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RIVERSIDE PUBLIC UTILITIES Board Memorandum BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES DATE: APRIL 17, 2015 ITEM NO: 9 SUBJECT: ADOPTION OF EXTENSION TO THE EMERGENCY ORDINANCE IMPLEMENTING CALIFORNIA STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD MANDATORY EMERGENCY DROUGHT RESPONSE REGULATIONS ISSUES: The issues for Board of Public Utilities consideration is a 45 day extension of an emergency ordinance implementing mandatory water restrictions to comply therewith in response to the California State Water Resources Control Board's (SWRCB) emergency regulations related to the drought. RECOMMENDATION: That the Board of Public Utilities recommend that the City Council adopt a resolution extending the implementation of Stages 1 and 2 of the City's Water Shortage Contingency Plan, as set forth in Riverside Municipal Code Chapter 14.22, for 45 days in response to Executive Order B-29-15. BACKGROUND: California is currently in the fourth year of a significant drought with severe impacts to California's water supplies and its ability to meet all of the demands for water in the State. On January 17, 2014, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. declared a drought state of emergency. On April 25, 2014, the Governor signed an Executive Order that directed the SWRCB to adopt emergency regulations as it deems necessary, pursuant to Water Code section 1058.5, to ensure that urban water suppliers implement drought response plans to limit outdoor irrigation and other wasteful water practices. SWRCB adopted regulations at its meeting on July 15, 2014, which consisted of three requirements: 1) a prohibition on certain types of water use; 2) an order for all urban water suppliers to implement mandatory conservation measures; and 3) an order for water suppliers with 3,000 or more service connections to provide monthly data on water production. The SWRCB regulations included prohibitions on certain activities, including: • Watering of outdoor landscapes in a manner that causes runoff; • Washing of hard surfaces such as driveways and sidewalks except to preserve public health and safety; • Washing a motor vehicle, unless the hose is fitted with a shut-off nozzle; and • Use of decorative fountains or water features except where the water is recirculated. In response to these regulations, the City Council took the following actions at its July 22, 2014 meeting: 1) adopted revisions to the Water Shortage Contingency Plan; 2) amended certain sections of Chapter 14.22 of the Riverside Municipal Code by adopting an urgency ordinance; and 3) adopted a resolution implementing Stage 2 of the City's Water Shortage Contingency Plan found in Chapter 14.22 of the Riverside Municipal Code. The changes to Chapter 14.22 changed Stage 2 restrictions from voluntary to mandatory, and limited non-agricultural landscape watering to four days in Stage 2 and decreased the non-agricultural landscape watering to three days in Stage 3.