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Extracted from Consolidated Report
This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.
Santa Cruz County Grand Jury
• 2021-2022
b. HAS NOT YET Been Implemented but Will BE in the Future –
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Note: Missing finding numbers detected: F7, F8
Findings 2 findings
F6
Page 160
Limited interdistrict water transfers have been achieved and serve as proof of concept. __ AGREE _X_ PARTIALLY DISAGREE __ DISAGREE Response explanation (required for a response other than Agree): The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency Board (“PV Water”) of Directors is aware of the “Pure Water Soquel Project,” which is presently under construction, and the “Surface Water Pilot Project - Phase 1,” which includes an inter-tie between the City of Santa Cruz and Soquel Creek Water District (“SCWD”). Given that Pure Water Soquel is in the construction phase, and the Surface Water Pilot has occurred, it is clear that some inter-district water transfers have been achieved. PV Water is different than many of the other water districts in Santa Cruz County in that it 1) is a groundwater sustainability agency that does not deliver potable water, and 2) the area within its boundaries includes multiple counties and is composed of portions of Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito counties. Given the relatively large distance from the heart of the Pajaro Valley (Watsonville/Pajaro), water transfers with districts located in the mid-county area would be challenging and costly. Furthermore, there appears to be a need and a use for Santa Cruz’s wastewater within the mid-county area as noted above. PV Water has collaborated with the City of Watsonville to construct and operate the Watsonville Area Water Recycling Facility (“RWF”). The Watsonville Wastewater Treatment Plant collects and treats wastewater from the surrounding communities including Freedom, Salsipuedes Sanitary District, Pajaro, and the City Watsonville. The RWF treats the secondary effluent water to meet Title 22 standards for tertiary treated water. PV Water then distributes this recycled water, along with other sources, to agricultural customers in the coastal area where use of the recycled water reduces reliance on groundwater and helps to reduce seawater intrusion and groundwater overdraft. PV Water developed a connection to the City of Watsonville’s potable water supply and purchases groundwater supplied from inland wells to blend with recycled water and other supplemental sources to offset groundwater pumping in the coastal area. These projects are not that different in concept than the inter-district transfers occurring between the City of Santa Cruz and SCWD, and they’ve been occurring the Pajaro Valley since ~2008. The next project to come online for PV Water will be the College Lake Integrated Resources Management Project (“College Lake Project”). The College Lake Project will produce between 1,800 and 2,300 acre-feet of water per year on average, and a maximum amount of 3,000 acre-feet in a year. PV Water anticipates using every drop that the College Lake Project will produce to augment the supply of delivered water sold to coastal growers to offset groundwater production and stop seawater intrusion. As Required Response from the Board of Directors, Pajaro Valley WMA Our Water Account Is Overdrawn Due by August 22, 2022 [Return to Table of Contents] 2021–2022 Consolidated Final Report with Responses 153 noted above, PV Water’s service area includes portions of both Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. Required Response from the Board of Directors, Pajaro Valley WMA Our Water Account Is Overdrawn Due by August 22, 2022 154 Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury
F9
Page 162
Agency communications to the public emphasize conservation and sustainability while downplaying agency planning to achieve drought resilience. __ AGREE __ PARTIALLY DISAGREE _X_ DISAGREE Response explanation (required for a response other than Agree): In a groundwater basin such as Pajaro Valley, which depends on groundwater for over 90% of the water demand for both agricultural and urban uses, any action that bolsters groundwater supplies during wet periods increases the resiliency of basin aquifers to withstand increased pumping during times of drought. PV Water’s planning for sustainability is also planning for drought resiliency. Projects and management actions included in the 2014 Basin Management Plan (“BMP”) Update, and more recently in the BMP: Groundwater Sustainability Update 2022 (“GSU22”), such as conservation of water resources and increased recycled water deliveries, should be considered drought resiliency actions even as they are implemented in all years. Data from implementation of these projects and management actions show that they help reduce groundwater extraction during all periods, including times of drought, such that groundwater level and storage declines are less than what they were prior to these management actions being put in place. As a result, drought periods should not negate the benefits from recovery of groundwater levels and storage in wet periods. Therefore, the GSU22 provides resiliency by reducing the annual average shortfall over the long-term to meet the Pajaro Valley’s sustainability goals even with the inevitable occurrence of periodic drought. PV Water has many ongoing programs to help achieve sustainable groundwater resources. A brief update follows. In support of PV Water’s agricultural water conservation program, the Board, in December 2020, voted to increase its water conservation budget to $1.25 million over a 3-year period. In April 2022, the Board voted in favor of increased rebates for the “home and garden” domestic water conservation program. In the past two years the Board approved contracts that extended the delivered water service area approximately a mile further north to Monterey Bay Academy, thus reducing groundwater pumping by hundreds of acre-feet per year when the College Lake and Watsonville Slough System Managed Aquifer Recharge and Recovery (“WSS-MARR”) projects bring