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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7.1 Zone 7 Water Agencyf� CITY CLERK File # EmInm-Ru AGENDA STATEMENT CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: May 18, 1999 SUBJECT: Zone 7 Water Agency - Water Supply Planning Program Draft EIR (Report Prepared by: Carol R. Cirelli, Senior Planner)CjjC_,.o ATTACHMENTS: 1. Draft City comment letter on Zone 7's Draft EIR RECOMMENDATION: C Review draft comment letter; revise as necessary; direct staff to submit letter to Zone 7 by May 26, 1999. FINANCIAL STATEMENT: None. DESCRIPTION: At the April 6, 1999 City Council meeting, the City Council directed staff to prepare a comment letter to Zone 7 from the Mayor regarding the Water Supply Planning Program Draft EIR. The letter should indicate that the City Council would like to see the lake Del Valle recreation area protected as Zone 7 evaluates different water supply alternatives; and that Zone 7 should continue to look at alternative solutions for water supply including the expansion of recycled water. Staff prepared a draft letter (Attachment 1) which incorporates the City Council's concerns. Staff consulted with the Dublin San Ramon Services District prior to drafting the letter and the letter also supports their comments and concerns. Staff recommends that the City Council review the letter, make changes as necessary, and direct staff to submit the letter by the end of the EIR public review period, which is May 26, 1999. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COPIES TO: In -House Distribution ITEM NO. rA* g:\agendas\l999\5-I8-99 CC SR letter to Zone 7 re Water Supply EIR jp' .... . D'~"J'" I'I-'"oo;ll'l . t.:; t ',' r~ I ., "a\.\r , 1999 .. .. Mr. Dennis Gambs Zone 7 Water Agency 5997 Parkside Drive Pleasanton, CA 94588 Subject: Comments on the Zone 7 Water Agency Water Supply Program Draft Program EIR Dear Mr. Gambs: Thank you for giving the City of Dublin the opportunity to comment on the draft Program EIR for the Zone 7 Water Agency Water Supply Planning Program. The City understands that Zone 7 is engaged in a Water Supply Planning Program that outlines Zone 7's long-term water supply and facility needs through the Year 2020 and that this planning program will provide a basis for the overall Water Supply Master Plan for Zone 7. The purpose of this Program EIR is to analyze in detail near-term acquisition of water supply and present and analyze, at a program-level, Zone 7's broader long-range water supply program that is still in its developing stages. . The City supports Zone 7' s current efforts to secure water supplies for serving future growth in the Tri- Valley, and in particular, the developing areas of Dublin. However, the City is concerned that the EIR does not adequately evaluate alternative water supply solutions, such as the expansion of recycled water sources, and the City is concerned with the impacts the project will have on the Lake Del Valle recreation area. To this extent, the City offers the following comments: 1. The Draft EIR should identify as potential mitigation the incorporation of a Zone 7 policy that strongly supports or requires recycled water for landscape irrigation to mitigate development project impacts due to the demand for additional water supplies, and thus reduce the required water imports and attendant project impacts resulting from basin and Del Valle reservoir storage. 2. The Draft EIR should identify as potential mitigation the injection of demineralized recycled water as a means of reducing potable water demands and required additional raw water supplies. If this mitigation is implemented, the project impacts resulting from increased use of groundwater and Del Valley storage would be reduced. The Draft EIR should analyze all mitigation measures that are readily available and economically feasible, such as the groundwater injection of demineralized recycled water. 3. The Draft EIR should also disclose all available water supplies within the Project Description or the Alternatives Analysis. For example, the Draft EIR should identify as a potential project-level water supply, the use of demineralized recycled water injected into the groundwater basin as currently pennitted by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board. Two reverse osmosis treatment plants within the Tri-Valley, built under the same Water Quality Control Board pennit, are ready for water production. . AttachnEnt I DRt\fT .... .. The City also received a copy of the East Bay Regional Park District's (EBRPD's) comment letter on the Draft Program EIR dated March 16, 1999. The letter states that Table 7-2 of the Draft EIR contains . erroneous figures regarding the City of Dublin projects. Please note that some of the information the EBRPD provided in their comment letter on pages 8 and 9 are incorrect and should be corrected as follows: 1. The City approved a total of 12,356 dwelling units for the Eastern Dublin Specific Plan, and a total of 13,906 dwelling units for the Eastern Dublin General Plan Amendment. The area shown on Figure 7- 2 is the footprint of the City of Dublin Sphere of Influence, not the East Dublin Specific Plan Area. 2. Out of the total 12,356 dwelling units approved for the Eastern Dublin Specific Plan (Eastern Dublin Specific Plan area falls within the Eastern Dublin General Plan Amendment area), 2,971 dwelling units were approved for the Alameda County Surplus Property Authority property. 3. The EBRPD states that since the overturn by voter referendum of the Western Dublin Specific Plan, the Schaefer Ranch project has been approved, the EBRPD acquired one parcel of land and another parcel is currently under option, which has "greatly reduced" the amount of remaining developable land. The same paragraph also states that there is a pending voter referendum initiative regarding restricting development within the Western Extended Planning Area which would reduce the developable area and the number of units that could be constructed. The EBRPD is making a broad assumption that there will be no more development within this area, however, this assumption is based on unsubstantiated facts. First of all, it appears that the EBRPD has not yet acquired the "other" parcel of land and it is not guaranteed that this will occur in the future. Second, since the Western Dublin initiative has not yet gone before the voters, it is too . . premature to conclude that the initiative will result in the reduction in the amount of developable land. The EBRPD's reasoning and conclusion that the amount of developable land has been, or will be, greatly reduced should, therefore, not be included in Zone 7's Draft EIR analysis. If you have any questions regarding these comments, please feel free to call me at (925) 833-6610. Sincerely, Guy S. Houston Mayor c: Dublin City Councilmembers Richard Ambrose, City Manager Eddie Peabody, Community Development Director Lee Thompson, Public W orIes Director Brad Olson, East Bay Regional Park District g:\l::orrespo\carol\zone 7 deir comments 3-25-99-water supply program .