section 2.8 water supply and groundwater · hydrologic conditions were as follows: precipitation,...

Draft Final Environmental Impact Report

Agriculture Promotion Project 2.8‐1

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Section 2.8 Water Supply and Groundwater

ThissectiondescribesthegeneralwatersupplyconditionsofbothpotablewaterandgroundwaterintheCounty,pertinentregulationsthatgovernwatersupplyandgroundwater,andthepotentialforimpactsonwatersupplyandgroundwater(asrelatedtosupply)asaresultofprojectimplementation.Othertopicsrelatedtoutilitiesandservicesystems,suchasneworexpandedfacilities,wastewatertreatment,stormwaterdrainage,andsolidwastearediscussedinChapter3aseffectsfoundnotsignificantduringtheInitialStudy.HydrologicalconditionsandsurfaceandgroundwaterwaterqualityareaddressedinSection2.5,HydrologyandWaterQuality.

2.8.1 Existing Conditions

AvailablewatersupplyresourcesandtheorganizationsresponsibleforobtainingandconveyingthemvaryacrosstheCounty.Thefollowingdiscussionorganizesthesedifferingresources/organizationsbycategory:(1)thoseareasthatareservedbywaterdistrictsthatobtainimportedwaterastheirprimarysupplysource,and(2)areasthatmainlyrelyongroundwater,whicharefurtherbrokendownintoareasservedbygroundwater‐dependentwaterdistrictsandareasservedbyprivatewells.Finally,thissectionidentifiesgroundwateravailabilityandqualityissuesthatcouldhaveaneffectonpublichealth.

2.8.1.1 Imported Water Service Areas

MostofSanDiegoCounty’spotablewatersupplyisimportedfromsourcessuchastheColoradoRiverandtheNorthernCaliforniaBay‐Delta.Morethan50percentoftheregion’swatercomesfromtheColoradoRiver,andabout30percentcomesfromtheBay‐Delta.Localsupplies,includingsurface,ground,recycled,andconservedwater,currentlymeetabout20percentoftheregion’swaterdemand(SDCWA2015a).

TheMetropolitanWaterDistrict(MWD)managesandcoordinatesthedeliveryofimportedwatersuppliesfromtheColoradoRiverandBay‐DeltathroughtheStateWaterProjectwithinsixsouthernCaliforniacounties—Ventura,LosAngeles,Orange,Riverside,SanBernardino,andSanDiego.Regionalwaterauthoritiesordistricts,whicharepublicagenciesestablishedundertheCountyWaterAuthorityAct(CaliforniaStateWaterCode,Chapter45,Section2),acquirewholesalewaterfromMWD.TheSanDiegoCountyWaterAuthority(SDCWA)isaregionalwaterauthoritythatisoneofMWD’s26memberagencies.SDCWAreceivespurchasedwaterthatisfurtherdistributedto24memberwateragenciesservingSanDiegoCounty.

FifteenwaterdistrictsservetheunincorporatedCounty,importingthemajorityoftheirwaterfromSDCWAthroughMWD.ThelocationandboundariesoftheSDCWAmemberdistrictsareshownonFigure2.8‐1.Thefollowingidentifiesthewaterdistricts.

FallbrookPublicUtilityDistrict(FPUD) RamonaMunicipalWaterDistrict(RamonaMWD)

HelixWaterDistrict(HWD) RincondelDiabloMunicipalWaterDistrict(RDDMWD)

LakesideWaterDistrict(LWD) SantaFeIrrigationDistrict(SFID)

County of San Diego Section 2.8. Water Supply and Groundwater



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OlivenhainMunicipalWaterDistrict(OMWD)

SweetwaterAuthority/SouthBayIrrigationDistrict(SA/SB)

OtayWaterDistrict(OWD) VallecitosWaterDistrict(VWD)

PadreDamMunicipalWaterDistrict(PDMWD)

ValleyCenterMunicipalWaterDistrict(VCMWD)

RainbowMunicipalWaterDistrict(RMWD) VistaIrrigationDistrict(VID)

YuimaMunicipalWaterDistrict(YMWD)

Thesedistrictsimportmost,ifnotall,oftheirwatersupplyfromSDCWAandsupplementanyremainingdemandwithlocalsupplies,includinggroundwaterwells.Thedistrictsthatobtain30percentormoreoftheirwatersupplyfromlocalsourcesareSA/SB(30percent),VID(30percent),andYMWD(58percent).Allofthe15waterdistrictsservingtheunincorporatedCountyhavepreparedUrbanWaterManagementPlans(UWMPs)tosupporttheirlong‐termresourceplanningandensureadequatewatersuppliesareavailabletomeetexistingandfuturewaterdemands.

Urban Water Management Planning

Themostcurrentsupplyanddemandprojectionsforwaterdistrictsarecontainedintheirrespective2010UWMPs.SDCWAmemberdistrictsrelyheavilyontheUWMPsandIntegratedResourcesPlans(IRPs)ofMWDandtheRegionalWaterFacilitiesMasterPlanofSDCWAfordocumentationofsuppliesavailabletomeetprojecteddemands(CountyofSanDiego2011).

In2010,MWDadopteditscurrentRegionalUWMP.MWD'sreliabilityassessmentshowedthatMWDcanmaintainreliablewatersuppliestomeetprojecteddemandthrough2035.MWDidentifiedbuffersupplies,includingotherStateWaterProjectgroundwaterstorageandtransfersthatcouldservetosupplyadditionalwaterneeds.MWD’sIRPoutlinesastrategytoincreasewatersuppliesandlowerdemands.

SDCWAadopteditscurrentUWMPinJune2011.SDCWAanditsmemberagencieshavemadeconsiderableprogressinconservinganddiversifyingitssupplies.SDCWA'sUWMPdocumentsexistingandplannedwatersupplies,includingMWDsupplies(importedColoradoRiverwaterandStateWaterProjectwater),SDCWAsupplies(watertransfersupplies,canalliningprojectwatersupplies,andseawaterdesalinationsupplies),andlocalmemberagencysupplies(surfacewaterreservoirs,waterrecycling,groundwaterandgroundwaterrecovery).SDCWA's2010UWMPreportsthattheSanDiegoregionhasconservedanaverageofover15,141acre‐feetperyearbetween2005and2010.Partofthisconservationcameasaresultoftheimplementationofseveralwaterconservationandtransferagreements,includingtheSDCWA/ImperialIrrigationDistrict(IID)transferagreement.

BasedonSDCWA'swatersupplyreliabilityassessmentascontainedinitscurrentUWMP,SDCWAconcludesthatiftheSDCWAandmemberagencywatersuppliesaredevelopedasplanned,alongwithimplementationofMWD'sIRP,supplieswillbeadequatetoserveexistingandprojecteddemandswithinSDCWA'sserviceareaunderaverage,single‐dry,ormultiple‐dryyearsthrough2035.SDCWA'scurrentUWMPdisclosesthatSDCWAisatriskintheearlieryearsforwatershortagesbecausetheCarlsbadSeawaterDesalinationprojectisnotonlineandtheIIDtransfersupplieshavenotyetfullyrampeduptomaximumdeliveries.However,afterthereleaseofthe

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Figure 2.8-1Water Districts

County of San Diego Agriculture Promotion Program

±Source: Water Districts - County of San Diego (2015);

Background Files - SanGIS (2015); BLM (2015).

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DistrictFallbrook Public UtilityHelix Water DistrictOlivenhahn Municipal Water DistrictOtay Water DistrictPadre Dam Municipal Water DistrictRainbow Municipal Water DistrictRamona Municipal Water DistrictRincon Del Diablo Municipal Water DistrictSanta Fe Irrigation DistrictSouth Bay IrrigationVallecitos County Water DistrictValley Center Municipal Water DistrictVista IrrigationYuima Municipal Water District

Community/Subregional Planning AreasIncorporated Cities (Not a Part of Project)Tribal, Military, and State Parks (Not a Part of Project)Lakes/ReservoirsRiversFreewaysHighways




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currentUWMP,theCarlsbadSeawaterDesalinationprojecthasbeencompletedandisdeliveringwatertothebusinessesandresidentsofSanDiegoCountyasofDecember2015.Aftersuccessfullycompletingconstruction,theplanthasalreadyproducedmorethan1.5billiongallonsoflocallycontrolledwaterforSanDiegoCounty,helpingtominimizetheregion’svulnerabilitytothestatewidedrought(CarlsbadDesalinationProject2015).TheshortagesprojectedintheUWMPforthelateryearsaredueprimarilytoincreasedwaterdemandfromregionalgrowth.Toalleviatethisrisk,SDCWAispursuingdevelopmentofcarryoverstorage,andadditionalregionalshortagemanagementmeasures,consistentwiththeSDCWA’sWaterShortageandDroughtResponsePlan,tofillthesupplyshortfall.

Urbanwatermanagementplanningcontinuestoaddresschangesinstateandlocalconditions.Basedonthe2015guidelines,the2015updatestotheUWMPswilllikelyaddressrecentdevelopments,includingconsecutiveyearsofreducedprecipitationandcutbacksintheregionalimportedwatersupplyduetotheseverityofCalifornia’sdroughtandapplicablerecentchangestotheCaliforniaWaterCodesincethe2010UWMPs.Allofthe15individualmemberagenciesservingtheunincorporatedCountyhavecompleted2010UWMPsandarepreparing2015updates.

Inaddition,UWMPprojectionsforfuturewaterdemandsandwatersuppliesareincorporatedintoaregion‐wideplanningeffortbytheSDCWA.The2013RegionalWaterFacilitiesOptimizationandMasterPlanUpdatepreparedbySDCWApresentsbothlong‐termoptionsandrecommendationstomeetfuturewaterdemandsaswellastheplanforimplementingmajorcapitalimprovementstomeetdemandsthrough2030.AccordingtoSDCWA,acombinationofstorageandnewsupplieswouldprovideareliablesolutiontoalleviatingrisksduringadryperiod.FurtherdiscussionondroughtconditionsintheStateofCaliforniaisprovidedbelow.

Drought Conditions

Droughtoccursasaresultoflowerthanaverageannualrainfallforanextendedperiodoftime.Droughtismeasuredbyaseriesofhydrologicindicators,recordeddata,andlocalclimaticconditions.Theseverityofdroughtrangesfromabnormallydryandmoderatetosevere,extreme,andexceptional.AsofOctober2015,mostofSanDiegoCountyiscategorizedashavingsevereandextremedrought(U.S.DroughtMonitor2015).Asaresultofglobalclimatechangefactors,droughtpatternsmaychangeorintensify(seeSection2.1,AirQualityandGreenhouseGases,forfurtherdiscussion),andextendedperiodsoflowprecipitationhaveaneffectonlocalandstatewatersuppliesandstoragelevels.

Californiaiscurrentlyexperiencingamulti‐yeardrought.AsofNovember30,2015,statewidehydrologicconditionswereasfollows:precipitation,80percentofaveragetodate;runoff,35percentofaveragetodate;andreservoirstorage,50percentofaverageforthedate.SacramentoRiverunimpairedrunoffobservedthroughNovember30,2015,wasabout0.6millionacre‐feet,whichisabout44percentofaverage(DWR2015a).

OnApril1,2015,GovernorEdmundG.Brown,Jr.issuedthefourthinaseriesofExecutiveOrdersonactionsnecessarytoaddressCalifornia'sseveredroughtconditions,whichdirectedtheStateWaterBoardtoimplementmandatorywaterreductionsinurbanareastoreducepotableurbanwaterusageby25percentstatewide.OnMay5,2015,theStateWaterBoardadoptedanemergencyconservationregulationinaccordancewiththeGovernor'sdirective.TheprovisionsoftheemergencyregulationwentintoeffectonMay18,2015.




