San Diego’s Water Supply Is it Sustainable?Public Utilities Department Briefing

January 10, 2013

Cathleen Pieroni, Principal Water Resources Specialist

Presentation to the Green Scene

What does Water Supply Sustainability mean to San Diego?

• Living within our water “means”?

• Living within our water and energy “means”?

• Having enough reliable water supplies to meet present and future water demands?

• Minimal negative impacts to the environment?

San Diego – America’s Finest City

• Average of 267 days/year are mostly sunny

• Semi arid or Mediterranean Climate

• Average is less than 12 inches of rain annually

• Wettest year was 1941 with 24.93 inches

• Driest year was 1953 with 3.23 inches

San Diego’s Limited Rainfall

Diminishing Sierra Snowpack% Remaining, Relative to 1961-1990

(Hanemann et al., 2004)

Local Surface Water 7.30%

Imported Water 76.8%

Conservation 13.1%

Recycled Water 2.80% Groundwater 0.10%

City of San Diego’s Water Supplies Seven Year Historical Average – FY

2005 - 2012

Living Within Our Water “Means”City of San Diego’s Historic Direct Water Use Statistics

19701971

19721973

19741975

19761977

19781979

19801981

19821983

19841985

19861987

19881989

19901991

19921993

19941995

19961997

19981999

20002001

20022003

20042005

20062007

20082009

20102011

20120

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

Water Use in Acre-Feet

Population Growth

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 20120

50

100

150

200

250

175195 189

156172

157133 126

Chart Title

Living Within Our Water “Means”City of San Diego’s Historic Direct Water Use Statistics

City of San Diego’s Long-Range Water Resources Plan (2012)

Relation to Other Planning Work

LRWRP• Strategic planning• Conceptual

analysis• Examines trade-

offs between alternatives

• Develops overall targets for supply & demand-side programs

Master Plans and

Studies

• Facilities plans for water & recycled water

• Groundwater management plans & studies

CIP

• Identified projects for near-term implementation

• Detailed cost and schedule information

UWMP• Required by State

every five years• Compares supplies

and demands under normal & dry years

• Summarizes conservation & drought management

Long-Range Water Resources Planning Process

What is the 2012 LRWRP?

• High-level strategy for City’s water resources• Evaluates water supply and demand-side options

against multiple planning objectives• Takes a long-range viewpoint, through year 2035• Addresses risk and uncertainty of future conditions

Projected 2035 Supply Mix Under Critically Dry Conditions

2012 LRWRP Planning Process

• An open, participatory planning• Stakeholder driven process• The evaluation process relied on

– engineering expertise– past technical studies– water demand forecasting– simulation models & decision tools

Stakeholders• Don Billings

Independent Rates Oversight Committee

• Gordon Hess, P.E.

San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce

• Sean KarafinSan Diego County Taxpayers Association

• Mike McSweeneyBuilding Industry Association of San Diego

• Jim PeughIndependent Rates Oversight Committee

• Glen SchmidtSchmidt Design Group, Inc.

• Irene Stallard-RodriguezIndependent Rates Oversight Committee

• Yen TuCity-10 Representative

• Gail Welch Independent Rates Oversight Committee

• Daniel WerySan Diego Section of the American Planning Association

• Jill WitkowskiSan Diego Coastkeeper

2012 LRWRP Objectives(defined in Stakeholder Meeting #1)

Evaluate Portfolios

Common Elements in Top Portfolios(Stakeholder Committee Meeting #3 & #4)

San Diego’s Potential New Local Supply: Water Purification

Upstream Wastewater Discharges

www.purewatersd.org

Water Purification: a proven technology

Fairfax County, Virginia, 1982

Orange County, California, 2008

www.purewatersd.org

www.purewatersd.org

A look inside…

24

The Water Purification Process

Demonstration Project Concept

Sustainability Benefits of Water Purification

• Local Supply– Living within our water “means”

• Uses Less Energy than Imported Water – Living within our water and energy “means”

• Could provide a significant amount of the City of San Diego’s future water supplies – Having enough reliable water supplies to

meet present and future water demands

• Beneficial to the Environment

• BIOCOM • Building Industry Association of San Diego • Building Owners and Managers Association, San Diego Chapter • Citizens Coordinate for Century 3 • Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation • Empower San Diego • Endangered Habitats League • Environmental Health Coalition • Friends of Infrastructure • Industrial Environmental Association • National Association of Industrial and Office Properties• San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council

• San Diego Audubon Society • San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation • San Diego Coastkeeper • San Diego County Apartment Association• San Diego County Taxpayers Association• San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce • San Diego River Park Foundation • Surfrider Foundation, San Diego Chapter • Sustainability Alliance of Southern California • Utility Consumers’ Action Network

Friends of Infrastructure

WWW.SDWATERSUPPLY.COM

Questions?

Water Footprint

• On a per capita basis, the average Californian’s water footprint is 1,500 gallons a day

– Source: California’s Water Footprint. December 2012. J Fulton, H Cooley, P Gleick – Pacific Institute.

• More than 90% is associated with agricultural products

Water Usage

• San Diegans (City) use an average of 126 gallons per capita per day.– Water for drinking, bathing, washing, outdoors

irrigation, commercial uses, etc.

• Total Water Footprint is 1,500 gpd in California– More than 90% of CA’s water footprint is

associated with agricultural products.

Why is per Capita Water Use Declining?

• Water Conservation Programs– Low water-using fixtures and irrigation– Waste No Water Campaign– Other incentives: www.sandiego.gov/water/conservation

• Recycled Water Program• Land Densification• Cost of Water is Increasing – economic price

points being reached– Cost of imported water has doubled in the last 10 years– One gallon of San Diego’s tap water still costs less than one

penny

How much is 126 GPCPD?

• Assume:– Family of four people– Truck holds 4,000 gallons

• How Many Truckloads of Water per Year?– 46 Truckloads annually

local su

rface

groundwate

r

importe

d

ocean

desalin

ated

non-potable

recyc

led

potable

recyc

led

conser

vation

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

Kilo

watt

-hou

rs p

er a

cre-

foot

negl

igib

le

Energy Used by San Diego’s Water Supply Options (2010)

Source: Equinox Center, San Diego’s Water Sources: Assessing the Options, July 2010