"Paper Water*

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Each Orange County municipal planning agency, in cooperation with its respective water supply agency, should prepare for adoption by its city council, a dedicated Water Element to its General Plan in conjunction with a future update, not to exceed June 30, 2010. This document should include detailed implementation measures based on objective-based policies that match realistic projections of the County's future water supplies. These objectives, policies and implementation measures should address imported supply constraints, including ţ catastrophic outages and incorporate the realistic availability and timing of "new" water sources such as desalination, contaminated groundwater reclamation and surface water recycling. (Findings F.1, F.1(a), F.1(b), F.2, F.2(a) and F.2(b)) Response: The recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted or is not reasonable. The County General Plan already includes a Water Resources Component. In addition, the General Plan is "general" and is not the best location for "detailed implementation measures." The Grand Jury Report identifies an effective approach to addressing the water supply issues - the Integrated Regional Water Management Planning Program, which is already underway. As noted in the Report (Innovative Solutions to Long-Term Supply Shortages and the State of Orange County's Water Resources), the Board of Supervisors directed OC Public Works/OC Watersheds in June 2003 to lead a multi-agency . . task force to develop a countywide Water Quality Strategic Plan. As a result, a new structure for water resource management has evolved based on a new concept of Watershed Management Areas (WMAs). The eleven watersheds in Orange County are grouped by similar characteristics into three Watershed Management Areas: North, Central, and South. At its essence, the Watershed Management Area is a collaborative framework for municipalities and special purpose agencies to work collaboratively and find synergies across water resource disciplines. Its purpose is to bring together a wide variety of water resource managers in order to achieve more comprehensive and cost effective solutions to Orange County's water resource needs. Member agencies voluntarily enter into a cooperative agreement that forms the Watershed Management Area. Governance includes a policy committee of elected officials to oversee each Watershed Management Area. Senior staff from each member organization form a management committee to develop a joint work plan and oversee its implementation. Regular stakeholder forums are held to involve the public and share information across organizations within each Watershed Management Area. Throughout Orange County, these groups meet together on a regular basis to collaborate on water resource issues, including water supply, surface water quality, flood management, wastewater, and natural resource protection. Integrated Regional Water Management Plans are under development or update in all three Watershed Management Areas. In the process of developing these plans, goals and solutions specific to each Watershed Management Area are formulated through consensus. Likewise, a custom slate of projects and programs is developed to address the water resource needs of each Watershed Management Area. In the future, the ability to implement water resource projects will be challenging. With the collaborative process, Orange County continues to be the leader in meeting these challenges. Watershed Management Areas and Integrated Regional Water Management Plans are key tools in providing a sustainable water supply future for the County. . . . . .