal Water District of Orange County – Orange County Water Reliability Study (December 2016)
2 City of Santa Ana Design Guidelines for Water and Sewer Facilities (November 2020)
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT NOVEMBER 21, 2022
32
APPENDIX B
CITY OF SANTA ANA LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES
M:\Landscape\CA Friendly Landscape Guideline May272015REV.doc
For
In response to the extreme drought conditions throughout California, and the drought State of
Emergency declared by the Governor in 2014, landscape policies have been modified to allow
drought tolerant landscape throughout the city. The following are the Planning Division policy
guidelines for required landscape planting and “ground cover” on private property:
1. 100% of the required landscape for private property MUST be covered with materials such
as plants, compost and mulch, and permeable “hardscape” – with the exception of approved
driveways and walkways. Refer to property zoning district for minimum of trees and shrubs.
http://www.ci.santa-ana.ca.us/pba/planning/ZoningDocuments.asp
2. Plant material must cover at least 65% of the required landscape area.
a. The Landscape Plan MUST be designed such that it can reasonably be assumed that at
least 65% of the site will be covered with plant material by the time the plants are
mature, or within two years, whichever is sooner. This determination will be made at the
sole discretion of Planning and Building Agency staff. Synthetic turf may be installed,
provided it does not exceed 50% of the area designated as plant material for the yard.
For more details on synthetic turf landscape plan requirement see
http://www.santa-ana.org/pba/planning/documents/Synthetic_turf_standards.pdf
b. Plant material is to be dispersed throughout the landscape area.
3. Permeable hardscape may cover no more than 35% of the required landscape area.
a. Permeable hardscape may include pavers and brick set on a bed of sand, where no
mortar or grout has been used.
b. If not covered by permeable hardscape or plant material, landscape must be completely
covered by at least a two-inch layer of mulch. Acceptable mulch includes compost, bark
and other organic material. There can be no bare soil or installation of non-permeable
(material water cannot easily penetrate) hardscape such as a concrete patio or walkway.
c. Permeable hardscape adjacent to approve driveways shall not be used for parking of
vehicles. Permeable hardscape is to no greater than two percent slope to allow for
draining of water into the soil.
4. All plant materials selected from these two websites (LA Coastal Gardens and
www.bewaterwise.com) are acceptable drought tolerant plants.
5. Irrigation systems should also be adjusted to be water efficient through best practices (drip
irrigation, bubblers, etc.)
Additional information and a variety of resources for creating and maintaining a California
Friendly garden are available at http://www.santa-ana.org/SAwatersmart/. For more information
about landscaping your parkway, is please see the “Quick Links” for the Parkway Improvement
Guidelines.
Planning and Building Agency
Planning Division
20 Civic Center Plaza
P.O. Box 1988 (M-20)
Santa Ana, CA 92702
(714) 647-5804
www.santa-ana.org
CALIFORNIA FRIENDLY
LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES
BORHOOD REVIEW
Project Description
M:\Landscape\CA Friendly Landscape Guideline May272015REV.doc
Sample of landscape planting and permeable hardscape
Permeable Hardscape
(35% maximum)
Single Family Residences (R1 zoning district) requires: 20 feet landscape setback
for front yard; to include one 24-inch box canopy tree, six 5-gallon shrubs, ten 1-gallon
shrubs (SAMC 41-240) and “ground cover” (per 2014 City California Friendly
Landscape Guideline). A five feet landscape setback is also required for side yards,
with the exception of approved walkway or driveway.
Landscape Plants
(65% minimum)
20 Feet
Cabrillo Town Center
WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 13, 2023
35
APPENDIX C
SGMA BASIN 8-1 ALTERNATIVE PLAN
W 0Lp
V
CITY OF LA HABRA
14
SINCE 143:
Irvine Ranch
WATER DISTRICT
Basin 8-1 Alternative
Reduced Version. Full document found here:
https://www.ocwd.com/media/4918/basin-8-l-alternative-final-report-1.pdf
Submitted by: Orange County Water District
City of La Habra
Irvine Ranch Water District
Submitted to: California Department of Water Resources
January 1, 2017
Table of Contents
Overview
Hydrogeology of Basin 8-1
III. La Habra -Brea Management Area
IV. OCWD Management Area
V. South East Management Area
VI. Santa Ana Canyon Management Area
Attachment One: Documentation of Public Participation and Agency Approvals
2017 BASIN 8-1 ALTERNATIVE Table of Contents i
Basin 8-1 Overview
BASIN 8-1 ALTERNATIVE
OVERVIEW
The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) requires all high- and medium -priority
basins, as designated by the Department of Water Resources (DWR), be sustainably managed.