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However,theemergencyregulationallowsurbanwatersupplierstosubtractwaterdeliveredforcommercialagriculturefromtotalpotablewaterproductionifthesuppliermeetscertainconditions.OneoftheconditionsrequiresthesuppliertocertifyinwritingtotheStateWaterBoardthatallwatersubtractedfromtotalpotablewaterproductionisbeingservedforcommercialagricultureusethatmeetsthedefinitionofGovernmentCodeSection51201,Subdivision(b).Otherconditionsincludepreparationofagriculturalwatermanagementplansandestablishmentofconservationstandards.AsofOctober2015,certificationsinSanDiegoCountyreceivedbytheStateWaterBoardsinclude:FallbrookPublicUtilityDistrict,CityofOceanside,OlivenhainMunicipalWaterDistrict,CityofPoway,RainbowMunicipalWaterDistrict,RanchoCaliforniaWaterDistrict,CityofSanDiego,SanDieguitoWaterDistrict,SantaFeIrrigationDistrict,VallecitosWaterDistrict,andValleyCenterWaterDistrict(SWRCB2015b).

Althoughweatherconditionschangeandwaterresourceshavevariedfromyeartoyear,thelowrainfalloverthepast4yearshasreducedavailablewatersuppliesandloweredgroundwaterlevels.Calendaryear2014wasCalifornia'sdriestyearinrecordsdatingtothe1800s,andwaterconditions4monthsintoanewwateryear(October1,2014,throughSeptember30,2015)suggestthestate'sdroughtispushingintoitsfourthconsecutiveyear(DWR2015d).

InJuly2015,MWDcutwatersuppliestoSDCWAanditsothercustomersby15percentbecauseofreduceddeliveriesfromtheStateWaterProjectandshrinkingstoragereserves.LocalinvestmentsinreliablewatersuppliessuchastheCarlsbadDesalinationProjectandindependentwatertransfersfromtheImperialValleywouldallowSDCWAtooffsetalmostallofthereductioninsuppliesfromMWDinfiscalyear2016.SDCWAexpectstohaveenoughwatersuppliestomeetabout99percentofthetypicaldemandsbyitsmemberagenciesfortheyear2016startingJuly1.Nevertheless,SDCWAmemberagenciesareunderstateorderstoreducewateruseby12to36percentregardlessofavailablewatersupplies(SDCWA2015b).IftheprojectedMWD,SDCWA,andmemberagencysuppliesaredevelopedasplanned,nowatershortagesareanticipatedwithintheSDCWAserviceareaundernormalwateryear,singledrywateryear,ormultipledrywateryearconditionsthrough2035(SDCWA2011).The2015UWMPupdateswillincludeadiscussionofdrought‐responsemeasuresandstrategiesformitigatingpotentialsupplyshortagesunderashortagecontingencyanalysis.Assuch,changesinconditionsincludingstatewidedroughtareconsideredwithinregionalandindividualUWMPefforts.

2.8.1.2 Groundwater‐Dependent Areas

TheimportedwaterdeliveredbyMWDanddistributedlocallybySDCWAonlyservesaportionofthetotalunincorporatedpopulation.Geographically,themajorityoftheunincorporatedarea(65percent)locatedroughlywithinandeastofthePalomarandCuyamacamountainsisreliantuponeitherseparategroundwater‐dependentdistrictsorprivatewellsthatareunaffiliatedwithSDCWA.Regardlessoftheresponsibleprovider,alloftheseareasareentirelyreliantongroundwaterandassucharesubjecttoitsavailability.ThefollowingdescribesgroundwateravailabilityintheCounty,issuesarounditsavailability,andgroundwaterproviders.

Groundwater Hydrology

SanDiegoCountyoverliesacomplexgroundwaterresourcethatvariesgreatlythroughouttheregion.TheCountyhasthreegeneralcategoriesofaquifers:alluvialandsedimentary,fracturedrock,anddesertbasinaquifers.Figure2.8‐2showsthedistributionoftheseaquifertypesthroughoutthe

Figure 2.8-2Aquifer Types


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County.Thecharacteristicsoftheseaquifersarediscussedbelow,asarecurrentCountygroundwaterhydrologyissues.

Alluvial and Sedimentary

Alluvialandsedimentaryaquifersaccountforapproximately13percentoftheunincorporatedareaoftheCounty(CountyofSanDiego2011).Alluvialandsedimentaryaquifersaretypicallyfoundinriverandstreamvalleys,aroundlagoons,nearthecoastline,andintheintermountainvalleys.Sedimentsintheseaquifersarecomposedofmostlyconsolidated(definedassedimentaryrock)orunconsolidated(definedasalluviumorcolluvium)gravel,sand,silt,andclay.Becauseofthehighhydraulicconductivity,porosity,andstoragetheyareconsideredgoodaquifers.However,whilealluvialandsedimentaryaquifersusuallyhavegreaterstoragethanfracturedrockaquifers,theysometimeshavelowrechargeratesbecausetheyarelocatedinareasoftheCountythatreceivelessprecipitation.Manyalluvialbasinsoccurinlow‐lyingareasofawatershed.Thus,surfacewaterrunoffaccumulatesinstreams,lakes,orothersurfacedepressionswithinalluvialbasinsandprovidesadditionalrechargesources.Wellsinanalluvialorsedimentaryaquifertypicallyyieldrelativelyhighvolumesofwater.Coarse‐grainedsedimentssuchassandorgraveltypicallyproducehighervolumesofwaterthanfiner‐grainedsedimentssuchassiltsorclays.Incoarse‐grainedsediments,wellyieldsmaybehundredsofgallonsperminuteandlimitedbyinefficienciesinthewellitself,ratherthanbylimitationsintheaquifer’sabilitytoproducewater.Overall,alluvialandsedimentaryaquifersaremorereliableanddesirableasagroundwatersourcethanfracturedrockaquifers.Accordingly,croplandoverlyinganalluvialorsedimentaryaquiferreceivesahigherratingbytheLocalAgriculturalResourceAssessment(LARA)model.

Fractured Rock

Fracturedrockunderliesapproximately73percentoftheunincorporatedareaoftheCounty(CountyofSanDiego2011).Fracturedrockaquifersaregenerallyfoundwithinthefoothillsandmountains.Becausetheseareasgenerallyreceivemoreprecipitationthanthelowerelevations,therechargeratesarerelativelyhigh.However,thestoragecapacityoffracturedrockaquifersislow;thus,pumpingfromwellscancausethewatertabletodeclinemuchmorequicklythanalluvialorsedimentaryaquifers,anddroughtconditionsalsoproducemoredramaticeffects.Wellsdrilledinafracturedrockaquifertypicallyyieldrelativelylowvolumesofwater.Insomeinstances,wellsmayderivewaterfromonlyafewwater‐bearingfractures.Additionally,itisdifficulttoestimatepotentialproductionratesforanynewwellsdrilledinfracturedrockaquifers,andwellsdrilledclosetogethermayhavesignificantlydifferentwaterproductionrates.Thisisbecausewater‐producingfracturelocationsaredifficulttoidentifyandpredict,andfracturesintersectedbyonewellmaynotbeintersectedbynearbywells.Inshort,ifgroundwateristheonlyavailablewatersource,afracturedrockaquiferisalessdesirablesourcethanalluvialandsedimentaryaquifers.ThisisevidencedbytheCounty’sLARAModelforagriculturalresources,whichgiveslowerratingstocroplandthatutilizesgroundwaterfromafracturedrockaquifer.

Desert Basins

Desertbasinsaccountforapproximately14percentoftheunincorporatedareaoftheCounty(CountyofSanDiego2011).DesertbasinsarefoundintheextremeeasternareaoftheCounty.Ingeneral,desertbasinaquifersarecharacterizedbyextremelylimitedgroundwaterrechargebuttypicallyhavelargestoragecapacities.DesertbasinaquiferswithintheCountyarecomposedofunconsolidatedsedimentsthattypicallyhavestoragecapacitiesrangingfrom5to30percentofthe




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totalaquifervolume.Thestorageofanindividualbasinisafunctionofthesizeofthebasin,depthofthesaturatedsediments,andthetypeofsedimentscomprisingthebasin.Precipitationinthisareaistypicallyonlyafewinchesperyearinthevalleyofthebasins.Runoffandstreamflowfromthehighlandstypicallyrechargealongthemarginsofthebasins.Desertbasinaquifersaregenerallycharacterizedbyextremelylimitedrechargeandlargestoragecapacities.TheLARAmodelgiveslowerratingstocroplandthatutilizesgroundwaterfromadesertbasin.Desertbasinsaquifersaretheleastdesirablesourcesofgroundwater.

Groundwater Availability Issues

Aquiferswithlimitedgroundwaterinstorage(e.g.,fracturedrockaquifers)and/orlimitedgroundwaterrecharge(e.g.,desertareas)mayexperienceshortagesfromlargegroundwaterusers,suchaswatercompaniesordistricts,agriculture,orotherlargeoperations.Areaswithlargequantitygroundwaterusesunderlainbyfracturedrockaquiferswithlittletonoresiduumareparticularlysusceptibletolocalizedgroundwaterproblems.In1991,theCountyadoptedtheSanDiegoCountyGroundwaterOrdinance,whichcontainsresidentialdensitycontrolswithminimumparcelsizesbasedonmeanannualprecipitation.AreasthatweredevelopedpriortotheimplementationoftheGroundwaterOrdinancemayhavebeendevelopedatdensitieshigherthanwouldbecurrentlyallowed,whichinsomecaseshasledtolocalizedgroundwaterproblems.AreaswhereprojectsarenotsubjecttoCountyregulations,suchastheBaronagolfcourseandcasinoontheBaronareservation,mayalsoresultindevelopmentthatisnotsuppliedwithadequategroundwaterresources.Inallofthesecases,itispossiblethatgroundwatershortagesoccurbecausethegroundwaterdemandintheseareascouldexceedthenaturalrechargeoftheaquifers,especiallyindroughtyears.Thefollowingsummarizestheexistinggroundwaterhydrologyissuesfacingthegroundwater‐dependentportionoftheunincorporatedCounty,byexaminingthreecategories:wellyield,largequantity/clusteredgroundwaterusers,andBorregoValley.

Well Yield

AreaswithintheunincorporatedCountywiththepotentialforlowwellyieldareshowninFigure2.8‐3.Thereareanumberoffactorsthatdeterminethelong‐termyieldforawellinfracturedrockaquifers,includingthenumberoffracturesintersected,aperture(fractureopeningsizes),spacing,orientation,andinterconnectivityoffractures,theamountofrecharge,theamountofgroundwaterinstorageinthesurroundingaquifer,othernearbygroundwaterextraction,andtheinstallationtechniquesforawell.Additionally,whilelowwellyieldsarepossibleanywherewithinfracturedrockaquiferareas,steepslopeareasabovethevalleyfloorareparticularlypronetohavinglowerwellyield.Thisislargelyduetostoragevaluesinsteepslopeareasoftenbeingsubstantiallylowerthanvalleyareas,andhavingasmallertributarywatershedthanwellslocatedinvalleyareas.TheCountyofSanDiego’sGeneralPlanUpdate,AppendixD:GroundwaterStudy(CountyofSanDiego2011)reportsthatthemedianwellyieldinfracturedrockaquiferswasapproximately15gallonsperminute(gpm).However,actualdatavariedsubstantially.Forexample,in86wells(approximately11percentofwellsreviewed),wellyieldwasreportedaslessthan3gpm.Thesewellsmaystruggletomeetthedemandsofasingle‐familyresidence.Severalwellsalsoreportedawellyieldgreaterthan100gpm.

Wellsinanalluvialorsedimentaryaquifertypicallyyieldrelativelyhighvolumesofwater.Coarse‐grainedsedimentssuchassandorgraveltypicallyproducehighervolumesofwaterthanfiner‐grainedsedimentssuchassiltsorclays.Incoarse‐grainedsediments,wellyieldsmaybehundredsofgallonsperminuteandbelimitedbyinefficienciesinthewellitself,ratherthanbylimitationsin

Figure 2.8-3Areas of Low Well Yield


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theaquifer’sabilitytoproducewater.Thegroundwaterstudy(DPLU2009f)reportedthatthemedianwellyieldforalluvialandsedimentaryaquiferswasapproximately36gpm.ThehighestwellyieldswerereportedinWarnerValley,JacumbaValley,andthePala‐PaumaValleySubregion.Severalwellsaveragedgreaterthan500gpmandonewellinWarnerValleyreportedaveraging1,500gpm.

