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UrbanUrban DroughtDrought GuidebookGuidebook 20082008 UpdatedUpdated EditionEdition StateState ofof CaliforniaCalifornia DepartmentDepartment ofof WaterWater ResourcesResources OfficeOffice ofof WaterWater UseUse EfficiencyEfficiency andand TransfersTransfers Cover Photo Lake Mead, storing Colorado River water that supplies irrigation and domestic water to much of Southern California at 50 percent capacity, winter 2007. Photo by Andy Pernick , U.S. Bureau of Reclamation photographer. If you need this publication in an alternate form, contact the Equal Opportunity and Management Investigations Offi ce at TDD 1-800-653-6934, or Voice 1-800-653-6952. 2 Foreword To help local agencies and communities prepare for the possibility of another dry year and possible water supply interruptions, the Department of Water Resources is pleased to publish this updated version of the Urban Drought Guidebook. Drought, climate change, natural disasters, and environmental protections can all affect water supplies. Good planning and preparation can help agencies maintain reliable supplies and reduce the impacts of supply interruptions. We, the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the California Urban Water Conservation Council worked together on the guidebook to provide technical assistance to local water suppliers. As water suppliers review and update their Water Shortage Contingency Plans, we hope the new information and examples of exceptional efforts by water suppliers throughout California and the United States will be useful. The wide array of approaches presented in the guidebook refl ects the variable water supply and demand scenarios from one end of the state to the other. Accordingly, water suppliers will be able to use this guidebook to design programs that refl ect local and regional conditions. Sincerely, Lester A. Snow DWR Director 3 State of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor The Resources Agency Mike Chrisman, Secretary for Resources Department of Water Resources Lester A. Snow, Director Kasey Schimke Susan Sims-Teixeira David Sandino Asst. Dir. Legislative Affairs Acting Chief/Deputy Director Chief Counsel Mark W. Cowin David Gutierrez Timothy Haines Deputy Director Acting Deputy Director Deputy Director Reuben A. Jimenez Gerald E. Johns Ralph Torres Deputy Director Deputy Director Deputy Director Rick Soehren Chief, Offi ce of Water Use Effi ciency and Transfers This report was prepared in cooperation with: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation California Urban Water Conservation Council Editorial review, graphics, and report production Under direction of Gretchen Goettl, Supervisor of Technical Publications, research writers: Nikki Blomquist Patricia Cornelius Mike Durant James Joelson Carole Rains Marilee Talley 4 Acknowledgments The Department of Water Resources is grateful for the participation and cooperation of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the California Urban Water Conservation Council in updating the Urban Drought Guidebook. We are also thankful for the local water suppliers who hosted the 11 Urban Drought Workshops in September and October 2007. The guidebook was updated by consultants Larry Farwell and Marsha Prillwitz with the active participation of the “Drought Team,” representing DWR, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Council. Members of the team included: Manucher Alemi Department of Water Resources Dave Todd Department of Water Resources Tracy Slavin U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacifi c Region Kevin Clancy U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacifi c Region Dave Woolley U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacifi c Region William J. Steele U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region Meena Westford U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region Debra Whitney U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region Steve Jones U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region Chris Brown California Urban Water Conservation Council Katie Shulte Joung California Urban Water Conservation Council Heather Woodford California Urban Water Conservation Council Special thanks go to the National Drought Mitigation Center staff for its review of this guidebook. 5 6 Acronyms and Abbreviations AF Acre Feet AFY Acre Feet Per Year AWE Alliance for Water Effi ciency AWWA American Water Works Association BMPs Best Management Practices CCWD Contra Costa Water District CEQA California Environmental Quality Act CII Commercial, Industrial, Institutional CLCA California Landscape Contractors Association CPUC California Public Utilities Commission Council California Urban Water Conservation Council (CUWCC) CVPIA Central Valley Project Improvement Act CVP Central Valley Project DEP Department of Environmental Protection DHS Department of Health Services (California) DWR Department of Water Resources EBMUD East Bay Municipal Utility District ET Evapotranspiration GIS Geographic Information System GPCD Gallons per Capita per Day GPD Gallons per Day GPDD Gallons per Day per Dwelling Unit GPDC Gallons per Day per Connection GPDA Gallons per Day per Irrigated Acre GPDE Gallons per Day per Employee GPF Gallons per Flush GPM Gallons per Minute HET High Effi ciency Toilets HCF Hundred Cubic Feet IA Irrigation Association ICI Industrial, Commercial, Institutional IWU Indoor Water Use LADWP Los Angeles Department of Water and Power 7 Acronyms and Abbreviations (continued) MGD Million Gallons Per Day MMWD Marin Municipal Water District MWDSC Metropolitan Water District of Southern California MWDOC Municipal Water District of Orange County NDMC National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska) NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NWS National Weather Service OES Offi ce of Emergency Services (California) PUC Public Utilities Commission (California) Reclamation U.S. Bureau of Reclamation RO Residential Occupancy SCWA Sonoma County Water Agency SDCWA San Diego County Water Authority SFPUC San Francisco Public Utilities Commission SPU Seattle Public Utilities SWP State Water Project SWRCB State Water Resources Control Board TWDB Texas Water Development Board UAW Unaccounted for Water ULF Ultra Low Flush USGS United States Geological Survey UWMPA Urban Water Management Planning Agency WARN Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network WC Water Code WCI Water Conservation Initiative WCM Water Conservation Manager WSCP Water Shortage Contingency Plan 8 Contents Foreword ........................................................................................................................3 Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................5 Acronyms and Abbreviations ......................................................................................7 Introduction ..................................................................................................................15 Defi nition of a Drought ...........................................................................................16 Water Shortage Contingency Planning .............................................................. 16 Drought-Related Regulations and Planning Requirements............................... 16 Declaration of Water Shortage Emergencies—California Water Code Sections 350-359 and Government Code Sections 8550-8551 ....................16 Proposition 218 ...................................................................................................18 Urban Water Management Planning Act ......................................................18 Integrated Regional Management Plans ...................................................... 18 Involve the Public .................................................................................................. 19 7-Step Planning and Implementation Process ....................................................19 Water Shortage Contingency Planning Checklist ..............................................21 STEP 1: Establish a Water Shortage Response Team .................................................25 Selecting the Water Shortage Response Team .................................................. 25 Setting Agency Priorities ........................................................................................ 27 Maintaining Momentum ........................................................................................27 Coordinate, Cooperate and Communicate ...................................................... 27 STEP 2: Forecast Supply in Relation to Demand ........................................................29 I. Data Collection.................................................................................................... 29 Supply Data ....................................................................................................... 29 Demand Data ................................................................................................... 30 9 Contents (continued) II. Data Analysis .......................................................................................................31 Supply Data Analysis (projected dry-year supply without augmentation) 31 Water Quality Data Analysis ............................................................................ 31 Water Demand Data Analysis (projected dry-year demand without demand reduction programs) ........................................................................ 32 III. Is There a Predicted Shortage? ........................................................................ 33 Cooperate with other Agencies ...........................................................................34