Oro Valley Water Utility Community Sustainability March 16, 2019 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Oro Valley Water Utility Community Sustainability

March 16, 2019

Peter A. Abraham, P .E. Water Utility Director

Town of Oro Valley

WATER UTILITY MISSION MISSION: To maintain and acquire suffjcient water resources to ensure the community has an adequate, safe and reliable water supply to sustain the Town’s quality of life and support residential and economic development.

Town of Oro Valley

WATER UTILITY YESTERDAY

1993 – Voters approved creating Water Utility

May 1, 1996 T

• wn purchased 2 private water companies

Canada Hills Water Company & Rancho Vistoso Water Company thus creating the Oro Valley Water Utility (OVWU) 9,800 service connections serving a population of over 26,000 Solely dependent of groundwater as the only source of supply In 2005 the OVWU began reclaimed water deliveries for irrigation purposes thus reducing the T

• wn’s sole dependence on groundwater

In 2012 the OVWU began delivering of a portion of the T

• wn’s

Central Arizona Project (CAP) water entitlement thus further reducing the T

• wn’s dependence on groundwater

Town of Oro Valley

WATER UTILITY TODAY

T

• day the OVWU…

Is no longer solely reliant on groundwater as a water resource (In 2018 44% of water demands were met with sources

• ther than

groundwater) Has over 20,000 water service connections Serves a population of approximately 45,000 residents Has two water service areas – Oro Valley & Countryside Has a water resource portfolio that includes groundwater, CAP water and reclaimed water Has successfully operated the Water Utility for 22 years Employees 40 full time personnel

Town of Oro Valley

WATER UTILITY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Water Quality - Provide safe and reliable water service Customer Service - Provide excellent and responsive customer service. Water Utility Commission – Support the citizens advisory group to Council Water Resources – Develop and maintain a diverse water portfolio Water Conservation – Continue to develop conservation tools and incentives Drought Preparedness – Plan for curtailments in resource availability Fiscal Responsibility Continue to successfully operate the Water Utility Enterprise

Town of Oro Valley

WATER RESOURCES – DIVERSE WATER RESOURCE PORTFOLIO

Groundwater (1 AF = 325,851 gallons) Legal right to pump 13,384 AF/Yr. (Assured Water Supply) 2018 OVWU pumped 5,573 AF/Yr. Central Arizona Project (CAP) water Allocation = 10,305 AF/Yr. 2018 OVWU utilized 7,667 AF/Yr. (2,094 delivered) Stored unused CAP water allocation in underground aquifer storage facilities Reclaimed water entitlement depends on effmuent generation (Approx: 2,500 AF) TOVWU utilizes most of its effmuent entitlement 2018 OVWU delivered 2,321 AF of reclaimed water Water Resource Goals Groundwater – Preserve and protect existing groundwater supplies CAP water - Increase deliveries to match pace with growth Reclaimed Water – Look for Cost efgective ways to increase deliveries

Town of Oro Valley

WATER RESOURCES – Aquifer Storage & Recovery

WATER RESOURCES – RESOURCE UTILIZATION BY YEAR

DROUGHT PREPAREDNESS

The Water Utility prepares for drought by: Preserving and protecting its groundwater supplies and availability Maintaining a robust groundwater pumping capability Utilizing reclaimed water for irrigation and construction purposes Storing unused CAP water for future use Entering into agreements with agriculture to fjrm groundwater availability Participating in local and state-wide steering committees and advisory groups to ensure Oro Valley’s interests are represented How does drought afgect the Colorado River system? What does it mean for Oro Valley? Welcome to the Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan.

Colorado River System

Colorado River system is 1,450 miles long, runs from the Rocky Mountains to Gulf of California Holds 4-5 times the river’s annual fmow Provides water to seven US states and Mexico Upper Basin States: Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming Lower Basin States: Arizona, California and Nevada 7.5 MAF/year for each Supplies water for approximately 40 million people Supplies water to over 5 million acres of agricultural production Capacity to generate more than 4,200 megawatts of hydropower Enough power to serve 1.3 M people Supports Arizona’s $250B economy

Lake Mead

Water surface elevations of Lake Mead determine annual delivery volumes to the Lower Basin States Lake Mead specifjcs:

Lake Mead & 2007 River Shortage Guidelines

Lower Basin Colorado River entitlements:

California: 4.4 MAF/YR Arizona: 2.8 MAF/YR (1.2 MAF/YR on river users & 1.6 MAF/YR CAP) Nevada: 0.3 MAF/YR Colorado river system began experiencing drought conditions in 2000 In 2007, Secretary of Interior adopted the Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin shortages Shortages are dependent on the surface water elevation of Lake Mead 2007 River Shortage Guidelines only applies to Arizona CAP, Nevada and Mexico Reductions occur in a priority order

2007 River Shortage Guidelines

Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan (LBDCP)

Why LBDCP?: Hydrological studies estimate that the Colorado River is over-

allocated by 1.2 MAF/YR (Structural Defjcit)

