04-26-2021 BPU RPT 08 - Laserfiche WebLink

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W A T E R E N E R G Y L I F E RIVERSIDE PUBLIC UTILITIES Board Memorandum P U B L I C U T I L I T I E S BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES DATE: APRIL 26, 2021 SUBJECT: AMENDMENT TO SECTIONS 14.22.020-14.22.080 OF THE RIVERSIDE MUNICIPAL CODE TO UPDATE THE WATER CONSERVATION ORDINANCE ISSUE: Consider adoption of an ordinance amending Sections 14.22.020-14.22.080 of the Riverside Municipal Code to update the Water Conservation Ordinance RECOMMENDATION: That the Board of Public Utilities recommend the City Council adopt an ordinance amending Sections 14.22.020-14.22.080 of the Riverside Municipal Code to update the Water Conservation Ordinance. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: The City of Riverside's Water Conservation Ordinance was first adopted by the City Council on July 26, 2011, as Chapter 14.22 of the Riverside Municipal Code (RMC), in response to a statewide drought emergency issued by the Governor of California in 2009. Though the emergency declaration was rescinded on March 30, 2011, the State adopted Water Code 100 requiring "that the water resources of the State be put to beneficial use to the fullest extent of which they are capable, and that the waste or unreasonable use or unreasonable method of use of water be prevented, and that the conservation of such water is to be exercised with a view to the reasonable and beneficial use thereof in the interest of the people and for the public welfare." Per California Water Code 100, the Water Conservation Ordinance includes a detailed description of unreasonable uses of water as well as Riverside Public Utilities' (RPU) Water Conservation Program, which establishes four stages detailing water shortage levels of increasing severity and demand reduction actions under each stage to address conditions and needs. These stages serve as the City's Water Shortage Contingency Plan, giving City Council the authority to declare water shortage stages. Since it was first adopted, the Water Conservation Ordinance has been periodically updated as legislation has required urban water suppliers to increase water use efficiency and conservation efforts. The last time the Ordinance was updated was in 2015, in response to the most recent statewide drought emergency declared by Governor Brown in 2014. The Governor's executive order directed the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to adopt emergency