DWR designated the Coastal Plain of Orange County Groundwater Basin ("Basin 8-1" or
Basin") as a medium -priority basin, primarily due to heavy reliance on the Basin's groundwater
as a source of water supply.
Compliance with SGMA can be achieved in one of two ways:
1) A Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) is formed and a Groundwater Sustainability
Plan (GSP) is adopted, or
2) Special Act Districts created by statute, such as OCWD, and other agencies may
prepare and submit an Alternative to a GSP.
The agencies within Basin 8-1 have agreed to collaborate together in order to submit an
Alternative to a GSP. Within this document, this Alternative to a GSP will be referred to herein
as the "Basin 8-1 Alternative' or "Alternative". In accordance with Water Code §10733.6(b)(3),
this Alternative presents an analysis of basin conditions that demonstrates that the Basin has
operated within its sustainable yield over a period of at least 10 years. In addition, the
Alternative establishes objectives and criteria for management that would be addressed in a
GSP and is designed to be "functionally equivalent" to a GSP. As will be shown in the Basin 8-1
Alternative, Basin 8-1 has been operated within its sustainable yield for more than 10 years
without experiencing significant and unreasonable (1) lowering of groundwater levels, (2)
reduction in storage, (3) water quality degradation, (4) seawater intrusion, (5) inelastic land
subsidence, or (6) depletions of interconnected surface water that have significant and
unreasonable adverse impacts on beneficial uses of the surface water. Please note that the
boundaries of Basin 8-1 described in this document are based on the scientific boundary
modifications as accepted by DWR in 2016 as part of the Basin Boundary Modification Process.
The Basin 8-1 Alternative has been jointly prepared by the Orange County Water District
OCWD), Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD); and the City of La Habra (collectively the
Submitting Agencies"); pursuant to this Alternative, the Submitting Agencies will ensure the
entire Basin 8-1 continues to be sustainably managed and data reported as required by SGMA.
Other agencies within Basin 8-1 and at least partially outside of OCWD's boundaries support
submission of the Basin 8-1 Alternative and either have participated in preparing the Alternative
and/or reviewed the Alternative. These agencies include the cities of Brea, Corona, and Chino
Hills; the Counties of Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino; Yorba Linda Water District; and
El Toro Water District. Pursuant to Water Code §10733.6(b)(3), the Basin 8-1 Alternative has
been prepared by or under the direction of a professional geologist or professional engineer.
2017 BASIN 8-1 ALTERNATIVE Overview 1
Basin 8-1 Overview
For the purpose of compliance with the SGMA requirement that the entire basin be covered by
this Basin 8-1 Alternative, Submitting Agencies have divided Basin 8-1 into four management
areas: La Habra -Brea, OCWD, South East, and Santa Ana Canyon Management Areas, shown
in Figure 1-1.
Historically, the majority of Basin 8-1 (90% of the land area) has been managed by OCWD,
which includes the land area within the OCWD Management Area and a small portion of the
land area within the Santa Ana Canyon Management Area. The percentage of the land area
within Basin 8-1 in each of the management areas is shown in Figure 1-2.
Although the land areas outside of OCWD's jurisdiction in the Santa Ana Canyon and South
East Management Areas have not been formally "managed" by OCWD, the hydrogeological
conditions in these areas are essentially an extension of the managed basin. OCWD has
incorporated data, when available, from these areas into the OCWD data base. For example,
precipitation runoff from the mountains along the eastern border (in the South East
Management Area) is estimated and incorporated into OCWD's basin water budget. The Santa
Ana Canyon Management Area, created in this report in order to include land within and outside
of OCWD's service area, is upstream of OCWD recharge operations. While OCWD does not
have jurisdiction over all the land in this area, OCWD does have the rights to all the water in the
Santa Ana River released from Prado Dam. In this respect, OCWD is actively engaged in
managing the flow of surface water within the Santa Ana Canyon irrespective of land ownership.
