Update on District Community Water Plan

and Water Supply Options and Conservation

From the staff at Soquel Creek Water District

As much of California is grappling with how to meet new conservation mandates from the Governor, our community continues to embrace a “water-wise” attitude. We thank our community members for their tremendous savings! Our regional long-term groundwater shortage is exacerbated by the drought and Soquel Creek Water District has recently made great strides in our efforts to secure additional water supplies. Below is a summary of our current efforts.

Water Conservation

In April our Board declared a continued Stage 3 Water Shortage Emergency with the goal of reducing the Districts overall water usage by 25% over 2013. Currently, customers are achieving a savings of about 20%. We continue to enforce our existing water waste ordinance which is in effect year round, in addition to several new restrictions. These include only using commercial car washes, no power-washing of structures unless you’re preparing to paint, and no aesthetic uses of water such as for fountains and ponds unless they support life. If you see water waste let us know by calling 831-475-8501×141. Thank you to all of our customers who continue to “Do more to use less.”

Rates

The District is a not-for-profit local government agency… not a private water company. The Board and staff work together to increase efficiencies and reduce costs to keep rates as low as possible as we deliver a clean and reliable water supply to our customers, invest in technology, maintain infrastructure, maximize conservation, and diversify our water portfolio. However, as our customers use less water, we receive less revenue. We are currently operating under Stage 3 emergency water rates that help support additional conservation measures and cover day-to-day operations.

The District’s Finance Department is currently working with a financial consultant to prepare a 10-year finance plan and a rate study will be conducted later this year to evaluate what water rates will be necessary to ensure the sustainability of District operations. Revenues from rates must also be sufficient to support the District’s capital improvement program (that includes developing new water supply and major infrastructure upgrades), debt service payments, and conservation efforts.

Groundwater Replenishment with Recycled Water

This month the District will kick-off the feasibility study for groundwater replenishment using recycled water. This type of project, with an estimated yield of 1,120 -1,500 afy, involves purifying wastewater and injecting it back into the groundwater basin to restore water levels and protect against seawater intrusion.

New regulations passed in 2014 make this option more viable for the District, and many agencies throughout California are evaluating similar projects. The District was recently awarded a $75,000 grant by the State Water Resources Control Board that will support this yearlong study that will address the optimal treatment processes to meet local, state, and federal drinking water standards.

River Water Transfer/Purchase

Transfer projects using river water (or surface water, as it’s also known) continue to be an appealing option for the District; however, water rights are a significant barrier. In May, the City of Santa Cruz and the District explored a new option to purchase water from the City in the wintertime if favorable conditions exist, such as City customers are not under drought-related water restrictions, there is enough water in rivers and streams for fish, the Loch Lomond reservoir is full, and there is actually excess water to sell.

The amount of excess river water available to the District is limited (estimated to be between 0 -300 afy) and would not be guaranteed every year. The District will soon begin discussing purchase conditions and pricing with the City.

Desalination

In May, the District signed a Memorandum of Interest (MOI) with Deep Water Desal. This is a non-binding agreement that expresses the District’s interest in potentially purchasing 1,500 acre-feet per year (afy) of desalinated water from the Deep Water Desal Project, the proposed project being considered in Moss Landing.

This project is still in the planning phase and is scheduled to begin the environmental review this summer. The MOI does not obligate the District to move forward or commit financially at this time.

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If you have any questions about this month’s topic or anything else related to Soquel Creek Water District, please visit our website at www.soquelcreekwater.org or contact Ron Duncan, Interim General Manager at 831-475-8501×144.