Desertbasinwellstypicallyyieldrelativelyhighvolumesofwaterduetothecoarse‐grainednatureofthealluvialsediments.Becausedesertbasinwellsmaybecapableofyieldsinexcessof1,000gpm,andrechargeratescanbeextremelylow,itiseasytopumpmorewaterfromthebasinthanwillbenaturallyrecharged.Excessivepumpingthatexceedstherateofrechargeresultsinagroundwateroverdraftsituation,whichisnotsustainableforlong‐termgroundwateruse.SuchaconditioncurrentlyexistsintheBorregoValleyareaoftheunincorporatedCounty.

Thegroundwaterstudy(DPLU2009f)reportedthatallsteepslopeareasinthebackcountryhavethepotentialforlowwellyield,whichcouldresultinarapiddeclineofthewatertableandgroundwateravailability.Thisislargelyduetostoragevaluesinsteepslopeareasoftenbeingsubstantiallylowerthanvalleyareas,andhavingasmallertributarywatershedthanwellslocatedinvalleyareas.RamonaTrailsDriveintheRamonaCommunityPlanningArea(CPA)isagoodexampleofasteepslopeareawithlowyieldingwells.Inaddition,thegroundwaterstudyidentifiedthreespecificareasinLakeside(OldBaronaRoad,StateRoute67,andWildcatCanyonRoad)andMorenaVillageashavingahighfrequencyofwellswithlowwellyield.WellnetworksinLakesidehaveexamplesofwellswithextremevariationsofwaterlevels,withdeclinesof500feetrecordedandrecoveryofthewatertablebyasmuchas450feetinasinglewetseason.Periodictruckingofimportedwatermaybeneededintheseareastomeettheneedsofatypicalsingle‐familyresidence.

Large Quantity/Clustered Groundwater Users

BecauseproductionwellsforresidentialandagriculturalwaterusesarenotmeteredorregulatedforwaterquantitybytheCounty,futurelocalizedgroundwaterproblemsarepossibleanywhereintheCountyfromlargequantitygroundwaterusers.Inaddition,areasthatweredevelopedpriortotheimplementationoftheGroundwaterOrdinance(Section2.8.2.3,LocalRegulations)mayhavebeendevelopedatdensitieshigherthanwouldbecurrentlyallowed.Thishasresultedintheclusteringofgroundwaterdemandfromdensedevelopment,makingtheseareassusceptibletolocalizedgroundwaterproblems.AreasofpotentialimpactfromlargequantityandclusteredgroundwaterusersareshownonFigure2.8‐4.

Privateresidentialusersofgroundwaterareestimatedtohaveaconsumptiveuseofapproximately0.5acre‐feetperyearperresidence.However,therehavebeenisolatedreportsofsingle‐familyhomesthatusefargreaterquantities.Additionally,duetothelowstoragecapacityoffracturedrockaquifers,excessiveuseofgroundwaterbyasingleuserinafracturedrockaquifercancauselocalizedimpactsforneighboringproperties.

Inaddition,severalunincorporatedcommunitiesandareasweredevelopedwithlotsizessmallerthan4acres,whichhasresultedinclusteringofgroundwaterusersintheseareas.Theseareasarealsopotentiallysusceptibletolocalizedgroundwaterproblems,especiallyifunderlainbyfracturedrockaquiferswithlittletonoresiduumoralluvium.AsshownonFigure2.8‐4,thefollowingareashavebeenidentifiedashavingthehighestpotentialforlocalizedgroundwaterproblems(especiallyduringextendeddroughtperiods)fromtheexistingpumpageoflargeamountsofgroundwaterrelativetowhatthegivenaquifercansupport:BallenaValley(RamonaCPA),Guatay(Central




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MountainSubregion),JulianTownCenter(JulianCPA),andMorenaVillage(MountainEmpireSubregion).

Borrego Valley (Desert Subregion)

BorregoValleyislocatedinthenortheastportionoftheunincorporatedCountyandisagroundwater‐dependentbasinwithoutanimportedwatersupply.TheBorregoValleyBasinholdsalargeamountofgroundwaterinstorage,estimatedtobeapproximately1.6millionacre‐feetofuseablegroundwater.Thebasinischaracterizedbylimitedrechargeduetoanannualrainfallofapproximately6inches.GroundwaterrechargefortheBorregoValleyisestimatedtoaverageapproximately5,000acre‐feetperyear.GroundwaterdemandintheValleyisinexcessof20,000acre‐feetperyear.

Groundwaterdemandhasincreasedoverthepast20yearsduetowaterusesfromover4,000acresofagriculturalland,golfcourses,andresidentialareas.Thishighgroundwaterdemandhasresultedinanoverdraftconditionwheregroundwaterextractionexceedslong‐termgroundwaterrecharge.Waterlevelshavebeendeclininginthebasinfordecadesasaresultoftheoverdraftcondition.Over500,000acre‐feetofgroundwaterhasbeenremovedfromtheaquiferoverthepast50years,andgroundwaterproductionatcurrentratesisnotsustainable.

WaterleveldeclinesinBorregoValleyaremostsignificantintheagriculturalareainthenorthernportionofthebasin,whichhasexperiencedover50feetofwaterleveldeclinesincetheCountybegancollectingwaterleveldatainthe1980s.Groundwaterhasbeenandiscontinuingtobeextractedatratesthatexceedrecharge,whichhascausedanapparentlong‐termoverdraftcondition,alsoknownasgroundwatermining.Inthepast20years,ratesofdeclinehaveincreasedsharply,likelyinresponsetonewdevelopmentandadditionalgroundwaterextraction.

TheU.S.GeologicSurvey(USGS)recentlyconcludedagroundwaterstudyofBorregoValley(USGS2015b)torefinethe1980sUSGSgroundwaterflowmodel,takingadvantageofcontemporaryflowmodelingtools.TheupdatedmodelwasusedasapredictivetooltoestimatetheamountoftimeleftbeforethegroundwatertabledropsbelowthepumpintakeinproductionwellscurrentlybeingusedinBorregoValley.Thestudyconcludedthatcontinuationofcurrent(2010)annualpumpagewouldresultintotaldepletioningroundwaterstorageofabout1,000,000acre‐feetby2060.Resultsoftheupdatedmodelsimulationsindicatethatsimulatedgroundwaterpumpageexceededrechargeinmostyears,resultinginanestimatedcumulativedepletioningroundwaterstorageofabout440,000acre‐feet.Groundwaterpumpingresultedinsimulatedgroundwaterlevelsdecliningbymorethan150feetrelativeto1945conditionsinpumpingareas.Inturn,thedeclineingroundwaterlevelshasresultedinthedecreaseinnaturaldischargefromthebasin.

Groundwater Quality Issues

Qualityissuesingroundwatermayrelatetotheamountofpotablesupplyavailableforuse.GroundwaterobtainedfromSanDiegoCountyaquifershastraditionallybeenveryhighquality.However,naturallyoccurringand,morerecently,human‐madesourcesofcontaminationhavecausedthequalityofgroundwatertobeadverselyaffectedinlocalizedareas.Themostcommonhuman‐madesourcesofgroundwatercontaminationareleakingundergroundfueltanks,sewerandsepticsystems,agriculturalapplications,andfacilitiesproducinganimalwastes.ThemostcommoncontaminantsingroundwaterwithintheCountyareelevatednitrate,naturallyoccurringradionuclides,totaldissolvedsolids(TDS),andbacteria(CountyofSanDiego2011).Groundwatercontaminantsofconcernthatmayresultfromagriculturaloperationsmayincludeherbicides,

Figure 2.8-4Large Quantity/Clustered Groundwater Uses


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pesticidesandothercomplexorganics,petroleumproductsincludingmethyltertiarybutyletherandvolatileorganiccompounds,andmetals.ThecommoncontaminantsandhowtheyrelatetogroundwaterintheCountyaredescribedbelow.

Nitrate

NitrateimpactsintheCountyaremostcommonfromsmallparcelsand/orareasofshallowgroundwateronsepticsystemsorexcessnitrateusedinagriculturalapplicationsandfeedlots.Potentialnitrateproblemareasincludeportionsofthefollowingcommunities:AlpinealongRoute8,CameronCornersinCampo,Crest,Escondido,Jamul,MorenaVillage,Rainbow,Ramona,SanMarcos,andValleyCenter(CountyofSanDiego2011).Otherregionalareasofpotentialconcernwithintheprojectareaareclusteredresidenceslocatedonparcelslessthan4acres.Iftheclusteredresidencesareonindividualsepticsystems,thesmallerparcelsizescouldresultinlocalizednitrateimpacts.Areasofhistoricintensiveagriculturalactivitiescouldalsohavelocalizednitrateimpacts.

Radionuclides

Naturallyoccurringradionuclides(atomswithunstablenucleiandwhichmayemitgammaraysorsubatomicparticlesduringtheprocessofdecay)arepresenttosomeextentinnearlyallrocksandsoilthroughouttheworldandleachintogroundwaterfromnaturalmineraldeposits.PotentialradionuclideproblemareasintheunincorporatedareasoftheCountyincludeportionsofthefollowingcommunities:Campo/LakeMorena,Cuyamaca/Julian,Guatay,Jamul/Dulzura,LakeWohlford,Potrero,Ramona(east),Route79(DodgeValley)neartheRiversideCountyborder,andWarnerSprings(CountyofSanDiego2011).

Total Dissolved Solids and Coliform Bacteria

TDSoriginatenaturallyfromthedissolutionofrocksandminerals,andalsocanresultfromsepticsystems,agriculturalrunoff,andstormwaterrunoff.Elevatedbacterialevelsingroundwateroccurprimarilyfromhumanandanimalwastes.Oldwellswithlargeopeningsandwellswithinadequatesealsaremostsusceptibletobacteriologicalcontaminationfrominsects,rodents,oranimalsenteringthewells.NeitherTDSnorcoliformbacteriaisthoughttooccuroverlargeareasoftheprojectareaatlevelsexceedingtheirrespectivemaximumcontaminantlevels(MCLs).However,localizedimpactsfromtheseconstituentsarepossible.

Groundwater‐Dependent Water Districts

The14groundwater‐dependentwaterdistrictslistedbelowservetheunincorporatedareasofSanDiegoCountywithouttheabilitytoreceiveimportedwaterdirectlyfromSDCWA.

BorregoSpringsParkCommunityServiceDistrict(BSPCSD)

JulianCommunityServicesDistrict(JulianCSD)

BorregoWaterDistrict(BWD) MajesticPinesCommunityServicesDistrict(MPCSD)

CampoWaterandSewerMaintenanceDistrict(CWSMD)

MootamaiMunicipalWaterDistrict(MMWD)

CanebrakeCountyWaterDistrict(CCWD) PaumaMunicipalWaterDistrict(PMWD)

CuyamacaWaterDistrict(CWD) QuesthavenMunicipalWaterDistrict(QMWD)




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DescansoCommunityServicesDistrict(DCSD)

SanLuisReyMunicipalWaterDistrict(SLRMWD)

JacumbaCommunityServicesDistrict(JCSD)

WynolaWaterDistrict(WWD)

Eachofthesedistrictsreliesongroundwaterastheonlysourcefortheirwatersupply.TheyarenotrequiredtoproduceUWMPsbecausetheyeitherdonotserveover3,000customersordonotdistributeover3,000acre‐feetofwaterannually.However,theyarepublicagencieswithoversightbyelectedBoardsandtheStateofCalifornia.Thesedistrictscoverjustasmallfractionofthegroundwater‐dependenttotalarea.