While the four management areas are described separately in this report, it is important to
understand that actual "management" is not as distinct, and existing collaborative efforts
between agencies in managing groundwater resources will continue. In the case of the La
Habra -Brea Management Area, the City of La Habra has already been deemed the exclusive
GSA for the La Habra/Brea area and intends to prepare a Groundwater Sustainability Plan
GSP). When La Habra submits a GSP, this Basin 8-1 Alternative will no longer include the La
Habra/Brea area within the area designated by the GSP.
As authorized by 23 CCR § 354.20, this Basin 8-1 Alternative describes four management areas
as shown in Figure 1. The rationale for designating these management areas within Basin 8-1
is explained as follows:
La Habra -Brea Management Area includes the northern portion of Basin 8-1 that is
located outside of the OCWD service area and is within the cities of La Habra and Brea.
The City of La Habra currently manages this portion of Basin 8-1. Although this
management area is hydrologically distinct from the OCWD Management Area there is
an estimated 1,000 afy of subsurface groundwater flow from the La Habra -Brea
Management Area to the OCWD Management Area. Surface water that recharges the
OCWD portion of Basin 8-1 does not replenish the La Habra -Brea Management Area.
The OCWD Management Area includes approximately 89 percent of the land area of
Basin 8-1. Ninety-eight percent of all groundwater production within 8-1 occurs in this
management area. This area includes the portion of Basin 8-1 that is within OCWD's
service area, except for an approximately 7-square mile portion of OCWD's service area
2017 BASIN 8-1 ALTERNATIVE Overview 2
Basin 8-1 Overview
that is in the Santa Ana Canyon Management Area. OCWD has been managing the
majority of Basin 8-1 since its formation in 1933.
The South East Management Area includes the southern and southeastern portion of
Basin 8-1 that is hydrogeologically connected to the OCWD Management Area but is
outside of OCWD's service area. This area consists of several, disconnected, small
fringe areas that are within the DWR designated boundary of Basin 8-1. This
management area includes areas under the jurisdiction of the IRWD, the El Toro Water
District and the City of Orange. The groundwater basin in this area is thin and contains
more clay and silt deposits than aquifers in the OCWD Management Area. Groundwater
historically has flowed out of this area into the OCWD Management Area. Production
has been minimal in this area due to hydrogeological conditions with little potential for
significant future increases.
The Santa Ana Canyon Management Area includes the easternmost section of Basin 8-
1. This area includes land under the jurisdiction of several cities, two counties, and two
water districts, including a portion that is within the OCWD service area. Groundwater
production is relatively minor compared to groundwater production in the OCWD
Management Area. The western boundary of this management area is located at
Imperial Highway in the city of Anaheim where the basin thickness begins to increase.
Imperial Highway crosses the Santa Ana River where OCWD begins to divert river water
into the recharge facilities for percolation into the groundwater basin.
The Basin 8-1 Alternative is organized as follows:
Overview: Provides a map and description of Basin 8-1 and a brief description of the
basin management areas.
Hydrogeology of Basin 8-1: Provides a description of the hydrogeology of Basin 8-1
including a description of the basin, the aquifer systems, fault zones, total basin volume,
basin cross -sections, basin characteristics, and general groundwater quality.
La Habra -Brea Management Area: Provides a description of sustainable management of
the La Habra -Brea Management Area
C OCWD Management Area: Provides a description of sustainable management of the
OCWD Management Area
South East Management Area: Provides a description of sustainable management of the
South East Management Area
Santa Ana Canyon Management Area: Provides a description of sustainable
management of the Santa Ana Canyon Management Area
2017 BASIN 8-1 ALTERNATIVE Overview 3
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2017 BASIN 8-1 ALTERNATIVE Overview 4
Basin 8-1 Overview
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Figure 1-2: Percentage of Land Area in Basin 8-1 within Management Areas
1. LA HABRA-BREA MANAGEMENT AREA
The La Habra -Brea Management area covers the northern portion of Basin 8-1. The City of La
Habra has been deemed the exclusive GSA under SGMA for this management area. This
management area is part of Basin 8-1, but is hydrogeologically distinct from the OCWD
Management Area and is not under the jurisdiction of OCWD. The City adopted a resolution to
establish the La Habra Basin as a separate basin from Basin 8-1. OCWD adopted a resolution
to support the City's request to DWR for an internal jurisdictional boundary modification in the
OC Basin that follows the city limits of La Habra and Brea as is outside of the Orange County
Water District's jurisdictional boundary.
