By Mary Perich, League of women Voters of Fresno Member
Every five years, the City of Fresno is required, under the California Water Code, to publish an Urban Water Management Plan for submission to the California Department of Water Resources. The current plan covers the years 2016 to 2020 and sets the roadmap for how the City will use water over the next five years and beyond. The requirements of the Plan include:
- Assessment of current and projected water services
- Evaluation of demand and customer types
- Evaluation of the reliability of water supplies
- Description of conservation measures implemented by urban water suppliers
- Response plan in the event of a water shortage
- Comparison of demand and supply projections
This planning process provides a standardized methodology for water utilities to assess their water resource needs and availability, including water shortage contingency planning for drought conditions. It also supports regional long-term planning.
The City’s water service area covers 70,400 acres, the entire area encompassed by its city limits. City water service will eventually extend out to annexed lands in the Sphere of Influence boundary. Since 2013, all water services in the City’s water service area are metered. The overall water usage patterns have been greatly reduced due to the City’s conservation measures and metering of all services. With completion of the metering project, the City can monitor water usage more closely and provide its customers an understanding of their water use. This has led to a 13% reduction in water consumption since 2013. Water consumption is projected to continue to decline through 2045 due to more water efficiency in future construction and continuation of the City’s water conservation programs. The City has a water waste hotline and a reporting form on the City’s website, and keeps records of water waste violations.
The City relies on a combination of groundwater; surface water from the Central Valley Project through a contract with the United States Bureau of Reclamation; Kings River water through a contract with the Fresno Irrigation District; and recycled water.
Since 2004, the City has invested in expanding its surface water treatment capabilities and now has three surface water treatment plants that provide approximately half of all potable water demands in the service area. One of the primary objectives is to maximize the use of treated surface water and reduce overall reliance on groundwater.
In 2014, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act was signed into law and created a statutory framework for groundwater management in California. The City is located in the Kings Subbasin, which has been designated as critically overdrafted. This subbasin contains seven Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs). The City is a member organization in the North Kings GSA, which is working within the SGMA framework to reach groundwater sustainability over a 20 year planning horizon from 2020 to 2040.
Groundwater levels in some areas of the City have actually increased over the last five years as the City reduces its use of groundwater. This is expected to continue as the City pumps less groundwater in the future and increases its groundwater recharge capacity. The City intends to recharge an average of 60,000 acre feet per year (AFY) beyond 2020, gradually increasing recharge by about 540 AFY each year.