Groundwater‐Dependent Users

Groundwater‐dependentproperties,ifnotservedbyawaterdistrictsuchasthoselistedabove,areeitherservedbyonsiteprivatewellsorbygroundwaterprovidedbyasmallorcommunitywatersystemsuchasasmallwatercompany.

Privatewellsaregenerallynotregulatedforthequantityofthewatertheypump.Propertyownersthatrelyontheirownwellsfortheirresidences,agriculture,andinsomecasescommercialusesareresponsibleforensuringadequatewatersupplyandappropriatewaterquality.

Smallandcommunitywatersystemswithupto199serviceconnectionsareregulatedbytheCountyofSanDiegoCountyDepartmentofEnvironmentalHealth(DEH),LandUseProgram.Asof2008,therewere174smallwatersystemsregulatedandmonitoredbyDEHtoensurecompliancewiththeCaliforniaSafeDrinkingWaterActforsupplyingpotablewater.Thereareanumberofwateruses(withwidelyrangingwaterdemand)associatedwiththesewatersystemsincludingcampgrounds,resorts,retreatcenters,schools,residences,restaurants,andparks.

Watersystemswith200ormoreserviceconnectionsareregulatedbytheCaliforniaDepartmentofPublicHealthDivisionofDrinkingWater&EnvironmentalManagement.WithintheSanDiegoregion,thisdepartmentregulatesthreecompanieswith200connectionsormoreatthestatelevel:thePineHills,PineValley,andRancho‐PaumaMutualWaterCompanies.Themajorityofthesearestate‐regulatedsystemsthatpurveygroundwatertoresidentialusers.

2.8.1.3 Agricultural Water Use

In1998,DWRconductedadetailedsurveyofirrigatedagriculturallandintheCounty,whichincludedreviewofaerialphotographyandextensivefieldvisitstocollectsite‐specificdata.Thesedatarepresentthemostdetailedinformationavailableatacountywidescaletoestimatewaterdemandfromagriculturaluses.Generalagriculturalusecategoriesincludegrazinganddrylandfarming,irrigationofpasturelandsandalfalfa,orchardsandvineyards(citrus,avocados,apples,grapes,etc.),andtruckcrops(seasonallyplantedcropssuchaslettuceortomatoes).SomeofthemainwaterintensiveagriculturalproductionareasarewithinPala/Pauma(citrus,avocados,nurserycrops,andcutflowers),Julian(apples),Jamul(citrusandavocados),eastofRamona(ranches/eggranch),andBorregoValley(citrusandpalms).

Wateruseforplantsvariesdependingonweatherfactorssuchasairtemperature,relativehumidity,windspeed,andsolarradiation;soilfactorssuchassoiltexture,structure,density,andchemistry;andplantfactorssuchasplanttype,rootdepth,foliardensity,height,andstageofgrowth.Water




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demandcanrangefromlessthan1acre‐feetofwaterperacreperyearfordrylandfarmedareastoover4acre‐feetofwaterperacreperyearforirrigatedalfalfaandotherwater‐intensiveplanttypes(CountyofSanDiego2011).Incomparison,itisconservativelyestimatedthatanaverageresidencehasaconsumptiveuseofapproximately0.5acre‐feetofgroundwaterperyearpersingle‐familyresidence.

AlargepercentageoftheCounty’sagriculturallandisinvolvedintheactiveproductionofcitrusandavocadocrops,becausetheyaresuitedtogrowingonthesteepslopesthataresocommonintheCounty.Soiltextureandcapacityofsoiltoholdwater,slopeandsoilerosionpotential,drainagepotential,orhighwatertableareallfactorsthatwouldaffectthewateruseatindividualoperations.

AnimportantfactorinanyagriculturaloperationwithintheCountyofSanDiegoiscostduetorelianceonimportedwater.Limitedwatersupply,conservationincentives,importationcosts,andenergycostsarereasonsforhighwatercosts.ToillustrateandcomparewatercostsintheCountyofSanDiegowithnearbyfarmingcounties,thecostforimportedwateris$20peracrefootinImperialCountyand$379peracrefootinVenturaCounty,comparedto$594peracrefootintheCountyofSanDiego.Inaddition,whilemostfarmersintheCountyfacehighwatercosts,othersarefacedwithalimitedsupply.

InareassuchasBorregoSpringsandJulian,farmersrelyentirelyongroundwatersourcestoirrigatecrops.WaterscarcityisacontinuousproblemforfarmersinBorregoSpringsgiventhearidclimateoftheregionanditslocationoutsidetheboundaryoftheSDCWA.Also,importantly,groundwaterintheBorregoSpringsareaissubjecttoanannualdeclinewhererechargedoesnotreplaceextraction.

TheMWDUWMPnotesasignificantdeclineinagriculturalwateruseinrecentyearswithinitsservicearea.ThisdeclinewasduetomandatorysupplyallocationsthatresultedfromdroughtconditionsandjudicialrestrictionsonStateWaterProjectsupplyavailability.Startinginyear2008,memberagencycustomersthatwerevoluntarilyreceivingdiscountedagriculturalwater,wererequiredtoimplementa30percentcutbackinagriculturaldemandfromtheirfiscalyear2007baseline.Tocomplywiththemandatorycutback,growersimplementedvariousactionssuchastreestumpingandplantstockreduction.Asaresult,programagriculturaldemanddeclinedby55percentbetweenthefiscalyearsof2007and2010(SDCWA2011).

2.8.2 Regulatory Setting

Watersupplyandgroundwateraresubjecttoregulatoryoversightatthreelevels:federal,state,andlocal.

2.8.2.1 Federal Regulations

Safe Drinking Water Act

Passedin1974andamendedin1986and1996,theSafeDrinkingWaterAct(SDWA)givesthefederalEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)theauthoritytosetdrinkingwaterstandards.Drinkingwaterstandardsapplytopublicwatersystemsthatprovidewaterforhumanconsumptionthroughatleast15serviceconnections,orregularlyserveatleast25individuals.Therearetwocategoriesofdrinkingwaterstandards,theNationalPrimaryDrinkingWaterRegulationsandtheNationalSecondaryDrinkingWaterRegulations.Primaryregulationsarelegallyenforceablestandardsthatapplytopublicwatersystems,andprotectdrinkingwaterqualitybylimitingthelevelsofspecificcontaminantsthatcanadverselyaffectpublichealthandareknownoranticipated




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tooccurinwater.Secondaryregulationsarerecommendationstogivepublicwatersystemsguidanceonremovingcontaminantstolevelsthatarebelownoticeablelevels,andarenotlegallyenforceable.Secondarycontaminantsarenothealththreatsandcanbegroupedintothreecategories:aesthetic,cosmetic,andtechnicaleffects.Aestheticeffectsareundesirabletastesorodors.Cosmeticeffectsdonotdamagethebodybutarestillundesirable.Technicaleffectsmaydamagewaterequipmentorreduceeffectivenessoftreatmentforothercontaminants(EPA2016).

2.8.2.2 State Regulations

California Environmental Quality Act and Case Law

CEQArequiresanEIRtodiscusswhetheraproject’sprojecteddemandforwaterisanticipatedtoexceedexistingandplannedsupplies.Regardingthistopic,theultimatequestionunderCEQAisnotwhetheranEIRidentifiesalikelysourceofwater,butwhetheritadequatelyaddressesthereasonablyforeseeableimpactsofsupplyingwatertotheproject.TheEIRmustalsodisclosewhetherthereisinsufficientwatertoservetheprojectedlevelofdevelopment.TheCaliforniaSupremeCourtstatedinVineyardAreaCitizensforResponsibleGrowthv.CityofRanchoCordova(2007)40Cal.4th412thatanadequatewatersupplyanalysisshouldcontainthefollowingelements.

Anidentificationofthewatersourcesneededforfullbuildout.

Anassessmentoftheenvironmentalimpactsassociatedwithprovidingwaterfortheproject.

Wheretherearebothshort‐termandlong‐termsuppliesneeded,ananalysisoflong‐termsuppliesandtheirimpactsinatleastaprogrammaticlevelofdetail.

Anassessmentoftheextenttowhichidentifiedwatersourcesare“certain”or“likely”tobeavailable.

When“someuncertainty”existswithrespecttotheavailabilityofsuchsupplies,theidentificationofpossiblealternativewatersourcesandanalysisoftheenvironmentalimpactsofcurtailingplanneddevelopmentduetoinadequatesupplies.

State Maximum Contaminant Levels

AspartoftheCaliforniaSafeDrinkingWaterAct,theStateDepartmentofHealthServices(DHS)setsprimaryandsecondarystandardsfordrinkingwatersupplies.MCLssetbyDHSareeitherasstringentormorestringentthanfederalMCLs.

Senate Bill x7‐7 (Chapter 4, Statutes of 2009)

SenateBill(SB)x7‐7,theWaterConservationActof2009,requiresthestatetoachievea20percentreductioninurbanpercapitawaterusebyDecember31,2020.Theresponsibilityforthisconservationfallstolocalwateragencies,whichmustincreasewateruseefficiencythroughpromotionofwaterconservationstandardsthatareconsistentwiththeCaliforniaUrbanWaterConservationCouncil’sbestmanagementpractices.EachurbanretailwatersupplierwasalsorequiredtodevelopurbanwaterusetargetsandaninterimurbanwaterusetargetbyJuly1,2011,basedonthealternativemethodssetoutinthe2009act.Theagenciesmustmeetthosetargetsbythe2020deadline.




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TheSDCWAissubjecttotherequirementofSBx7‐7andhasaddressedtheirwaterusetargetsintheirlatestUWMP.

Sustainable Groundwater Management Act

OnSeptember16,2014,GovernorEdmundG.Brown,Jr.signedhistoriclegislationtostrengthenlocalmanagementandmonitoringofgroundwaterbasinsmostcriticaltothestate’swaterneeds.Thethreebills—SB1168(Pavley),SB1319(Pavley),andAssemblyBill(AB)1739(Dickinson)—togethercomprisetheSustainableGroundwaterManagementAct.Thebillswouldestablishphasedrequirementsforhigh‐andmedium‐prioritybasinstoadoptgroundwatersustainabilityplans,dependingonwhetherornotabasinisincriticaloverdraft.TheactwouldrequireadoptionofgroundwatersustainabilityplansbyJanuary31,2020,forallhighormedium‐prioritybasinsinoverdraftconditionandbyJanuary31,2022,forallotherhigh‐andmedium‐prioritybasinsunlesslegallyadjudicatedorotherwisemanagedsustainably.

Thesebillsaffectgroundwaterextractorsinhigh‐ormedium‐prioritybasinsandputrequirementsonlocalpublicagencieswithwatersupply,watermanagement,orlanduseresponsibilitiestoformGroundwaterSustainabilityAgenciesresponsibleforsustainablymanaginggroundwaterintheirrespectivebasin.WithintheSanDiegoregion,therearefournon‐adjudicated,medium‐prioritygroundwaterbasinssubjecttothisact:SanPasqualValley,SanDiegoRiverValley,BorregoValley,andSanLuisReyValley.Therearenohigh‐prioritygroundwaterbasinsintheregion.ItshouldbenotedthattheSDCWAdoesnotownoroperategroundwaterfacilitieswithinSanDiegoCounty.

Water Code (State)

Section10900etseq.oftheWaterCodeoutlinestheAgriculturalWaterSuppliersEfficientWaterManagementPractices.Theintentistoprovideassistanceandtechnicalconsultationtoaddressadditionalefficiencyinagriculturalwateruse.Keyprovisionsincludetheauthorizationofpublicagenciesthatsupplyagriculturalwatertoinitiatewaterconservationandefficiencyprograms.DWRisalsoauthorizedtoestablishtheAgriculturalWaterManagementCouncilandtoevaluatepotentialwaterefficientpractices.