Conclusion: 2007 River Shortage Guidelines are not enough to protect Lake Mead (625,000 AF/YR between Arizona CAP, Nevada and Mexico) LBDCP Goal: Reduce the risk of Lake Mead water surface elevations declining to critically low levels and protecting the highest priority users Priority users include Municipal, Industrial and Indian Priority water Accomplished by reducing deliveries to all Lower Basin States, BOR and Mexico, not just Arizona and Nevada LBDCP will not prevent a Tier 1 shortage unless Upper Basin Hydrology improves in 2019 and 2020 The LBDCP builds on the 2007 River Shortage Guidelines by taking reductions sooner and subsequent reductions are larger than the 2007 River Shortage Guidelines Reductions under the LBDCP will occur in priority order within Arizona

Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan (LBDCP)

LBDCP (AZ) vs. 2007 River Shortage Guidelines (AZ)

LBDCP (AZ) vs. River Shortage Guidelines (AZ)

LBDCP (AZ) vs. 2007 River Shortage Guidelines (AZ)

What does LBDCP mean to Agriculture in AZ

Agriculture that is not mitigated by higher priority CAP users will have their CAP allocation reduced or cut altogether Pima County agriculture is self-mitigated and not afgected

Priority Pima County CAP users store water in Pima County agriculture Groundwater Saving Facilities (GSF’s)

LBDCP Tier 1 reductions mostly afgect Pinal County agriculture Pinal County does not have the GSF agreements with higher priority CAP

users Pinal County is third largest farming County in Arizona 80% (275,000 AF/YR) of the CAP water allotted for agriculture is delivered to Pinal County CAP water makes up about half of Pinal County’s total agriculture water supply Under a Tier 1 LBDCP shortage Pinal County agriculture would rely solely on groundwater unless a higher priority CAP user mitigation plan were to be implemented

Groundwater pumping and Arizona’s aquifers

Pinal County is dominated by an agriculture economy. What afgect will Pinal Counties anticipated increased groundwater pumping have on Arizona? The 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act resulted in the creation of 5 AMA’s where groundwater pumping was heavily relied upon. Phoenix & T ucson AMA make up 80% of the state’s population. Consumptive demands are primarily agriculture, municipal and industrial. Primary goal of Prescott, Phoenix, T ucson and Santa Cruz AMA’s is safe yield by 2025. T ucson AMA has achieved safe yield. Active management areas represent aquifers that are NOT hydraulically connected. Pinal Counties potential groundwater depletion

• perating plan should have no afgect on the

T ucson AMA.

What does LBDCP mean to Oro Valley?

Oro Valley Water Utility has a subcontract with CAP

Oro Valley’s CAP allotment is part of the Municipal Priority Pool The 1.2 MAF structural defjcit is eliminated prior to cuts to the M&I priority pool If Lake Mead drops below 1,025 FT, delivery reductions up to 7% could be experienced by the M&I priority pool For Oro Valley, a 7% cut would equate to a 721 AF/YR reduction 10,305 AF (current allotment) – 721 AF (possible reduction) = 9,584 AF/YR In 2018 the utility used 7,667 AF of it’s CAP allocation. Stored the rest in aquifer storage for future use. T

• wn buildout will utilize 8,500 AF/YR of CAP allocation.

Contingency Planning: Utility has accrued more than 22,000 AF of long term storage credits Utility accrues between 2,500-3,000 AF of long term storage credits/year Oro Valley has access to 600,000 AF of AZWB water in the TAMA. Utility is a member of the CAGRD Utility has a well-established conservation ethic Utility continuously explores ways to build and diversify its Water Resource Portfolio

How will Oro Valley achieve Water Sustainability?

Educate and provide science and fact driven information to the T

• wn Manager, Mayor

and Council Educate and provide science and fact driven information to the community Reduce groundwater pumping by maximizing CAP water deliveries Firm the Utility’s Water Resource Portfolio by continuing to accrue and purchase LTSC Align the T

• wn’s water code with regional and state drought contingency plans and
• ther best management practices

Expand education and outreach programs to residents and businesses Maintain relationships with other CAP and Arizona water users including:

Agriculture (on-river and CAP) Indian Nations

Continue with collaborative agreements and partnering in regional projects that bring additional sources of water supply into Southern Arizona Expand the use of reclaimed water for irrigation uses Support projects to recover AWBA water Continue to educate and collaborate with State Legislature to solve future state-wide water resource challenges Keep Oro Valley relevant in the water resource discussion state-wide

Town of Oro Valley

WATER UTILITY TOMORROW

T

• morrow the OVWU…

Will be able to utilize it’s water resources to support the T

• wn’s

current boundary to buildout with resources to support additional growth Will have the water resources to support the T

• wn’s water

needs even during times of curtailments to CAP water allocation Will support the T

• wn’s growth utilizing resources other than

groundwater Will continue to responsibly utilize groundwater supplies to minimize and even reverse the past trend of declining groundwater levels

WATER RESOURCES – FUTURE RESOURCE UTILIZATION BY YEAR

QUESTIONS

Town of Oro Valley