06-24-2019 BPU RPT 18 - Laserfiche WebLink

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W A T E R E N E R G Y T I F F RIVERSIDE PUBLIC UTILITIES id& P U B L I C U T I L I T I E S BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES SUBJECT: MEMORANDUM OF MUNICIPAL WATER CONSERVATION ISSUE: Board Memorandum DATE: JUNE 24, 2019 ITEM NO: 18 UNDERSTANDING WITH SAN BERNARDINO VALLEY DICTRICT REGARDING UPPER SANTA ANA RIVER HABITAT Recommend that the City Council approve the Memorandum of Understanding with San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District Regarding Upper Santa Ana River Habitat Conservation. RECOMMENDATION: That the Board of Public Utilities recommend that the City Council approve the Memorandum of Understanding with San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District Regarding Upper Santa Ana River Habitat Conservation. BACKGROUND: Riverside Public Utilities (RPU) relies upon local groundwater to meet the majority of the water demands within its service area. RPU has production rights from three (3) groundwater basins, Bunker Hill, Rialto - Colton, and the Riverside basins. The groundwater within these basins that is extracted by RPU is replenished primarily by natural recharge, or percolation of storm water. RPU has participated in regional storm water capture projects to enhance/increase the amount of water that recharges annually to the underlying groundwater basins from which we depend. Furthermore, RPU intends to continue to participate in future regional and local storm water capture projects when opportunities and/or the need arises. There are many challenges associated with implementation of storm water capture projects. They include obtaining permission from the State to divert water off a river, stream, or tributary (i.e. water rights) as well as gaining the necessary environmental permits from regulatory agencies. On October 7, 2014, the City Council approved the recommendation from the Board of Public Utilities to approve an expenditure not -to -exceed $325,000 for participation in the development of the Santa Ana River (SAR) Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). RPU is one of 11 paying partners in the SAR HCP with San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District (Valley District) taking the lead in developing the HCP. This HCP is a planning document, developed by the partnering agencies, that provides assurances to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) that listed species associated with water supply projects will be fully mitigated by conserving the habitat upon which the species depend, thereby contributing to the recovery of the species as a whole. The need for an HCP is being driven by the necessity to develop and maintain water supply projects and facilities that are planned, or currently in existence, and are located