Section10910etseq.requiresthatthewaterpurveyorofapublicwatersystemprepareawatersupplyassessmenttobeincludedintheenvironmentaldocumentationforcertainprojectssubjecttoCEQA,asspecifiedinWaterCodeSection10912.Theseprojectsinclude,amongothers,thosethatwoulddemandanamountofwaterequivalentto,orgreaterthan,thatofacommercialprojectemployingmorethan1,000personsorhavingmorethan250,000squarefeetoffloorspace,andaresidentialprojectwith500dwellingunits.Awatersupplyassessmentwouldalsoberequiredforaprojectthatwouldincreasethenumberofconnectionsby10percentforapublicwatersystemthathasfewerthan5,000serviceconnections(WaterCodeSection10912(b)).Wherelarge‐scaleprojectsareproposed,proofofasufficientsupplyofwaterisbasedonawrittenverificationfromtheapplicablewaterserviceprovider.

Urban Water Management Planning Act

ThestateUrbanWaterManagementPlanningActrequireswaterutilitiesthatprovidewatertomorethan3,000customersorsupplymorethan3,000acre‐feetperyeartoprepareandupdateanUWMPevery5years(WaterCodeSections10610–10656).TheseplansarepreparedaccordingtoguidelinesreleasedbyDWR.AUWMPisrequiredinorderforawatersuppliertobeeligibleforDWR‐administeredstategrants,loans,anddroughtassistance.AUWMPprovidesusefulinformation




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onwaterdemand,watersupply,recycledwater,waterquality,reliabilityplanning,demandmanagementmeasures,bestmanagementpractices,andwatershortagecontingencyplanning.TheUWMPActrequirespreparationofaUWMPthatyieldsthefollowing.

1. Accomplisheswatersupplyplanningovera20‐yearperiodin5‐yearincrements.

2. Identifiesandquantifiesadequatewatersupplies,includingrecycledwater,forexistingandfuturedemands,innormal,single‐dryandmultiple‐dryyears.

3. Implementsconservationandefficientuseofurbanwatersupplies.

AgenciespreparingaUWMParerequiredtoincludeanurbanwatercontingencyanalysis.TheDepartmentofWaterResourcesalsooffersguidanceonthisanalysis(StateofCalifornia2008,2015).Someofthecomponentsofthecontingencyanalysisincludethefollowing.

Stagesofactionanagencywilltakeinresponsetowatershortages,includingachievablelevelsforvoluntaryandmandatoryrationingduringwatersupplyshortagestohelpcontrolconsumption.

Anestimateofsupplyfor3consecutivedryyears(quantifytheminimumwatersupplyavailableduringthenext3yearsbasedonthedriest3‐yearhistoricsequenceforthewatersupply).

Adescriptionofhowanagencywillmonitoranddocumentwatercutbacks.

DWR’sOfficeofWaterUseEfficiencyandTransfersalsopublishedaguidebookforlocalagenciestobebetterpreparedfordroughtconditions.Inthisguidebook,itwasreportedthateducationaleffortsandrationingpoliciesestablishedinwatershortagecontingencyplanscanaffectwaterusepatternsduringdryyears(StateofCalifornia2008).

TheUWMPprocessensuresthatwatersuppliesarebeingplannedtomeetfuturegrowth.UWMPsaredevelopedtomanagetheuncertaintiesandvariabilityofmultiplesupplysourcesanddemandsoverthelongtermthroughpreferredwaterresourcesstrategyadoptionandresourcedevelopmenttargetapprovalsforimplementation.WaterdistrictsupdatetheirdemandforecastsandsupplyneedsbasedonthemostrecentSanDiegoAssociationofGovernment(SANDAG)forecastapproximatelyevery5yearstocoincidewithpreparationoftheirUWMPs.

Porter‐Cologne Water Quality Control Act

ThePorter–CologneWaterQualityControlActprovidesforstatewidecoordinationofwaterqualityregulations.TheCaliforniaStateWaterResourcesControlBoardwasestablishedasthestatewideauthority,andnineseparateRegionalWaterQualityControlBoardsweredevelopedtooverseewaterqualityonaday‐to‐daybasis,whichaffectsregionalwatersupplyandgroundwater.

2.8.2.3 Local Regulations

Water Shortage and Drought Response Plan

TheSDCWAanditsmemberagenciesdevelopedandapprovedtheDroughtManagementPlaninMay2006.ThisdocumentwaslaterrenamedtheWaterShortageandDroughtResponsePlanandwasupdatedinApril2012withthereplacementofSection5–SupplyAllocationMethodology.TheprimarypurposeofthedocumentistoprovideSDCWAanditsmemberagencieswithaseriesofpotentialactionstotakewhenfacedwithashortageofimportedwatersuppliesfromMWDduetodroughtconditions.Theactionswillhelptheregionminimizetheimpactsofshortagesandensure




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anequitableallocationofsupplies.Differentfromatreatedwatershortageallocationplan,theDMPfocusesonissuesassociatedwithshortagesduetosupplycutbacks,notshortagesduetofacilityconstraints.

San Diego County Groundwater Ordinance

TheCountyofSanDiegocurrentlymanagesanticipatedfuturegroundwaterdemandthroughCountyCodeSection67.701etseq.(GroundwaterOrdinance).Thisordinancedoesnotlimitthenumberofwellsortheamountofgroundwaterextractionfromexistinglandowners.However,itdoesidentifyspecificmeasurestomitigatepotentialgroundwaterimpactsofprojectsrequiringspecifieddiscretionarypermits.ExistinglandusesarenotsubjecttotheGroundwaterOrdinanceunlessalisteddiscretionarypermitisrequired.Additionally,MajorUsePermitsorMajorUsePermitModificationsthatinvolveconstructionofagriculturalandranchsupportfacilitiesorthoseinvolvingneworexpandedagriculturallandusesareamongtheexemptionsfromtheGroundwaterOrdinance.However,theagriculturalexemptionsdonotsupersedeorlimittheapplicationofanylaworregulation,includingCEQA.

County Code of Regulations related to Groundwater Well Water Quality

Section67.401oftheCountyCodeofRegulationsprovidesrestrictionsandregulationsforwells.Thestandardsinthecodeapplytotheconstructionandmaintenanceofwellstoensurethatgroundwaterwillnotbepollutedorcontaminated.PrivatedrinkingwaterwellsrequireapermitfromCountyDEH.Aspartofthisprocess,newwellsaresampledforbacteriologicalconstituentsandnitrate.

Forprojectswithpoorgroundwaterquality,twomitigationmeasureshavebeenidentifiedbytheCountyinadditiontoimportingwatertotheprojectsite.ThefirststatesthatforprojectswhereanyconstituentexceedsitsprimaryMCLandadiscretionarypermitrequiresapotablegroundwatersupply,mitigationcouldbeimplementedbyprovidingawatertreatmentsystemthatreducesimpactstobelowtheMCL.ToensureproperwatertreatmentinaccordancewiththeCaliforniaSafeDrinkingWaterAct,theCountyrequiresdiscretionarypermitsthatrequiretreatmenttoformormergewithawatersystemregulatedbytheDEH(upto200serviceconnections)orthestate(greaterthan200serviceconnections).Thisensurespropertreatmentofconstituentsanddoesnotplacetheresponsibilityoftreatmentonprivateindividuals.AlthoughtheCountywillallowpoint‐of‐useorpoint‐of‐entrytreatmentforcontaminantsinwellsonexistinglegallots,itwillnotapprovediscretionarypermitsforprivatewellsdependentonwatertreatment.Thesecondmitigationmeasurestatesthatadditionalwellsandtestingcanbeconductedinanattempttofindonsitepotablewater.Drillingandtestingadditionalwellsisexpensiveandtime‐consuming,andtherearenoguaranteesthatthenewwell(s)willhaveapotablewatersupply(CountyofSanDiego2011).

2.8.3 Analysis of Project Effects and Determination of Significance

TheproposedprojectconsistsofanamendmenttotheZoningOrdinancerelatedtoaccessoryagriculturalusesinunincorporatedportionsoftheCountyoverwhichtheCountyhaslandusejurisdictions(seeSection1.4,ProjectDescription,forfurtherdetails).Specifically,theproposedprojectappliestopropertieswhereactiveagricultureexistswithintheCountyorpropertieswhereagriculturalusesareallowed.




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2.8.3.1 Water Supply

Guidelines for the Determination of Significance

ThefollowingsignificanceguidelinefromAppendixGoftheStateCEQAGuidelinesappliestoboththedirectandcumulativeimpactanalyses.Asignificantimpactwouldresultif:

Sufficientwatersuppliesarenotavailabletoservetheprojectfromexistingentitlementsandresources,andneworexpandedentitlementsareneeded.

Analysis

Thisdiscussionappliestoneworexpandedentitlementsfromfutureagriculturaloperationsthatwouldrelyonwaterservicesfromawaterdistrictwithimportedwater.FutureprojectsthatwouldrelyongroundwaterareanalyzedseparatelyunderSection2.8.3.2,GroundwaterSupply.

Somefutureagriculturaloperationsmayalreadyhavewaterservicefromawaterdistrict,whileothersmayneedtomakeanewconnectionorchangetheirstatustoaccommodatetheaccessoryuses.Ataminimum,usesthatrequireanewconnectionfromawaterdistrictmustreceiveapprovalbythedistrict,whichwouldincludeanevaluationoftheirabilitytoservetheproperty.UsessubjecttodiscretionaryapprovalbytheCountywillrequireaWillServeletterbythedistrictatthetimetheprojectisbeingevaluatedbytheCounty.

Undertheproposedordinance,mostaccessoryusesoperatingby‐rightwouldberestrictedtospecificlimitationsasdefinedundertheproposedzoningamendmentsbutotherwisemaynotrequireevaluationbytheCounty.Forexample,themaximumfloorareaforanagriculturalroadsidestandis300squarefeet.Agriculturalstorescouldincludeindividualdevelopmentprojectsinvolvinglandclearingtosupportupto1,500squarefeetforsmallagriculturalstoresandupto3,000squarefeetforlargeagriculturalstores.

Adiscretionarypermitmaybetriggeredbythelargeraccessoryagriculturaluses,suchasagriculturalmicrobreweries/cideries/micro‐distilleries,wineries,andagriculturalstores,whichcouldrequireenvironmentalreviewpursuanttoCEQA.ForsmallerprojectsprocessedbytheCounty,theCEQAevaluationwouldtypicallyrelyontheWillServelettersfromtheappropriatewaterdistrict,theirexistingUWMP,andanyadditionalcommentsprovidedbythedistrict.Large‐scaleprojects,suchasthosewithmorethan250,000squarefeetoffloorspaceorwithwaterdemandsequivalentto500residentialunits,wouldbesubjecttothewatersupplyassessmentrequirementscontainedinSections10910–10914oftheStateWaterCodetodeterminewhethersufficientwatersupplyisavailabletomeetexpectedprojectdemand.However,agriculturaloperationsdescribedundertheproposedprojectwouldnotbeofasizeandscalethatwouldbeaffectedbythesewatersupplyassessmentrequirements.

AlthoughsomeoftheproposedaccessoryagriculturalusescouldundergofutureenvironmentalreviewpursuanttoCEQA,compliancewithCEQAdoesnotguaranteethatanyidentifiedpotentialimpactswouldbelessthansignificant.Itdoes,however,requirethatsignificantimpactsbeidentified,feasiblemitigationmeasuresbeimplemented,and,ifsignificantimpactsremainaftermitigation,thattheprojectonlybeapprovediftherearenofeasiblealternativestoreduceimpactsandthereareoverridingconsiderationstojustifyapproval.

Theproposedprojectwouldencourageactivitiesthatmayresultintheexpansionofagricultureonagriculturallyzonedlands.Usingaworst‐casescenarioforamicrobreweryasanexample,




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amaximumof8,000barrelsallowedforlargeoperationswouldrequirebetween5.2and7.2acre‐feet1ofwaterperyear.Largeoperationswithatleast2acresofhops,barley,orothergrainproducedandusedonsitewouldrequireaminimumof4.2acre‐feetperyearforagriculturalproduction.Themainwaterusewouldinvolvegrowinghops,cleaningfloorsandotherareasthroughoutthebrewery,andcleaningequipment.Forfutureprojectsthatmayinvolveincreasedretailuseandassociatedactivity,ormayrequirenewwaterconnections,additionalwatersuppliescouldbeneededfornon‐productionuses,suchastoiletsandsinks,toaccommodateagricultureaccessoryuses.