The La Habra -Brea Management Area is included with this Alternative to facilitate collaboration
among groundwater agencies within Basin 8-1 as required by SGMA. The City of La Habra and
portions of the City of Brea comprise the La Habra -Brea Management Area. This area overlies
the extents of the proposed La Habra Groundwater Basin, referenced herein.
The La Habra -Brea Management Area is currently monitored for groundwater elevations and for
groundwater quality through productions wells and historical data from monitoring wells within
the La Habra -Brea Management Area and surrounding area.
2017 BASIN 8-1 ALTERNATIVE Overview 5
Basin 8-1 Overview
As the City of La Habra currently depends on local groundwater to meet approximately 40
percent of its water consumption; preserving the sustainability of the La Habra -Brea
Management Area is essential. Currently (and historically), the City of La Habra manages (and
has managed) the La Habra -Brea Management Area through management plans and programs
for groundwater levels, basin storage, and water quality. By January 2020, the City will manage
the La Habra -Brea Management Area through a Groundwater Sustainability Plan under SGMA,
which will describe the monitoring program and ensure that no undesirable results occur in the
future.
2. OCWD MANAGEMENT AREA
The OCWD Management Area covers an area of approximately 260 square miles within Basin
8-1, which represents approximately 89 percent of the land area of Basin 8-1. Ninety-eight
percent of the groundwater production within Basin 8-1 occurs in the OCWD Management Area.
Groundwater produced within the OCWD Management Area provides approximately 70 percent
of the total water supply for a population of around 2.4 million residents.
Since its formation by the California Legislature in 1933, OCWD has been the managing agency
for the majority of Basin 8-1, also referred to as the Coastal Plain of Orange County
Groundwater Basin. As a special act district listed in Water Code § 1072(c)(1), OCWD is the
exclusive local agency within its jurisdictional boundaries with powers to comply with SGMA.
Water demands within the OCWD Management Area have grown from approximately 150,000
acre-feet per year (afy) in the mid-1950s to a high of approximately 366,000 afy in water year
2007-08. OCWD operates an extensive network of recharge basins to increase recharge of
surface water into the groundwater basin to support groundwater production. OCWD monitors
the basin by collecting groundwater elevation and quality data from nearly 700 wells, including
over 400 OCWD-owned monitoring wells, manages an electronic database that stores water
elevation, water quality, production, recharge and other data on over 2,000 wells and facilities
within and outside OCWD boundaries.
An OCWD-operated water recycling plant provides up to 100 million gallons per day of
advanced tertiary -treated wastewater that supplies recharge operations and a seawater
intrusion barrier operated to protect the basin's water quality. OCWD manages groundwater
storage and water levels within an established operating range which has resulted in
sustainable conditions with no unreasonable and significant undesirable results.
The Sustainability Goal for the OCWD Management Area is to continue to sustainably manage
the groundwater basin to prevent conditions that would lead to significant and unreasonable (1)
lowering of groundwater levels, (2) reduction in storage, (3) water quality degradation, (4)
seawater intrusion, (5) inelastic land subsidence and (6) adverse impacts on hydrologically
connected surface water.
2017 BASIN 8-1 ALTERNATIVE Overview 6
Basin 8-1 Overview
3. SOUTH EAST MANAGEMENT AREA
The South East Management Area contains portions of Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD), El
Toro Water District (ETWD), and the City of Orange. The area covered this management area
is essentially an extension of the main basin and was formed to comply with the requirement
that the entirety of Basin 8-1 be covered by a responsible agency.
There is relatively little existing, or potential, groundwater development within the South East
Management Area. What pumping does occur is less than 200 acre -feet -per -year (afy), which
is much less than the total recharge to the area. Water levels and storage levels are steady.
The Sustainability Goal for the South East Management Area is to recognize it is a small part of
the larger groundwater basin that is managed by OCWD. Nevertheless, groundwater levels and
water quality will be monitored to assure that conditions do not lead to significant and
unreasonable (1) lowering of groundwater levels, (2) reduction in storage, (3) water quality
degradation, (4) inelastic land subsidence, (5) unreasonable adverse effect on surface water
resources, and (6) adverse impacts on hydrologically connected surface water.
