Water Quality and Supply Issues Monthly Update-APRIL 2024
Springtime greetings to everyone working in the construction industry. This month, water is on our mind as the California snowpack reaches its apex for the year and spring and summer seasonal runoff starts to fill rivers and reservoirs. According to water supply experts, the past winter precipitation was more “normal” compared to historical records and created fewer problems for the state’s water supply and storage infrastructure than the record-setting previous year.
Building on the positive water supply outlook, our state and local water agencies have been bustling, accessing current conditions and looking forward to the future and what we can do to make our water supplies sustainable and resilient through all wet and dry years. New planning reports and conservation surveys are included this month.
Finally, on a related note, we highlight a critical new regional municipal permit for stormwater pollution proposed for the Santa Ana River watershed in the Inland Empire of southern California. The Santa Ana watershed is home to one of California’s largest urban groundwater storage basins for drinking water supply and a world-renowned, multi-agency-supported recycled water treatment and aquifer storage and recovery system. The proposed permit is integral to ensuring the quality and sustainability of the region’s water supply.
-Your CICWQ Team
APRIL NEWSWORTHY ITEMS
California Snowpack and Water Supply Storage Conditions – April 2024
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) reported the April snow survey, the fourth measurement of the season at Phillips Station. The manual survey recorded 64 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 27.5 inches, which is 113 percent of the average for this location. Water managers consider the April measurement peak snowpack for the season and mark the transition to spring snowmelt into the state’s rivers and reservoirs.
According to DWR's electronic readings from 130 stations placed throughout the state, the statewide snowpack's snow water equivalent is 28.6 inches or 110 percent of the April 1 average. This is a significant improvement from just 28 percent of the average on January 1, 2024.
State Releases California Water Plan Update 2023: A Roadmap to Water Management and Infrastructure for a Water-Resilient Future
DWR released the final version of California Water Plan Update 2023 in early April. The Plan is a critical planning tool for water managers, including water districts, cities and counties, and Tribal communities, to inform and guide the state's use and development of water resources. The Plan lays out a path toward its vision through seven objectives, each containing multiple recommendations and actions to achieve the expected results.
DWR is hosting a two-hour webinar on Monday, April 29, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. to highlight the key elements, upcoming projects, and funding that put California Water Plan Update 2023 into action.
Public Survey Results Show Southern Californians are Committed to Water Conservation
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California conducted a regional survey on water conservation in November 2023 and recently published the results. The survey was performed by Probolsky Research and done via phone and online in English and Spanish to 1,000 participants within the Metropolitan's six-county service area.
Metropolitan regularly conducts research to assess attitudes and opinions on critical water issues to help inform how to communicate best and engage with its communities. Survey results showed that over the last 30 years, Southern Californians have demonstrated a commitment to conservation, with potable water use dropping by nearly 40% per person.
Proposed Santa Ana River Watershed Regional MS4 Permit Released for Public Review and Comment
The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board released a tentative permit for regulating discharges of pollutants in stormwater and urban runoff from Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) in Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties regionwide. The permit is the first of its kind in the Santa Ana region, where previously, each county maintained individual, county-wide permits.
The new regional permit structure proposes that each of the three-county permittee groups prepare watershed management plans with specific requirements common to all three counties. Several new changes are also proposed for the permit's Planning and Land Development section, which impacts the building and construction industry tasked with designing and installing post-construction runoff controls.
A Board workshop occurred on March 15, 2024, where the Board members directed staff to extend the public comment period deadline from May 4 to July 3, 2024.