SDCWAisthesupplierofwaterfortheSanDiegoregionandtheindividualwateragenciesthathaveaportionoftheirserviceareawithintheprojectarea.SDCWA,likeotherwaterdistricts,reliesonthepopulationprojectionsandanalysisconductedbylocalandregionallanduseagenciestodevelopinformationforwaterdemand.Intheir2010UWMP,SDCWAestimatedthatbetween2015and2035,thepercentageofwaterusedforagricultureintheCountywilldecrease,whilethepercentageforcommercial,industrial,andresidentialusewillincrease(SDCWA2011).The2010UWMPalsoidentifiesacontingencyanalysisbasedoncurrentconditions,includingchangestosupplyestimatesbasedonthedriest3‐yearhistoricsequenceandprojectedwaterusebasedonlandusecharacteristics.BecausetheproposedprojectisanextensionofagriculturalusesinA70,A72,S88,S90,andS92zones,expansionofagriculturaloperationstoallowforaccessoryuseswouldnotchangethegrowthprojectionsordemandforresourcesonwhichwatersupplyandavailabilityaremeasuredintheUWMPfortheSDCWA.

Whiletheproposedprojectisnotexpectedtochangedemandprojections,accessoryagriculturalusesthatarepromotedbytheproposedprojectcouldresultinactualincreasesinwaterdemandfromagriculturaltourism,agriculturalhomestays,agriculturalandhorticulturalretailuses,agriculturalmicrobreweries/cideries/micro‐distilleries,wineries,animalraising,aquaponicsandfishmarkets,creamery/dairies,andmobilebutchering(discussedindividuallybelowunderAccessoryAgricultureUseWaterDemands),TheURMPpreparedbytheSDCWAanditsmemberagenciescoversthenext20yearsforwateruseintheCountyandanticipateschangesindemandandcircumstancesthatwillaffectsupplies.However,uncertaintyremains.Becausetheproposedprojectwillresultinincreasedwaterdemandonsomeproperties,itwouldcontributetotheuncertaintyoftheseplans.Additionally,theproposedprojectrepresentsapolicychangethathasnoterminationdate.Therefore,itseffectswouldextendbeyondthe20‐yearplanninghorizoncoveredbytheUWMPs.Asaresult,theeffectonindividualwateragenciescannotbedetermined,buttheprojectcouldcontributetotheneedtoidentifyadditionalwatersupplies.

Accessory Agriculture Use Water Demands

Agriculturaltourismwaterusewouldbelargelyforbathroomfixturesandwoulddependonthenumberofvisitorsandthelengthofstay.Waterusewouldrequireaminimumof0.003to0.26acre‐feetperyearfornon‐productionuses,suchastoiletsandsinks.2Waterusecouldalsoincludecleaning,potabledrinking,andotheruses.Theactualamountofwaterrequiredwouldvarydependingonthesizeandfrequencyofevents,thewateruseinvolved,andthenumberofvisitors.Existingagriculturaltourismoperationsaccommodatearangeof10–1,000visitorsperweek,

1Usinga5‐7water:1beerratiobasedonpersonalcommunicationswithTimSuydam,SeniorWaterOperationsManageratStoneBrewingCo.Fluctuationsinwaterdemanddependonbeertypeandhopsused.2Standardtoiletsuse1.6gallonsofwaterperflush.Assumingeachvisitorusesthebathroomoncepervisit,10visitorsperweekwouldrequire0.003to0.26acre‐feetperyear.




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dependingontheoperationsize,andeventtypeandfrequency.Standardtoiletsuse1.6gallonsperflush,whileoldertoiletscanuseasmuchas3.5to7gallonsperflush(EPA2015).

Agriculturalhomestaysrequireabout0.5acre‐feetperyear3foramaximumofthreerentedbedrooms(WaterBoards2015).Thelocationandnumberofrentedbedroomsavailablearenotknownatthistime,andimpactswouldvarydependingonthespecificsite.Agriculturalhomestayswouldbeallowedwithaministerialpermit(e.g.,ZoningVerificationPermit)ratherthanadiscretionarypermit,subjecttocertaincriteria.Operatorsofanagriculturalhomestaythatwouldutilizeuptothreeroomswithinanexistingresidenceonthepropertymaynotneedtoconstructanewstructureandwouldavoidadditionalconnections.However,watersupplyimpactscouldresultifanewresidence(onavacantlot)oradetachedcabinrequiresnewconnections.Increasesinwaterdemandfromadditionalhouseholdusesrelatedtonewvisitorscouldalsoresultinwatersupplyimpacts.

TheprojectalsoproposesagriculturalandhorticulturalretailuseswithinA70,A72,S88,S90,S92,andRRzones,includingagriculturalstandsandagriculturalstores(bothsmallandlarge).Roadsidesaleswouldinvolveminimalwateruseforemployeedrinkingandsanitation,asroadsidestandsarelimitedto300squarefeetinsizeandwouldnotincludeproductionuses.Retailoperationswithproductionusesgenerallywatertheirproductstwiceaday,onceinthemorningandoncetowardstheendoftheday.Forexample,onelocalagriculturalandhorticulturalretailoperationestimatesthattheirwaterusetotaled0.0002acre‐feetperacrepermonth4(Owenspers.com.2015).Usingthisratio,cropirrigationmayrequire0.0026acre‐feetperyearperacre.Applyingthisestimatedratio,smallagriculturalstoreswouldrequireaminimumof0.0013acre‐feetofwaterperyearandlargeagriculturalstoreswouldrequireaminimumof0.0026acre‐feetofwaterperyear.Forlargeagriculturalstores,someoftheindoorspacewouldsupportfoodpreparationandindoorseatingareasforpatrons.Smallagriculturalstoreswouldnotincludefoodservicespace.Visitorandgeneralactivitywouldincreaseonpropertiesthatdevelop,andagriculturalstandsorstorescouldincreasewaterdemandfromtheretailuseandassociatedactivity.

Implementationoftheproposedagriculturalmicrobrewery,cidery,andmicro‐distilleryusescouldincludeindividualdevelopmentprojectsinvolvingbetween5.2and7.2acre‐feetofwatertoproducethemaximumamountof8,000barrelsperyearforlargeoperations.Waterdemandfortastingroomsisestimatedtorequireamaximumof0.45acre‐feetperyearforlotslargerthan4acres.5Largeoperationswithatleast2acresofhopsproducedandusedonsitewouldrequireaminimumof4.2acre‐feetperyearforagriculturalproduction.Thus,anestimatedtotalbetween9.4and11.4acre‐feetperyearofwaterwouldberequiredtooperatealargemicrobrewery.Withinabrewery,therearefourmainareaswherewaterisused:brewhouse,cellars,packaging,andutilities.Inaddition,ancillaryoperationssuchasfoodserviceandrestroomscontributetowaterusage(BrewersAssociation2014).

Wineriescoulduseupto1.5acre‐feetofwaterperyearperacre(CountyofSanDiego2010).TheproposedprojectwouldextendPackingandProcessing:SmallWinery,PackingandProcessing:

3AverageresidentialpercapitawaterusageinCaliforniais76.7gallonsperpersonperday.Assumingaconservativeestimateoftwopersonsperrentedbedroom,atotalof6personswouldrequire0.515acre‐feetofwaterperyear.4FrompersonalcommunicationwithKalimOwensfromWeidner’sGarden.Waterdemandatoneoftheirfacilitiestotaled847gallonsfora6‐acrefarmover2months.5The2006LosAngelesCEQAThresholdsdefinecommercialwaterdemandstobe80gallonsperdayper1,000grosssquarefeet.Thisconservativeratiowasusedtocalculatewaterdemandsforeachlotsizecategory.




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BoutiqueWinery,andPackingandProcessing:WholesaleLimitedWineryusesasallowedby‐rightintheS92zoneasanagriculturalusetype.Basedontheestimatethat6–10gallonsofwaterareusedforeverygallonofwineproduced,awineryproducing0.037acre‐feetofwineperyearcoulduseanadditional0.22–0.37acre‐feetofwaterperyearforwineproduction(CountyofSanDiego2010).Themainwaterusewithinawineryitselfisforwashingdownfloorsandareasthroughoutthewinery;cleaningequipmentincludingthereceivinglines,thepresses,thetanks,andthebottlinglines;andwashingthebarrelsorotherstoragecontainersatvariousstagesofthewinemakingprocess.

Watercanalsobeusedasafrostpreventativebygrowersnearriversorinavalley.ExistingwineryoperatorsinSanDiegoCountyhaveindicatedthattheyarenotusingwaterasafrostpreventativeeitherbecauseitisnotnecessaryoritisnoteffectiveinhigherelevationsandslopedareas(CountyofSanDiego2010).Forwineriesthatwouldoperateby‐right,additionalwatersupplieswouldbeneededfornon‐productionusesatthewinery,suchasfortoiletsandsinks,toaccommodatethetastingroomcomponent.AlthoughvineyardsgenerallyrequirelesswaterthanmanyothercropsgrownwithintheCounty,irrigationrequirementsforfuturewineriesthatmaybeallowedbytheproposedzoningordinanceamendmentarenotyetknown.

TheproposedprojectwouldamendthecurrentanimalscheduletoallowcertainanimalraisingprojectsunderalessrestrictiveAdministrativePermit.Assuch,itislikelythatthroughlessrestrictivepermittingrequirementsallowingonsiteanimals,theproposedprojectcouldcauseanincreaseinwaterdemand.Waterdemandscanrangefrom5–10gallonsperdayperheadforsmalleranimalssuchaschickens,ducks,rabbits,pigs,andgoats(Axepers.comm.).Waterdemandsforlargeranimalssuchascowscouldaverage49gallons(0.00015acre‐feet6)perheadperday(VanOmmeringpers.comm.).

Aquaponicswouldrequireminimalamountsofwaterforinitialdrawingtofilltheaquaponicssystemsandforroutinemaintenance.Theamountofwaterrequiredwoulddependonthenumberoffishandthesizeofthesystems.Anoperationwith900fishwouldrequireapproximately18,000gallons(0.055acre‐feet)ofwaterperyear(Gorhampers.comm.).Fishermen’smarketsinvolvetheretailsaleoffishtothegeneralpublicandwouldbeallowedonatemporarybasis,similartofarmers’markets,ondevelopedpublicpropertyzonedforcommercialuse,schoolproperty,orinconjunctionwithafarmers’market.Theretailareaitselfwouldlikelyconsistofashadetentorstructureandoutdoortablesandwouldnotrequirepermanentstructuresorothersiteimprovements.Itisnotanticipatedthatfishmarketswouldrequirenewconnectionstowater,asoperationswouldtakeplaceonexistingdevelopedsites.

Creamery/dairyoperationscouldpotentiallyrequireawateruseof78.4acre‐feet7forapermittedherdsizeof1,400head,suchastheVanOmmeringDairyFarm(VanOmmeringpers.comm.).Creamery/dairyuseswouldrequirethedevelopmentofnon‐residentialstructurestosupporttheproductionofbutter,cream,milk,orcheesewithinanenclosedbuilding,andwouldalsorequireindoorspaceforproductstorageintendedforwholesaleandretailsales.Implementationoftheproposedcreamery/dairyusesmightrequireindividualdevelopmentprojectsinvolvingnewconnectionstosupportuptoa4,000‐square‐footbuildingandassociatedincreasesinsiteactivityrelatedtoadditionalvisitorsandnewemployees.Duetohighwatercostsandrelatedoperationalcosts,dairyoperationsinSanDiegoCountyarenotexpectedtoincreasesignificantlyinnumber,and

61acre‐footconvertstoapproximately325,851gallons.7BasedonpersonalcommunicationswithRobVanOmmering,eachheadrequires50gallonsofwaterperday.