4. SANTA ANA CANYON MANAGEMENT AREA
The Santa Ana Canyon Management Area covers the easternmost extent of Basin 8-1. The
water resources in the Santa Ana Canyon Management Area include the Santa Ana River and
groundwater. Groundwater is primarily located in a thin alluvial aquifer that is 90 to 100 feet
thick and is a combination of infiltrated surface water and groundwater inflow from the adjacent
foothills.
Groundwater pumping in this management area is primarily used for irrigation with a minimal
amount used for potable purposes. The amount of groundwater pumping is small relative to the
large volumes of flow in the canyon provided by the Santa Ana River and monitoring indicates
there are no depletions of interconnected surface water that have significant and unreasonable
adverse impacts on beneficial uses of the surface water. There are no groundwater withdrawals
within the areas covered by the Cities of Anaheim, Chino Hills, and Yorba Linda; Riverside
County; and Yorba Linda Water District.
OCWD has water rights to all Santa Ana River flows released through Prado Dam. For the area
within its boundary, OCWD has the legal authority through the OCWD Act to require reporting of
groundwater production and to charge groundwater pumping assessments for groundwater
production. OCWD also monitors surface water flow and quality as well as groundwater levels
and quality throughout the Santa Ana Canyon Management Area.
The Sustainability Goal for the Santa Ana Canyon Management Area is to continue monitoring
sustainable conditions and monitor to ensure that no significant and unreasonable results occur
in the future.
2017 BASIN 8-1 ALTERNATIVE Overview 7
brs 4/12/23
Resolution No. 2023-XXX
Page 1 of 3
RESOLUTION NO. 2023-XXX
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA
ANA APPROVING THE WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT FOR THE
PROPOSED CABRILLO TOWN CENTER PROJECT
WHEREAS, in accordance with California Water Code Sections 10910,
10912(a)(1), and 10912(a)(6), any development that is proposing a residential
development of more than 500 dwelling units requires the preparation and approval of a
water supply assessment; and
WHEREAS, the proposed Cabrillo Town Center Project, located at the intersection
of Cabrillo Park Drive and East 4th Street, is proposing development of 507 residential
dwelling units and also 6,000 square feet of retail space; and
WHEREAS, the proposed Cabrillo Town Center Project therefore requires the
preparation and approval of a water supply assessment pursuant to California Water
Code Sections 10910 and 10912; and
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Ana is the public water system that will supply water
to the proposed Cabrillo Town Center Project; and
WHEREAS, the City has prepared and filed its 2020 Urban Water Management
Plan, though separate review of water supply sufficiency is required under the above -
referenced state law for large projects like this; and
WHEREAS, the Water Supply Assessment for the Cabrillo Town Center Project
has been prepared; and
WHEREAS, the findings from the Water Supply Assessment prepared for the
Cabrillo Town Center Project show that there is sufficient water supply available for the
proposed Cabrillo Town Center Project during normal, single-dry, and multiple dry years
within a 20-year projection to meet the projected water demand of the Project in addition
to other future service area demands in the City of Santa Ana.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Santa
Ana as follows:
Section 1. The Water Supply Assessment for the Cabrillo Town Center Project
is hereby approved, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit A and will be on file at the
offices of the Public Works Agency of the City for public inspection.
Section 2. Approval of the Water Supply Assessment by the City does not
constitute a “will-serve” letter or in any way entitles the Cabrillo Town Center Project to
water service or to any right, priority or allocation in any supply, capacity or facility.
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Resolution No. 2023-XXX
Page 2 of 3
Section 3. Approval of the Water Supply Assessment shall not affect the City of
Santa Ana’s obligation to provide service to its existing customers or any potential future
customers, including this Cabrillo Town Center Project.
Section 4. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption by
the City Council, and the Clerk of the Council shall attest to and certify the vote adopting
this Resolution.
ADOPTED this _____ day of ____________, 2023.
________________________________
Valerie Amezcua
Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Sonia R. Carvalho, City Attorney
By:
Brandon Salvatierra
Deputy City Attorney
AYES: Councilmembers
NOES: Councilmembers
ABSTAIN: Councilmembers
NOT PRESENT: Councilmembers _
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Resolution No. 2023-XXX
Page 3 of 3
CERTIFICATION OF ATTESTATION AND ORIGINALITY
I, Jennifer L. Hall, City Clerk, do hereby attest to and certify the attached Resolution No.
2023-XXX to be the original resolution adopted by the City Council of the City of Santa
Ana on _______________.
Date: ______________________ ________________________________
City Clerk
City of Santa Ana