Posts

Water Authority Plan Shows Sufficient Supplies Until 2045

/in , , /by /The Daily Transcriptby Thor Kamban Biberman Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Since 1991, San Diego County ratepayers have conserved more than 1 million acre-feet of water, and per capita potable water use in the region decreased nearly 60 percent between fiscal years 1990 and 2019, according to the San Diego County Water Authority.

The findings are part of the Water Authority’s draft 2020 Urban Water Management Plan, which was released Monday for public review.

The report concludes that as a result of conservation and billions of dollars in infrastructure, San Diego should have sufficient water supplies through 2045.

“Thanks to decades of regional investments (and conservation) the draft plan shows that we don’t need to secure more regional supply sources for the foreseeable future,” Water Authority general manager Sandra Kerl said in a statement. “Instead we are focused on helping our member agencies develop local supplies, and looking for other ways we can continue to ensure supply reliability at a reasonable cost.”

Full Story

Water Authority Plan Shows Sufficient Supplies Through 2045

/in , , /by /Water News Network Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority’s draft 2020 Urban Water Management Plan was released for public review today. The plan highlights how regional investments in a “water portfolio approach” to supply management and a sustained emphasis on water-use efficiency mean that San Diego County will continue to have sufficient water supplies through the 2045 planning horizon — even during multiple dry years.

Full Story
Urban Water Management Plan-San Diego County Water Authority

Water Authority Plan Shows Sufficient Supplies Through 2045

/in , /by

The San Diego County Water Authority’s draft 2020 Urban Water Management Plan was released for public review today. The plan highlights how regional investments in a “water portfolio approach” to supply management and a sustained emphasis on water-use efficiency mean that San Diego County will continue to have sufficient water supplies through the 2045 planning horizon — even during multiple dry years.

A 60-day public comment period on the draft plan ends May 6 and will include a public hearing on March 25. The Board of Directors is expected to consider adoption of the final plan during its regular meeting on May 27. The 2020 UWMP is due to the state by July 1, 2021. To read the draft 2020 Urban Water Management Plan, or to submit comments, go to http://bit.ly/Water-Authority-UWMP.

Regional investments pay off for water supply

“Thanks to decades of regional investments, the draft plan shows that we don’t need to secure more regional supply sources for the foreseeable future,” said Water Authority General Manager Sandra L. Kerl. “Instead, we are focused on helping our member agencies develop local supplies and looking for other ways we can continue to ensure supply reliability at a reasonable cost.”

The Water Authority started the current UWMP process in September 2018, coordinating closely with its 24 member agencies, most of which must submit their own plans to the state. Member agencies provided input into the draft plan as part of the Water Authority’s ongoing effort to align local and regional projections as closely as possible. The plan’s long-range demand forecast shows an increase in regional demands of less than 1% per year through 2045. This change in demand is consistent with the change forecasted by other large water suppliers, including the City of San Diego and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

Plan is mandated by state law

Multiple supply and demand projections factor into Urban Water Management Plans, which are mandated by the state to ensure sufficient supplies over 25 years. The plans are not used to set water rates; rates are set annually based on multiple financial factors at the time, not long-term projections about water supplies.

Urban Water Management Plans are dictated by statutory guidelines, Water Authority Board direction and an agreement with the San Diego Association of Governments to use its regional growth forecast. The plans also support state laws that link approval for large housing developments to water supply availability.

By law, the plans must be updated every five years. Per state guidelines, the Water Authority’s Urban Water Management Plan includes:

  • Projected water demands under normal weather and dry weather scenarios
  • Conservation savings information
  • A process to conduct an annual water supply and demand assessment
  • Supply reliability analysis

The demand forecast accounts for changes in socio-economic factors, such as the number of projected housing units, the mix of single-family and multi-family dwellings, and employment growth.

Conservation by water ratepayers in San Diego County

Conservation projections account for continued adoption of water-use efficiency measures, compliance with landscape water-use ordinances for new residential construction, and continued installations of sustainable landscapes at existing homes. Since 1991, San Diego County ratepayers have conserved more than 1 million acre-feet of water, and per capita potable water use in the region decreased nearly 60% between fiscal years 1990 and 2019.