additional water supply to the coast. The Board directed staff to evaluate and improve Harkins Slough Recharge Facility recovery wells, located west of San Andreas Road. The WSS-MARR projects will create a new point of diversion for surface water on Struve Slough, one that is more protected from brackish water incursions that occur periodically and negatively impact PV Water’s ability to divert fresh water from Harkins Slough as allowed by an existing Required Response from the Board of Directors, Pajaro Valley WMA Our Water Account Is Overdrawn Due by August 22, 2022 [Return to Table of Contents] 2021–2022 Consolidated Final Report with Responses 155 water-right permit. WSS-MARR also includes a new infiltration basin and recovery wells, which will allow PV Water to divert, recharge, and recover a greater volume of winter rainfall runoff when available; PV Water has submitted a water-right permit for up to 4,000 acre-feet to the State Water Resources Control Board. PV Water is also implementing an innovative and exciting program called “Recharge Net Metering,” which partners with local landowners, the University of California at Santa Cruz, and the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County, to plan and develop infiltration basins that capture rainwater runoff and infiltrate the water into the critically overdrafted aquifers of the Pajaro Valley Groundwater Basin. Outreach and engagement with Pajaro Valley customers, stakeholders, and the general public is a critical aspect of what PV Water does. The work described above, along with information about the state of the basin, including drought conditions, is continually communicated through social media, a quarterly newsletter, press releases, informational ads on television and radio, special community meetings, and at monthly Board and Committee meetings. PV Water does not downplay agency planning to achieve drought resilience, as plan development and implementation are critical to both achieving sustainability and drought resiliency. Required Response from the Board of Directors, Pajaro Valley WMA Our Water Account Is Overdrawn Due by August 22, 2022 156 Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury
Recommendations 3
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R1Page 162This action is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5), in that adopting a Resolution approving a response to the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury report entitled “Our Water Account is Overdrawn – Beyond Conservation: Achieving Drought Resilience” does not meet CEQA's definition of a “project,” because the action does not have the potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment and if a “project,” is exempt under the “common sense” exception (14 Cal. Code Regs. § 1 Reso No. 184-22 (CM) DocuSign Envelope ID: EF7053BB-56C7-43BF-9CAD-ED352BDC10C5 Meeting Date: 08/30/22 [Return to Table of Contents] 2021–2022 Consolidated Final Report with Responses 161 15061(b)(3)) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that this action may have a significant effect on the environment.
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R2Page 162The City Council hereby approves the response to the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury Report entitled “Our Water Account is Overdrawn-Beyond Conservation: Achieving Drought Resilience” attached hereto as Exhibit A (“Response”).
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R3Page 164By December 31, 2022, local water districts should jointly publish an integrated recycled wastewater action plan that specifies the infrastructure improvements, expected costs, and construction schedule that will fully utilize existing wastewater sources by December 31, 2026. Responding agencies are the Scotts Valley Water District, the City of Santa Cruz Water Department, the Soquel Creek Water District, the Central Water District, the Mid-County Groundwater Management Agency, the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, and the City of Watsonville Water Division. __ HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED – summarize what has been done HAS NOT YET BEEN IMPLEMENTED BUT WILL BE IN THE FUTURE – __ summarize what will be done and the timeframe REQUIRES FURTHER ANALYSIS – explain the scope and timeframe __ (not to exceed six months) _X_ WILL NOT BE IMPLEMENTED – explain why Required response explanation, summary, and timeframe: Unlike the other water districts and agencies being asked to respond to this recommendation, the jurisdiction of the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency is not confined to Santa Cruz County. PV Water’s jurisdiction extends into north Monterey County and includes a portion of San Benito County. To the south is the Salinas Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency and the Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project, the first and largest project in the state to deliver recycled wastewater to coastal growers for the purpose of reducing overdraft and seawater intrusion at the coast. In other words, in looking for partners to collaborate on efficient use of wastewater, it might make just as much sense for PV Water to look south as to look north. County boundaries don’t really count for much when it comes to groundwater basins. In addition, PV Water in partnership with the City of Watsonville, has been producing and distributing recycled water since 2009 with the intent to continue for years to come. Since 2009, the partnership has led to the delivery of over 35,000 acre-feet of recycled water; in 2021 alone, over 3000 acre-feet of wastewater was recycled and reused to help stop seawater intrusion. PV Water and the City of Watsonville are already recycling a majority of the wastewater produced each year, with the exception being wastewater produced from homes connected to septic systems, but even discharge from septic systems may serve as a source of recharge to the Basin. The 2014 BMP evaluated potential projects to put to use excess wintertime wastewater, but these projects were expensive and complicated and did not make the cut for Phase 1 implementation (i.e. by 