HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem O MEMORANDUM
April 26, 1999
TO: MAYOR YOST AND
MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: KEITH TILL,
CITY MANAGER
SUBJECT: ORANGE COUNTY WATER DISTRICT MASTER PLAN
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATION: Council to authorize submittal of letter to
Orange County Water District expressing concerns over future water supply,
groundwater quality and pricing due to annexation policies.
BACKGROUND: The source of Seal Beach's primary water supply is the groundwater
basin governed by the Orange County Water District. The OCWD has prepared a 2020
Master Plan that has important implications for the groundwater basin—and Seal Beach's
water supply—over the next two decades.
The Master Plan anticipates growth scenarios from population increases among current
member agencies as well as from annexations, especially in the Irvine high-growth area.
The increased demand is reported to be manageable through 1.) the use of treated
wastewater flows of the Santa Ana River; 2.) continued availability of Bay Delta and
Colorado River water, and; 3.) groundwater replenishment from the Groundwater
Replenishment System.
The concern for Seal Beach is the lack of certainty that all three of these sources will
continue to be available over the course of the 2020 Master Plan. The pace of
development in Riverside and San Bernardino counties will surely create heavy demand
on upstream supplies. Cutbacks are in store for imported water due to environmental
constraints in the Delta and Colorado River. Delays or modifications to the Groundwater
Replenishment System would further jeopardize future supplies.
Seal Beach and other coastal communities also contend with salinity issues, but the 2020
Master Plan does not thoroughly deal with solutions to this ongoing problem.
Groundwater production along the coast is anticipated to more than double as a result of
annexations, and it's a real concern that the additional wells will add to saltwater
intrusion into the system.
Agenda Item 0
The Master Plan contemplates water supply within the district relying upon
implementation of the GWRS, coastal groundwater measures and capital improvement
projects. Our interest is to ensure these measures are feasible and adequate.
On the issue of annexation, it is clear that major new facilities will have to be developed
to accommodate the increased pumping to supply the Irvine area demands. It is proposed
that the costs be passed on equally among existing OCWD member agencies. The City of
Seal Beach has maintained that annexing agencies should pay the full cost of the new
demands they place on the system.
RECOMMENDATION: City Council to approve a motion authorizing submittal of a
letter defining Seal Beach's concerns regarding the 2020 Master Plan.
I
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CITY HAIL • 211 EIGHTH SIREET
SEAL BEACH, CALIFORNIA 90740 6379
(562) 431 2527
April 27, 1999
Orange County Water District
10500 Ellis Avenue
Fountain Valley, California 92708
Attention: William Mills, General Manager
Dear Mr. Mills:
The City of Seal Beach has important concerns regarding the Orange County Water District's
2020 Master Plan and its implications for the groundwater basin - and Seal Beach's water supply
- over the next two decades.
The Master Plan anticipates growth scenarios from population increases among current member
agencies as well as from annexations, especially in the Irvine high-growth area. The increased
demand is reported to be manageable through: I) The use of treated wastewater flows of the
Santa Ana River; 2) Continued availability of Bay Delta and Colorado River water, and. 3)
Groundwater replenishment from the Groundwater Replenishment System.
The concern for Seal Beach is the lack of certainty that all three of these sources will continue to
be available over the course of the 2020 Master Plan. The pace of development in Riverside and
San Bernardino counties will surely create heavy demand on upstream supplies. Cutbacks are in
store for imported water due to environmental constraints in the Delta and Colorado River.
Delays or modifications to the Groundwater Replenishment System would further jeopardize
future supplies.
The 2020 Master Plan acknowledges that the current dependable yield of the groundwater basin
is estimated at 275,000 afy. We are presently pumping 330,000 afy and it is estimated that
groundwater production could reach 490,000 afy by 2020 based upon the District's current
annexation policy. Additionally, the basin's coastal water levels are projected to fall 20 to 40
feet and the threat of seawater intrusion will rise dramatically. Seal Beach and other coastal
cities are seriously concerned that the specific solutions and associated costs for water quality
mitigation and additional pumping costs due to lower water levels; new relocated water wells at
inland locations and their associated piping networks; and improved seawater intrusion barriers
have not been sufficiently addressed.
The Master Plan contemplates water supply within the district relying upon implementation of
the GWRS, coastal groundwater measures and capital improvement projects. Our interest is to
ensure these measures are feasible and adequate.
I
2020 Master Plan
Page 2
April 27,1999
On the issue of annexation, it is clear that major new facilities will have to be developed to
accommodate the increased pumping to supply the Irvine area demands. It is proposed that the
costs be passed on equally among existing OCWD member agencies. The City of Seal Beach
has maintained that annexing agencies should pay the full cost of the new demands they place on
the system.
The Seal Beach City Council urges members of the Orange County Water District board to
require that these concerns be thoroughly and specifically addressed prior to the finalizing of the
2020 Master Plan.
Sincerely,
Dr. Paul Yost
Mayor, City of Seal Beach