HomeMy WebLinkAbout5 - Drought Plan Update CITY OF BOULDER
WATER RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD
AGENDA ITEM
MEETING DATE: February 23, 2009
AGENDA TITLE: Discussion of Drought Plan Update
PRESENTERS: Ned Williams, Director of Public Works, Utilities
Carol Ellinghouse, Water Resources Coordinator
Joanna Crean, Public Works Administrator
Bret Linenfelser, Water Quality Coordinator
EXECUTIVE SUIVIMARY:
The city's "Drought Plan" was completed in February 2003 and revised with new drought
triggers in 2004. Since then, a water budget rate structure was implemented in January 2007 and
a draft Source Water Master Plan (SWMP) has been developed with final approval anticipated to
occur in 2009. The Drought Plan needs to be updated so that drought response strategies and
public education efforts are consistent with the new water budget rate structure methodology and
to incorporate information to be developed as a result of recommendations in the Source Water
Master Plan. Staff anticipates beginning the Drought Plan update in the first half of 2009 after
the Source Water Master Plan approval process is completed. A complete copy of the Drought
Plan (Volumes 1 and 2) may be found on the city's web site at:
http://wv~~v.boti_lti_erc~lt~r~dn.gov/index.~ltp>o}tion=com contentcx;tasl:=view~:id°'1472&Itemid
=1974
BACKGROUND ON DROUGHT PLAN:
The city of Boulder Drought Plan, dated February 20, 2003, provides guidance for recognizing
droughts that will affect water supply availability for the city and for responding suitably to these
droughts. Volume 1 of the Drought Plan is the Drought Response Plan, which includes summary
information on the city's water system, a categorization of drought levels according to the
severity of shortage of city water supplies, and detailed information on the particular actions that
might be taken to respond to each drought alert level. Volume 2 of the Drought Plan is the
Drought Technical Information and Analysis that provides the technical basis for recognizing
drought occurrences and supporting documentation for the Drought Response Plan. Specifically,
Volume 2 contains the detailed analysis, hydrologic data and history to help assess the status of
the city's water supply each year and support declaration of Drought Alert Stages if necessary.
The Drought Plan is separate from and has a different purpose than the Conservation Plan, which
addresses the city's on-going efforts to promote wise water use during non-drought periods.
UPDATING THE DROUGHT PLAN:
The Drought Plan is intended to help staff, customers, stakeholders, City Council and WRAB
prepare for a drought, recognize drought conditions as they occur and respond effectively in the
event of a drought. In the event of a drought, the city's drought response decisions will be based
AGENDA ITEM # 5 PAGE i
on the specific circumstances at the time and cannot be known with certainty ahead of time.
Therefore, the Drought Plan does not set out absolutes for each specific action in a period of
drought; it is instead a menu and a guide for the community and decision-makers in a drought
situation.
The SWIvIP contains a recommendation to update the 2003 Drought Response Plan as a Priority
1 item. The Drought Response Plan (Volume 1) will be updated in the near-term to include
newly-available actions that might be taken at each drought alert level such as using the new
water budget rate structure that was implemented in 2007 to help reduce water use. 'T'hese
immediate updates will help assure that all available tools for dealing with drought can be used
to their full advantage should a drought occur soon.
The Drought Technical Information and Analysis Plan (Volume 2) will be updated at a later date,
possibly in 2010, following the completion of new water system model runs and studies as
recommended in the SWMP. The SWMP recommends that water demand projections be
updated based on new demographic projections in the 2005 Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan
revision. Once these updated water demand projections are complete, likely in 2009, the
information can be used to meet other recommendations in the SWMP. These recommendations
include updating water conservation studies and completion of city water system modeling to
define the level of reliability that occurs with updated water supply and demand projections.
These new water system model runs can incorporate information recently developed from studies
of the possi%le effects of climate change on yields of the city's water rights portfolio and
performance of the city's raw water system during drought periods. Model runs conducted for
the climate study built on the drought hydrology studies that were the basis for Volume 2 of the
Drought Plan and that provided detailed information on the yields of Boulder's various water
rights during each of the def7_:~ed Drought Stages. Depending on the results of new model runs
incorporating updated d.,man~l information, modifications might he made to the Drought .Alert
Triggers contained in Volume 2 ofthe Drought -Plan.
SPECIFIC ITEMS FOR WRAB'S CONSIDERATION:
WRAB member Bill DeOreo has provided information (Attachment A) for discussion of changes
to the Drought Plan. City staff is looking for input and feedback from V~RAB on updating the
Drought Plan.
NEXT STEPS:
It is anticipated that staff will develop proposed changes to Volume 1 of the Drought Plan
(_Drought Response Plan) in the spring/summer of 2009. Input and feedback from WRAB will be
incorporated and a final version of Volume 1 will be provided to WRAB in the fall of 2009. It is
anticipated that Volume 2 of the Drought Plan will be updated in 2010 following the completion
of new water system model r~zns and studies as recommended in the S WMI'. Staff will present a
draft of Volume 2 to ViTRAB when complete.