2025). PV Water is a small Agency with a staff of 14 people and a service area that Required Response from the Board of Directors, Pajaro Valley WMA Our Water Account Is Overdrawn Due by August 22, 2022 [Return to Table of Contents] 2021–2022 Consolidated Final Report with Responses 157 extends from Monterey Bay Academy, just south of La Selva Beach, down through the Springfield Terrace, which abuts Moss Landing. PV Water is in the midst of bringing two major water supply projects to completion by 2025. If another body – perhaps the Santa Cruz County Environmental Health Dept. – or a collaboration between several districts and agencies, takes the leadership role in developing the Integrated Wastewater Plan called for by R3, the PV Water Board and staff would do our best to participate and contribute. Note also that the Santa Cruz County Water Advisory Commission is a hub for all things water resources related in Santa Cruz County. Required Response from the Board of Directors, Pajaro Valley WMA Our Water Account Is Overdrawn Due by August 22, 2022 158 Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury [This page intentionally left blank.] [Return to Table of Contents] 2021–2022 Consolidated Final Report with Responses 159 Santa Cruz Grand Jury Required response to Grand Jury report is due on August 22, 2022 'Beau Kayser' via Santa Cruz Grand Jury Fri, Aug 19, 2022 at 1:42 PM Reply-To: Beau Kayser To: Syda.Cogliati@santacruzcourt.org, grandjury@scgrandjury.org Dear Honorable Judge Cogliati and the members of the Grand Jury, As the City of Watsonville Water Division Manager, I am submitting responses to the invited response from the Grand Jury. Unfortunately, I misinterpreted that responses from me could also represent the response from the City Council. Our Council had a recess between July 12 and August 30. A formal response from our Council, which will be the same response attached here from me, will be delivered after the 8/30 Council meeting has been held. Please let me know if I should further discuss this with yourself or one of the Jury. thank you, Beau Beau Kayser City of Watsonville Water Division desk phone: (831) 768-3193 beau.kayser@cityofwatsonville.org ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Santa Cruz Grand Jury Date: Mon, Aug 15, 2022 at 5:17 PM Subject: Required response to Grand Jury report is due on August 22, 2022 To: Santa Cruz Grand Jury [Quoted text hidden] 2022-2q Water OS-WatsWD Invited.pdf 324K 160 Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury RESOLUTION NO. 184-22 (CM) A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WATSONVILLE APPROVING RESPONSE TO THE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY REPORT ENTITLED “OUR WATER ACCOUNT IS OVERDRAWN – BEYOND CONSERVATION: ACHIEVING DROUGHT RESILIENCE”; AND DIRECTING THE WATER DIVISION MANAGER TO SUBMIT RESPONSE TO THE GRAND JURY WHEREAS, the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury published a report regarding the water supply situation in Santa Cruz County titled, Our Water Account is Overdrawn – Beyond Conservation: Achieving Drought Resilience; and WHEREAS, the Grand Jury has assigned two Findings and one Recommendation for which the Council is to respond; and WHEREAS, the Grand Jury has assigned the same two Findings and one Recommendation, plus an additional Finding, for which the Water Operations Supervisor (i.e. Water Division Manager) may respond. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA, AS FOLLOWS: 1. This action is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5), in that adopting a Resolution approving a response to the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury report entitled “Our Water Account is Overdrawn – Beyond Conservation: Achieving Drought Resilience” does not meet CEQA's definition of a “project,” because the action does not have the potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment and if a “project,” is exempt under the “common sense” exception (14 Cal. Code Regs. § 1 Reso No. 184-22 (CM) DocuSign Envelope ID: EF7053BB-56C7-43BF-9CAD-ED352BDC10C5 Meeting Date: 08/30/22 [Return to Table of Contents] 2021–2022 Consolidated Final Report with Responses 161 15061(b)(3)) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that this action may have a significant effect on the environment. 2. The City Council hereby approves the response to the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury Report entitled “Our Water Account is Overdrawn-Beyond Conservation: Achieving Drought Resilience” attached hereto as Exhibit A (“Response”). 3. The City Council directs the Water Division Manager to submit the Response to the Grand Jury. ******************************* 2 Reso No. 184-22 (CM) DocuSign Envelope ID: EF7053BB-56C7-43BF-9CAD-ED352BDC10C5 Meeting Date: 08/30/22 162 Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury The foregoing resolution was introduced at a regular meeting of the Council of the City of Watsonville, held on the 30th day of August , 2022, by Member Dutra , who moved its adoption, which motion being duly seconded by Member Hurst , was upon roll call carried and the resolution adopted by the following vote: AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Dutra, Estrada, García, Hurst, Montesino, Quiroz-Carter, Parker NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None ____________________________ Ari Parker, Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ City Clerk 9/6/2022 | 3:37 PM PDT _______________________ Date APPROVED AS TO FORM: _____________________________ City Attorney ************************************ I, Irwin I. Ortiz, City Clerk of the City of Watsonville, do hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution No. 184-22 (CM) was duly and regularly passed and adopted by the Watsonville City Council at a meeting thereof held on the 30th day of August , 2022, and that the foregoing is a full, true and correct copy of said Resolution. ________________________________ Irwin I. Ortiz, City Clerk 9/6/2022 | 3:37 PM PDT Date__________________________ 3 Reso No. 184-22 (CM) DocuSign Envelope ID: EF7053BB-56C7-43BF-9CAD-ED352BDC10C5 Meeting Date: 08/30/22