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waterusewouldbelimitedtoafewlocaloperations.However,thespecificamountofwaterrequiredandlocationoffutureprojectsareunknownandthusmaybeinareaswithlowwatersupply.

Waterformobilebutcheringwouldberequiredforpre‐processsanitationandafter‐processcleaning.Wateruseduringtheprocessingwouldbeminimalandisestimatedtobe32gallonsperhead(MobileMeatProcessing2015).Theactualamountofwaterrequiredwouldvarydependingonthesizeandnumberofanimalsbutchered.Theoperatingcapacityofamobilebutcheringoperationwouldbesignificantlysmallerthanatypicalbutcheringoperation,andwouldinvolveamotorvehicleand/ortrailertravellingtoagriculturalpropertieswithexistingwaterconnections.

Fordevelopmentofnewagriculturaloperationsorexpansionofexistingagriculturaloperationsonlandsnotcurrentlyirrigated,thereisapotentialtoincreasedemandforwater.AsdiscussedinSection1.4,ProjectDescription,someoftheproposedaccessoryagriculturalusesmaybepermittedwithaministerialpermitorby‐right,andmaynotrequireadditionalorsubsequentenvironmentalreviewpursuanttoCEQA.Evenforusesthatwouldrequireaministerialpermit,futureprojectsmayrequireapprovalfromtheappropriatewaterdistrictifsubstantialchangesinexistingwaterdemandareinvolved.DiscretionaryprojectsmayrequireWillServelettersfromtheappropriatewaterdistrict,andadditionalenvironmentalreviewpursuanttoCEQAcouldberequired.Nevertheless,asdiscussedinthissection,

Withrespecttoimportedwatersupplies,theproposedprojectcouldresultinsignificantimpacts.Also,thelocationandnumberofneworexpandedwaterserviceconnectionsthatcouldberequiredfromaccessoryagriculturalusesoperatingby‐rightundertheamendedZoningOrdinancearenotknownandcouldresultinademandforwaterwherecurrentlynoneexists(ImpactWS‐1).

Environmental Impact from Expanding Water Supplies

Toevaluatethepotentialimpactsofthemethodsthatmaybeusedtoobtainadditionalwatersupply,thisdocumentherebyincorporatesbyreferencetheFinalSupplementalEIRfortheSDCWARegionalWaterFacilitiesMasterPlandatedMarch2013(SCHNo.2003021052).ThisdocumentcanbefoundonSDCWA’swebsiteatwww.sdcwa.organdissummarizedhereasfollows.

TheEIRfortheSDCWARegionalWaterFacilitiesMasterPlanevaluatesaprogramofwatersupplyprojects.TheMasterPlandoesnotdescribeeveryproposedfacilityindetail,butdescribesthetypesoffacilitiesneededtomeettheregion’sfuturewaterneeds.

TheEIRfortheSDCWARegionalWaterFacilitiesMasterPlandeterminedthatmultipleenvironmentalimpactsassociatedwiththeconstructionofwatersupplyprojectswouldpotentiallyoccur.

Ofallofthepotentialmethodstoensureadditionalwatersupply,waterconservationistheonlyapproachthatwouldnotresultinadverseenvironmentalimpacts.

Otherwatersupplyprojects,includingdesalinationprojects,theconveyanceofsuppliesfromthenorth,east,orwest,orincreasinglocalsupplyaboveplannedyieldhavethepotentialtoresultinsignificantenvironmentalimpacts.

Potentiallysignificantenvironmentalimpactsassociatedwiththefollowingenvironmentalissuesmayoccur:landuse,waterresources,biologicalresources,transportationandtraffic,noise,airquality,utilitiesandpublicservices,aesthetics,geologyandsoils,culturalresources,




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publicsafetyandhazardousmaterials,paleontologicalresources,agriculturalresources,andrecreation.

2.8.3.2 Groundwater Supply

Guidelines for the Determination of Significance

ThefollowingguidelinesarefromAppendixGoftheStateCEQAGuidelinesandareintendedtoprotectgroundwatersupplies.Asignificantimpactwouldresultif:

Sufficientwatersuppliesarenotavailabletoservetheprojectfromexistingentitlementsandresources,andneworexpandedentitlementsareneeded.

Theprojectwouldsubstantiallydepletegroundwatersuppliesorinterferesubstantiallywithgroundwaterrechargesuchthattherewouldbeanetdeficitinaquifervolumeoraloweringofthelocalgroundwatertablelevel.

Analysis

Approximately35percentoftheprojectarealieswithintheSDCWAboundaryandwouldbeabletoobtainawatersupplyfromoneofthewaterdistrictsthatdistributeswaterfromsurfacereservoirsorotherimportedwatersourcessubjecttoexistingagreementswithprovidersandwouldnothavetorelyupongroundwatersupplies.Somepropertieswithinthisareamayalsohaveanonsitewellanduseacombinationofimportedwaterandgroundwater.FortheseareaswithintheSDCWAboundary,wateravailabilitywouldbesubjecttoagriculturalagreementsalreadyinplace.Largeraccessoryagriculturaluses,suchasagriculturalmicrobreweries,wineries,andagriculturalstoreswouldundergofutureenvironmentalreviewpursuanttotherequirementtoobtainadiscretionarypermit.FuturediscretionaryprojectswouldrequireWillServelettersfromtheappropriatewaterdistrict,andmayrequirepaymentofconnectionfees.

Conversely,approximately65percentoftheprojectarealiesoutsideoftheSDCWAboundaryandreliesongroundwater.BecauseoneoftheobjectivesoftheproposedordinanceamendmentistoencouragethegrowthofthelocalagricultureindustryintheCountyandbecausealargeportionoftheprojectareaisgroundwaterdependent,anincreaseinthenumberofagriculturaloperationsingroundwater‐dependentareasmaycauseincreaseddemandforgroundwatersupplies.Groundwaterdemandwouldvarywiththeoperationalspecificsoftheproposedagriculturaluse.

Theproposedprojectcouldinvolvetheexpansionofagricultureonagriculturallyzonedlands.Generalinformationonwaterdemandsonthevariousagriculturalaccessoryusespromotedisprovidedinthepriorsection.Ofallproposeduses,microbreweriesareonaveragethemostwaterintensive.Basedontheworst‐caseestimate,aminimumof1.3acre‐feetofwaterwouldberequiredtoproducethemaximumamountof2,000barrelsperyearforsmallmicrobreweryoperationsandbetween5.2and7.2acre‐feetofwaterwouldberequiredtoproducethemaximumamountof8,000barrelsperyearforlargemicrobreweryoperations.Operationswithatleast2acresofhops,barley,orothergrainproducedandusedonsitewouldrequireaminimumof4.2acre‐feetperyearforagriculturalproduction.Themainwaterusewouldinvolvegrowinghops,cleaningfloorsandareasthroughouttheoperations,andcleaningequipment.

DiscretionaryprojectssubjecttotheGroundwaterOrdinancemayrequiredetailedevaluationtoaddresspotentialgroundwaterimpacts.Priortoapprovalofcertaindiscretionaryapplicationsforfutureprojectsthatproposetousegroundwater(listedinSection67.711andnotsubjecttoSections




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67.720,67.721orParagraphAoftheGroundwaterOrdinance),aGroundwaterInvestigationisrequired.AsspecifiedintheGroundwaterOrdinance,theapplicationwillnotbeapprovedunlesstheapprovingauthorityfinds,basedupontheGroundwaterInvestigationorotheravailableinformation,either:(1)forawaterintensiveuse,thatgroundwaterresourcesareadequatetomeetthegroundwaterdemandsbothoftheprojectandthegroundwaterbasinifthebasinweredevelopedtothemaximumdensityandintensitypermittedbytheGeneralPlan;or(2)forallotherprojects,thatgroundwaterresourcesareadequatetomeetthegroundwaterdemandsoftheproject.MajorUsePermitsorMajorUsePermitModificationsthatinvolveconstructionofagriculturalandranchsupportfacilitiesorthoseinvolvingneworexpandedagriculturallandusesareamongtheexemptionsfromtheGroundwaterOrdinance.However,thisexemptiondoesnotsupersedeorlimittheapplicationofCEQA.Therefore,forsomecomponentsoftheproposedproject,suchasthoseproposingtousegroundwaterinanamountthatmayposeissuestotheaquiferorneighboringwells,subsequentenvironmentalreviewisanticipated,asaresultoftheGroundwaterOrdinanceand/orCEQA.

However,thecomponentsthatdonotrequirediscretionaryreviewbytheCounty,suchassmallerstructuresormoreconfinedusesthatdonotneedamajorgradingpermit,AdministrativePermit,orotherusepermit,areunlikelytorequiresubsequentanalysis.Theusesmayrelyonexistingwellsormayneedtodrilladditionalwellstosupportincreasedonsitedemands.Thesesituationscouldoccurinareaswheregroundwatersuppliesarelimitedand/oryieldsofgroundwaterarelow.Additionally,thenumber,location,andintensityofaccessoryagriculturalusesthatarepromotedbytheprojectarenotknown.Consequently,withrespecttogroundwatersupplies,impactswouldbesignificant(ImpactWS‐2).

Forproposedaccessoryagriculturalusesthatwouldnotrequirefurtherenvironmentalreview,increasesinbuildingandparkingareas,driveways,fences,oroutdoorseatingcouldoccurassociatedwithagriculturalhomestays,agriculturalmicrobreweries/cideries/micro‐distilleries,agriculturalandhorticulturalretailuses,agriculturaltourism,animalraising,aquaponics,creamery/dairy,mobilebutchering,andwineries,whichcouldpotentiallyincreasethedemandforgroundwatersupplies.However,theproposedordinanceincludeslanguagelimitingthesquarefootageofrelatedoperationstructures,andtheamountofimpervioussurfaceareaswouldberestrictedtothoselimits.Adiscretionarygradingpermitmaybetriggeredbythelargeraccessoryagriculturaluses,suchasagriculturalmicrobreweries/cideries/micro‐distilleries,wineries,andagriculturalstores,whichwouldrequireenvironmentalreviewpursuanttoCEQA.Thus,newagriculturaloperationswouldnotinvolveoperationsthatwouldinterferesubstantiallywithgroundwaterrecharge.Furthermore,theaccessoryagriculturalusesdescribedundertheproposedprojectwouldnotinvolveregionaldiversionofwatertoanothergroundwaterbasin,ordiversionorchannelizationofastreamcourseorwaterwaywithimperviouslayers,suchasconcreteliningorculverts,forsubstantialdistances(e.g.,0.25mile).Therefore,noimpactongroundwaterrechargeisanticipated.

2.8.4 Cumulative Impacts Analysis

Thegeographicscopeofthecumulativeimpactanalysisforwatersupplyisdefinedbythedistrictsandagenciesthatdevelopandrelyonvarioussupplysourcesforimportedwatersupply.Forgroundwater‐dependentareas,itisdefinedbythelimitsoftheaquifersthatsupporttheSanDiegoCountybackcountry.




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In2010,MWDadopteditscurrentRegionalUrbanWaterManagementPlan.MWD'sreliabilityassessmentshowedthatMWDcanmaintainreliablewatersuppliestomeetprojecteddemandthrough2035.MWDidentifiedbuffersupplies,includingotherStateWaterProjectgroundwaterstorageandtransfersthatcouldservetosupplyadditionalwaterneeds.MWDalsohasanIntegratedResourcePlanthatoutlinesastrategytoincreasewatersuppliesandlowerdemands.Theplanhasthreecomponentsthatbeginwithbaselineefforts—or,thecoreresourcestrategy—designedtomaintainreliablewatersupplies.Thesecondcomponent—theuncertaintybuffer—activatesasuiteofbufferactionsthathelptomitigateshort‐termchanges.Ifchangedconditionsturndramaticandpersistent,thereisafinalcomponent—foundationalactions—whichdetailsstrategiesforsecuringadditionalwaterresources.

