The City of Hollister aims to proclaim May as “Water Awareness Month,” and consider the approvals of emergency regulations and proactive strategies to counter a statewide dry spell.
City council members anticipate responding April 20 to recent calls by California Gov. Jerry Brown and the State Water Resources Control Board for additional conservation by water agencies, seeking to protect California’s remaining supply amid a multi-year drought. During its meeting Monday at city hall, according to an official agenda, the local government could declare an emergency, and implement plans for water shortage and contingencies.
“Part of what we plan to consider Monday night is a recent mandate for water agencies to take action,” said City Manager William Avera in a statement Friday to BenitoLink. “We tried to draft a plan to additionally provide accommodation for the governor’s recent order, which calls for a reduction of water use by 25 percent. Though we fully expect that that draft could require adjustments, we also expect to ensure compliance with the previously adopted requirements.”
Brown proclaimed about a year ago that if the severe drought were to continue into 2015, such conditions could threaten agriculture, increase wildfires, degrade habitat, and encourage saltwater contamination and water scarcity. The proclamation went on to suspend environmental review as required by the California Environmental Quality Act to streamline emergency regulation, among other actions. The governor has since expanded such actions.
The possible plan by the City of Hollister surfaces amid a push toward potentially unprecedented regulation by the state’s water board, considering a cut to Californians’ water use by 25 percent. That idea follows an executive order by Brown, who moved earlier this month to further strengthen the state’s oversight of water and habitat amid drought conditions.
Avera said that in the event the water board releases new guidance, the city will take steps with its council, as well as the Sunnyslope County and San Benito County water districts, for appropriate consideration and modification of the local water plan, which remains subjected to change by officials.
State Water Resources Control Board Public Affairs Director George Kostyrko told BenitoLink in a statement Friday that the agency aimed to imminently release a package of draft regulations, which could lead to formal adoption in May, which happens to be “Water Awareness Month.”
“Following release of the framework last week, which was our proposed approach to meet the governor’s 25 percent water conservation mandate, we received more than 300 comments on the proposal,” said Kostyrko. “We are going through those right now, with a goal of releasing a draft emergency regulations package by the end of Friday if possible.”
“In the meantime, we don’t plan to comment on specific concerns raised by individual water districts or communities, based on the original proposed framework,” added Kostyrko. “We ask that water districts and water users wait until we release the proposed package. It is likely that there will be changes, due to the thoughtful feedback we have received from communities, water districts and water users.”
Shawn Novack with the San Benito County Water Resources Association, which represents both Sunnyslope County and San Benito County water districts, told BenitoLink Friday that local water officials support the governor’s action, and have a plan — an “urban water management plan.”
“Contained in that plan is an inventory of our water supplies and also our drought contingency plan,” said Novack. “We go by that plan and right now, we’re at level two, and that’s what’s triggering a lot of these local actions. Now, should we receive insufficient rain next year and no imported water, that level potentially could reach three, at which water managers would look at building permits and possible suspensions.”
In contrast to such prospects, according to Novack, El Niño seems possible: In the event one ever shows up, its conditions could help the region make up for a long-reigning shortfall of rainfall.
“In a good year, we get about 11 to 13 inches,” said Novack. “We haven’t seen that in years.”
Though many forecasters had predicted that El Niño would arrive last year, some of them now think that that largely unpredictable phenomenon and complex interplay of clouds, winds, storms, oceanic temperatures and equatorial currents could take shape as soon as June, July, winter or next year.