Urban Water Management Plan-Water Authority-Desalination Plant

The draft 2020 Urban Water Management Plan shows how regional investments by the San Diego County Water Authority in a “water portfolio approach” mean that San Diego County will continue to have sufficient supplies, including locally-controlled drinking water from the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, the largest, most technologically-advanced and energy efficient desalination plant in the nation. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

The draft 2020 UWMP also highlights the value of the Water Authority’s long-term strategy to invest in highly reliable and locally controlled supplies from the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant and the nation’s largest conservation-and-transfer agreement, which provides high-priority, low-cost water from the Colorado River.

In addition to the UWMP, the Water Authority also regularly updates its Regional Water Facilities Optimization and Master Plan, which focuses on the infrastructure necessary to meet projected long-term demands, and its Long-Range Financing Plan. Those documents work together to ensure the right mix of supplies and facilities to meet the region’s needs at an affordable cost.

Urban Water Management Plan-Water Authority-Primary photo-Colorado River Aqueduct

The draft 2020 Urban Water Management Plan highlights the value of the Water Authority’s long-term strategy to invest in highly reliable supplies, including the nation’s largest conservation-and-transfer agreement, which provides high-priority, low-cost water from the Colorado River. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Water Authority Plan Shows Sufficient Supplies Through 2045

/in , /by

March 8, 2021 – The San Diego County Water Authority’s draft 2020 Urban Water Management Plan was released for public review today. The plan highlights how regional investments in a “water portfolio approach” to supply management and a sustained emphasis on water-use efficiency mean that San Diego County will continue to have sufficient water supplies through the 2045 planning horizon — even during multiple dry years.

Download File
2020 Urban Water Managment Plan

2020 Urban Water Management Plan Underway

/in , /by

An update to the plan for meeting the region’s long-term water needs is under development by the San Diego County Water Authority, in collaboration with its 24 member agencies. Once completed, the Water Authority’s 2020 Urban Water Management Plan will serve as the long-term guide to ensure a reliable water supply that sustains the region’s 3.3 million residents and its $245 billion economy.

The Water Authority Board of Directors’ Water Planning and Environment Committee is holding a special online meeting at 1:30 p.m. on November 12 for an update on the developing plan.

At the meeting, Water Authority staff will provide an overview of the plan and share preliminary water demand projections for 2025 to 2045. Click here for more information about the Board meeting and agenda which includes an extensive overview of the planning process and a link to the webcast.

Planning process is “critical” 

Urban water suppliers in California are required to adopt and submit Urban Water Management Plans every five years. The Water Authority’s 2020 plan will include information on multiple subjects, including a baseline demand forecast, water-use efficiency savings, imported and local water supplies, a supply reliability assessment, scenario planning, and a shortage contingency analysis.

The Water Authority started the planning process in January 2019 by coordinating with its 24 member agencies to create a long-range baseline water demand forecast.

“This planning process is a critical part of meeting the long-range water supply needs of the San Diego region for both normal and dry year weather conditions,” said Kelley Gage, director of water resources for the Water Authority. “As San Diego faces increasingly unpredictable climate patterns, new state planning requirements will prepare the Water Authority for rare scenarios to continue to be a reliable and dependable wholesale water supplier to the region.”

Urban Water Management Plan elements

Through careful planning and the implementation of a water portfolio approach, the agency has increased the region’s water supply reliability through diversification and innovation.

A draft of the 2020 plan is expected to be released to the Water Authority Board of Directors and the public in January 2021 for a 60-day public comment period. The Board is expected to consider adoption of the final plan in April 2021. The 2020 plans must be submitted to the state by July 1, 2021.

Basic elements of Urban Water Management Plans include:

  • Assessment of the reliability of water supply sources over a 20-year planning time frame
  • Description of demand management measures and a water shortage contingency plan
  • Discussion of the development of imported and local water supplies

New state planning requirements

The California Urban Water Management Planning Act is a part of the California Water Code and requires urban water suppliers in the state to adopt and submit an updated plan to the state Department of Water Resources every 5 years.

State legislation passed in 2018 established new requirements for urban water management plans, which now must include a water shortage contingency plan and drought risk assessment methodology that compares available water supplies with projected water demands. Under these requirements, water suppliers must now plan for a dry period that lasts for five consecutive years, an increase from the previous requirement of three years.

Urban water suppliers are defined as agencies that provide water for municipal purposes to more than 3,000 customers or supply more than 3,000 acre-feet of water annually. The Water Authority and the majority of its member agencies fit this definition.