CC SR 20220405 04 - West Basin
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 04/05/2022
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business
AGENDA TITLE:
Consideration and possible action to receive a presentation from the West Basin
Municipal Water District on water conservation efforts.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Receive and file a presentation from the West Basin Municipal Water District on
water conservation efforts.
FISCAL IMPACT: None
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: Megan Barnes, Senior Administrative Analyst
REVIEWED BY: Karina Bañales, Deputy City Manager
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. West Basin PowerPoint (page A-1) - forthcoming
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION:
Rancho Palos Verdes is one of 17 cities served by the West Basin Municipal Water
District (West Basin), a wholesale agency providing drinking water to nearly 1 million
people mostly in the South Bay region.
Last November, based on historically low allocations of water from Northern California,
strained supplies from the Colorado River, and in light of recent emergency declarations,
West Basin escalated its Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP) from shortage level
one to shortage level three. As a result, regional drought response actions are warranted
and include more water use efficiency measures and expanded outreach and public
information to support water savings in West Basin communities. The aim of shortage
level three is to achieve a demand reduction target of up to 30%.
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CITYOF RANCHO PALOS VERDES
On March 28, 2022, Governor Newsom called on the State Water Resources Control
Board to consider requiring urban water suppliers to activate, at a minimum, level 2 of
their WSCPs, and to consider a ban on watering of decorative grass around commercial,
industrial and institutional buildings.
Days earlier, Cal Water requested to move into Stage 2 of its WSCP in the Rancho
Dominguez District with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The utility is
scheduled to host a public meeting tonight to educate Rancho Dominguez customers –
which includes those in its Dominguez, Hermosa-Redondo and Palos Verdes systems –
about Stage 2 restrictions, including outdoor watering limits and increased water waste
penalties, and provide information on conservation programs and tools available to help
customers reduce their water use. The workshop will be held virtually at 7:30
p.m. at calwater.com/stage2.
As part of its drought outreach, in November 2021, West Basin announced a new
campaign calling on residents in the district’s service area to be “SUPER-CALI-
FRUGALISTIC” with water. The campaign call to “Save Water, Save California” highlights
how local actions can make a far-reaching impact and challenges West Basin local
communities to be frugal — in other words, prudent — with their water use for all
communities to thrive.
Tonight, West Basin will provide a brief presentation to the City Council highlighting how
residents can conserve water, including incentive s such as the district’s grass
replacement rebate program. Residents can find information about these programs and
more resources on West Basin’s website at westbasin.org/conservation.
Division I Director Harold C. Williams, who represents the Palos Verdes Peninsula on
West Basin’s Board of Directors, and West Basin Interim General Manager E.J. Caldwell,
have confirmed their attendance at tonight’s meeting.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
West Basin currently employs Mr. Keith Lemieux to serve as its General Counsel. Mr.
Lemieux has recently announced that he and his partner Steve O'Neill have joined the
law firm of Aleshire & Wynder, LLP. In the event of the joint representation of the City and
West Basin, in matters involving both entities vis-a-vis each other, the parties will either
execute a waiver of the potential conflict of interest, pursuant to Rule 1.7 of the California
Rules of Professional Conduct, or separate counsel will be retained for each entity.
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