agenda city of watsonville city council/redevelopment agency meeting

The Utilities Department is charged with the determination of the available supply and calculation of the
Maximum Day Demand. The Department will monitor its wells and surface water sources to determine
any losses in capacity that cannot be mitigated through rehabilitation of the facility.
2. City will coordinate its water supply determination efforts with the PVWMA.
Analysis of Revenue Impacts of Reduced Sales During Shortages
The City of Watsonville has not conducted a formal study on the financial impacts of the water shortage
contingency plan. Under a prolonged water shortage scenario, such as a drought, the City would
anticipate expenses to increase as a result of actions to augment water supply and to reduce consumer
use. The City has set up a Water Conservation Fund to cover the expenses associated with
implementing all levels of the water shortage contingency plan.
New development projects within the City Water Service Area are required to pay a groundwater impact
fee to the City along with their water connection charges. The impact fee was established by calculating
the cost of retrofit facilities necessary to mitigate the water demands of the new development. The City
assigns the impact fees collected to the Water Conservation Fund, which also finances the water
conservation programs and water use reduction projects.
Reduction Measuring Mechanism
Under normal water supply conditions, automated flow meters and a computer network record potable
water production figures continuously. The Water Operations Manager tracks totals regularly.
If it is determined that a Level 2 or greater rationing stage is in effect, the City may begin instituting
mandatory prohibitions. Examples of these are listed in Table 5.3. During a Level 1 or 2 water shortage,
weekly production figures will be reported to the Director of Public Works and Utilities. The Director
will compare the weekly production to the target weekly production to verify that the reduction goal is
being met.
During a Level 3 through 5 water shortage, the procedure listed above will be followed, with the
addition of a daily production report to the Director. During emergency shortages, production figures
will be reported to the Director as often as requested.
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