ATTACHMENTS
A -Drought Planning and Response Policy Recommendations, February 16, 2009, as prepared
by Bill DeOreo
AGENDA ITEM # 5 PAGE 2
2/18/2009 Attachment A
L7ftC~[tGH'i~ f
LA1~1NITdC:; /4ND RESI'Cl1JS1? PC7LlCY RE:C4NfMENDA'I'IONS
From: Water Resources Advisory Board
To: City Manager and City Council
Revised Date: February 17, 2009
Background
From Boulder's perspective an event which signals a true drought emergency is the
failure of the watershed and Barker reservoirs to fill under Boulder's various storage and
exchange water rights. This has happened at least twice in recent history. In both 1954
and 2002 the watershed and Barker reservoirs did not fill. If this period is typical of long
term hydrology this makes it a 50 year or 2% probability event. Even if one sets concerns
of climate change aside there are plenty of precedents in the historical record that indicate
the last 50 years have been wetter than long term conditions. If there are climate changes
occurring, this may only amplify the potential risk. Hence the importance of good
drought planning. .
- It has been five years since the last significant update of the City's drought plan as part of
the Water Conservation Futures Study. Since that time the rate structure has been
` overhauled, and now includes water budgets for all customers. The water budget rate
structure lends itself to drought planning and response. The WRAB recommends that
City Council adopt new drought planning and response policies that integrate water
- - y budgets into the process, which was intended at the time that the rate structure was
adopted.
The current drought plan identifies four stages of drought and provides a set of triggers
for defining each stage.
Table 2 of the report list the main actions from which the water savings in Table 1 are
to be achieved. They are almost exclusively based on curtailment of outdoor uses.
"Enforcement" begins in Stage 2.
a. Level 1: voluntary restrictions
b. Leve12: Moderate limits on outdoor use. Reduce indoor use by 5%.
Consider drought sur-charge
c. Leve13: Sever restrictions on outdoor use. Reduce indoor use by 10%.
Consider drought sur-charge.
d. Leve14: Ban outdoor use Essential indoor use only. Consider drought sur-
charge
Draft: 2/18/2009 Attachment A
'Table 1: Drou ht sta es and use reductions from Boulders Drought Res once Plan
Drought Alert ! Description Total Annual Water Irrigation Season Water Use
Stage + Use Reduction Goal Reduction Goal
_ _ _ _6 _ _ _ _ _
I Moderate 8% 10%
II Serious 14% 20%
III Severe ~ - - 22% ~ ~30%
- --~V ~ Extreme - 40% - . - 55°Y°. - -
The current drought response measures are based mainly- on imposing limits on the time
and frea~-iency of irrigation. 'The redactions outlined in 'T'able 1 imply that most if not all
of the savings are intended to come from reductions in outdoor use. Also, the
enforcement of these limits, if similar to the approach from 2002, will be based on police
patrols to spot unauthorized irrigation. This type ofmicro-management was highly
ineffective and unpopular in 2002, and was one of the driving forces behind the creation
of the water budget rate structure.
WRAB Goals on Drought
The goal WRAB at this time is to create a drought planning :end response piogram for the
City that replaces the obsolete portions ofthe current drought response plar. with
elements that are based an the water budget rate .structure, anal to bring the City :bought
planning more i~~to step with state and national drought planning and response tl~inkinr .
WRAB does not intend to "rewrite'' the drought plan at this time, l;ut rathe;~, we vaish to
offer a set of policy guidelines for consideration by City Council. Then, policies, if
adopted, will guide future drought planning by the Utility Department.
Policy Kecommendations:
The WRAB makes the following policy recommendations with respect to drought
planning and response:
l . Drought planning is to be a proactive undertaking.
2. A drought response taskforce should be formed to advise the city on drought
matters and assist with drought education and response.
3. The water budget rate structure is to be the primary tool for drought response.
Budgets are to be reduced as necessary to meet the goals for demand reductionse
4. Financial stability of tree system is 1:o be maintained through suri:harges to budget
tiers 2. through 5. Surcharges are also to be an important elF;ment an tinforcemer=t
of the drought reduced budgets..
5. In tunes of drought shortages are to be shared among all customer categories such
that economic losses are as equal as practical.
6. Long term water conservation is to be an essential element of drought planning.
Reductions in water demand during non-drought times can be car rice! over to
increase drought resiliency.
Draft: 2/18/2009 Attachment A
7. Evaluation of the drought response is to be based on the success of meeting the
defined reliability criteria over a long term (~25 year) operations period that
includes the appropriate design drought (20, 100, 1000 year return interval). Both
single year and multi-year droughts are to be considered.
8. In order to avoid punishing customers who adopt conservation measures prior to
the drought, when budgets are reduced the targets should be based on defined
efficiency benchmarks rather than on percent reductions for all customers.
9. The City should co-ordinate its drought planning and response with appropriate
regional and state agencies.
10. The City should adopt an ordinance prohibiting waste of water.
As policy advisors to Council WRAB believes that our role is to assist with establishing
the guiding principals in this and other areas of the City's water resources matters. We
ask council to engage in a discussion with us on these proposed policies. We believe that
adopting these policies would help the water utility to develop better detailed drought
plans and response programs.
~ The 1988 Raw Water Master Plan established the reliability criteria for the system. Shortages no more
frequently than 1 in 20 years. Shortages that cause some loss to landscape 1 in 100 years. Shortages that
limit use to only essential uses 1 in 1000 years.
a