MWDsupplieswatertowholesalersincludingtheSDCWA.WatersuppliesfortheCountyofSanDiegowithintheSDCWAboundariesareprovidedmainlybySDCWAtoitsmemberagencies.Inordertoprojectandplanforfuturewaterneeds,SDCWAhasenteredintoaMemorandumofAgreementwithSANDAGtousethemostrecentregionalgrowthforecastfordevelopingtheUWMPandRegionalWaterFacilitiesMasterPlan(RWFMP).BecausetheinformationintheUWMPisbasedonregionalgrowthforecastsbySANDAG,thebasisofthoseforecastsiscriticaltosupplyanddemandprojections.SANDAGprojectsgrowthbasedinpartonlocalgeneralplans.Totheextentthatdevelopmentoccursinaccordancewiththegeneralplansusedtopreparethegrowthforecasts,futurewatersupplyanddemandfortheunderlyinglandusedesignationsinthegeneralplansareaddressedbytheSDCWA’sUWMPandRWFMP.

TheproposedprojectdoesnotamendtheCountyofSanDiego’sGeneralPlan,asitrelatestogrowthprojections.Further,itdoesnotalterthegrowthprojectionsusedbySDCWAand,therefore,conformstotheassumptionsusedintheUWMPandRWFMP.TheproposedprojectisanextensionofagriculturalusesinA70,A72,S88,S90,andS92zones.ThestreamliningofregulationsforagriculturalventureswouldnotchangetheunderlyinglandusedesignationsuponwhichwatersupplyandavailabilityareprojectedintheUWMP.

Someoftheproposedaccessoryagriculturalusesmaybepermittedwithaministerialpermitorby‐right,andmaynotrequireadditionalorsubsequentenvironmentalreviewperCEQA.Evenforusesthatwouldrequireaministerialpermit,futureprojectsmayrequireapprovalfromtheappropriatewaterdistrictifsubstantialchangesinexistingwaterdemandareinvolved.DiscretionaryprojectsmayrequireWillServelettersfromtheappropriatewaterdistricts,andadditionalenvironmentalreviewpursuanttoCEQAwouldberequired.AlthoughallfutureprojectsassociatedwiththeproposedprojectwouldnotaffecttheSDCWA’sUWMPandRWFMP,theproposedprojectconsistsofazoningordinanceamendmentandisnotprojectspecific;therefore,thepotentialdemandsonimportedwatersupplyofspecificfutureagriculturalprojectscannotbedeterminedatthisstage,norcanappropriateproject‐specificmitigationmeasuresbeidentifiedorenforced.Therefore,withrespecttoimportedwatersuppliesconsideredatthecumulativelevel,theproposedprojectcouldhaveacumulativelyconsiderablecontributiontoacumulativeimpact(ImpactWS‐3).


Approximately65percentoftheprojectarealiesoutsidetheSDCWAareaandisdependentonnaturallyoccurringgroundwaterresources.WithintheSDCWA,groundwatermayalsobeusedbut




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canmoreeasilybesupplementedwithimportedwaterasneeded.Conversely,importedwatermaybesupplementedwithgroundwaterwhenagriculturalconcernsaresubjecttorestrictionsontheuseofimportedwaterandgroundwaterisavailable.

GroundwateravailabilityissubjecttomanyfactorswithinSanDiegoCountysuchasphysicalgeologicalpropertiesandamountofgroundwaterrechargeandstorage.FracturedrockaquifersaretheprevailingaquifertypeintheCounty.Thistypeofaquiferhaslowgroundwaterstoragecapacity,andgroundwaterlevelscanfluctuatewidelyduetodifferencesinannualprecipitationandgroundwateruse.Therearealsoextensiveareasofalluvialaquifers(suchastheRamonaarea),whichhavelargergroundwaterstoragecapacityandwheregroundwaterlevelsarenotsubjecttodrasticvariations.However,wheregroundwaterdemandexceedstherateofrecharge,historicalgroundwaterlevelsdemonstrateatrendofdecline.

OneoftheobjectivesoftheproposedordinanceamendmentistoencouragethegrowthofthelocalagricultureindustryintheCounty,whichcouldresultinnewand/orexpandedagricultureoperationsandnewaccessorystructures.Thiswouldcauseacorrespondingincreaseinthedemandforgroundwaterforirrigation,alcoholicbeverageproduction,andcustomerneedsassociatedwiththepromoteduses.

Theseverityofanyimpactsassociatedwithincreasedgroundwateruse,asaresultoftheprojectandinconjunctionwithotherexistingandplanneduses,willbedependentuponseveralfactorsincludingbutnotlimitedtothefollowing:

Physicalpropertiesoftheunderlyingaquifer;

Whetherirrigationdemandsareincreasedforneworexpandedagricultureoperationsandalcoholicbeverageproduction;and

Cumulativedemandsontheaquiferfromnearbyagriculturalorothertypesoflanduses.

Locationsofgroundwatersupplyissues(suchasdeclinesinthegroundwatertable,poorgroundwaterrecovery,lowwellyield,poorgroundwaterquality)aredescribedintheGeneralPlanUpdateGroundwaterStudy(publishedApril2010);however,localizedgroundwatersupplyproblemsarenotlimitedtotheseareas.SuchconcernsarepossiblethroughouttheCountywherethereisexcessivegroundwaterusebyasingleormultipleusers,orduetotheuniquephysicalgeologicpropertiesaffectingthegroundwaterstorageforaparticularsite.Futureprojectsmayincludeactionsthatrequirediscretionarypermitsand/orgroundwaterinvestigations.Forsuchprojects,feasiblemitigationmeasurescouldbeincludedinthepermit,thusmakingthemenforceable.Atthesametime,theremayalsobefutureby‐rightprojects,forwhichrelateddiscretionarypermitsarerequired(e.g.,gradingpermit),butforwhichmitigationwouldnotbefeasible,orforwhichnorelateddiscretionarypermitisrequiredatall(e.g.,wheregradingislessthan200cubicyards,butwhichwouldaffectnativeorfallowland).Forsuchby‐rightprojects,CEQAreviewwouldnotberequired.Theproposedprojectconsistsofazoningordinanceamendmentandisnotprojectspecific;therefore,thepotentialdemandsongroundwatersuppliesofspecificfutureagricultureprojectscannotbedeterminedatthisstage,norcanappropriateproject‐specificmitigationmeasuresbeidentifiedorenforced.Additionally,thenumberandlocationofneworexpandedagriculturaloperationsthatwillrelyongroundwaterfortheirprimarywatersourceisunknown,andtheproposedprojectmaycauseorcontributetodepletionofgroundwatersupplieswheresuppliesarelimitedand/oryieldsofgroundwaterarelow.Consequently,withrespecttogroundwatersupplies,cumulativeimpactswouldbepotentiallysignificant(ImpactWS‐4).




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2.8.5 Significance of Impacts Prior to Mitigation

Theproposedprojectwouldresultinpotentiallysignificantimpactsassociatedwithwatersupply(ImpactsWS‐1andWS‐3,directandcumulative)andgroundwatersupply(ImpactsWS‐2andWS‐4,directandcumulative).

2.8.6 Mitigation Measures

Theproposedprojectisazoningordinanceamendmentandisnotprojectspecific.Theproposedzoningordinanceamendmentwouldallowspecifiedaccessoryagriculturalusesby‐rightwithinA70,A72,S88,S90,andS92zones.Someoftheseunidentifiedfutureagriculturaloperationsmayberequiredtoobtainadiscretionarypermit,suchasanAdministrativePermit,whichwouldtriggerCEQAreview.Forsuchagriculturaloperations,feasiblemitigationmeasurescouldbeincludedinthepermit,ifnecessary,afterconductingthenecessarywatersupplyreview,thusmakingthemenforceable.Thus,forfutureagriculturaloperationssubjecttoCEQAreview,specificimpactsonbothimportedandgroundwatersupplyresourceswouldbeanalyzedandmitigatedwhenfeasible.

Theremayalsobefutureby‐rightagriculturaloperationsforwhichrelateddiscretionarypermitsarerequiredbutforwhichmitigationwouldnotbefeasible,orfutureby‐rightagriculturaloperationsforwhichnorelateddiscretionarypermitisrequiredatall(e.g.,wheregradingvolumeislessthan200cubicyards).Forsuchby‐rightagriculturaloperations,CEQAreviewwouldnotberequired,andappropriatemitigationwouldnotbepossible.

Asitcannotbeconcludedatthisstagethatpotentialimpactsoneitherimportedwatersupplyorgroundwaterresourcesfromallfutureagriculturaloperationsallowedbytheordinanceamendmentwouldbeavoidedormitigated,impactswouldremainsignificantandunmitigated.


Theproposedprojectwouldpromotethedevelopmentofaccessoryagriculturefacilities,someofwhichwouldnotneeddiscretionaryreview.Mitigationmeasures(describedbelow)havebeenidentifiedthatwouldreduceimpactsrelatedtowatersupply,butnotbelowasignificantlevel.

M‐WS‐1:ImplementPolicyI‐84requiringdiscretionaryprojectsobtainwaterdistrictcommitmentthatwaterservicesareavailable.Prohibitionoftheconversionofanydrylandagriculturalornon‐irrigatedlandstocropproduction.

M‐WS‐2:CoordinatewiththeSanDiegoCountyWaterAuthorityandotherwateragenciestocoordinatelanduseplanningwithwatersupplyplanningandsupportcontinuedimplementationandenhancementofwaterconservationprograms.


Theproposedprojectwouldpromotethedevelopmentofaccessoryagriculturefacilities,someofwhichwouldnotneeddiscretionaryreview.Mitigationmeasures(describedbelow)havebeenidentifiedthatwouldreduceimpactsrelatedtogroundwatersupply,butnotbelowasignificantlevel.MitigationMeasuresM‐HY‐1,M‐HY‐2,M‐HY‐3(Section2.5,HydrologyandWaterQuality),M‐WS‐1,andM‐WS‐2,aswellasthosedescribedbelow,havebeenidentifiedthatwouldreduceimpactsrelatedtogroundwatersupply,butnotbelowasignificantlevel.




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M‐WS‐3:UsetheCountyGuidelinesforDeterminingSignificanceforGroundwaterResources,SurfaceWaterQuality,andHydrologytoidentifyandminimizeadverseenvironmentaleffectsongroundwaterresources.ImplementtheGroundwaterOrdinancethroughaGroundwaterInvestigationinordertoensurethatgroundwaterresourcesareadequatetomeetthegroundwaterdemandsoftheproject.

2.8.7 Conclusion

Theproposedordinanceamendmentcouldresultintheadditionofnewagriculturaloperations,expansionofexistingagriculturaloperations,andadditionalaccessorystructuresatexistingagriculturaloperations.Theexpansionandopeningofnewagriculturaloperationscouldoccurby‐rightwithouttheneedforadiscretionarypermit.Significantdirectandcumulativeimpactscouldresultfromneworexpandedagriculturaloperationsonlandsnotcurrentlyirrigatedorwheregroundwatersuppliesarelimitedand/oryieldsofgroundwaterarelow(ImpactsWS‐1,WS‐2,WS‐3,andWS‐4).

Somefutureagriculturaloperations,inaccordancewiththeproposedprojectzoningordinanceamendment,mayberequiredtoobtainadiscretionarypermit,whichwouldtriggerCEQAreviewofthespecificproposedproject,andmitigationmeasurescouldbeincludedinthepermit,thusmakingthemenforceable.However,theremayalsobefutureby‐rightagriculturaloperations,forwhichnorelateddiscretionarypermitwouldberequired,orfutureagriculturaloperationsforwhichmitigationmeasuresareinfeasible.Thus,withoutamechanismtodemonstratethatallimpactshavebeenreducedtobelowalevelofsignificance,impactsremainsignificantandunmitigated.

section 2.8 water supply and groundwater · hydrologic conditions were as follows: precipitation,...

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