HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Report - March 29, 2016 E-01 SMAGENDAITEM E 40 1
CITY OF LODI
COUNCIL COMMUNICATION
TM
AGENDA TITLE: Authorize City Manager to Draft and Execute a Comment Letter in Response to the
Mitigated Negative Declaration for Recharge Extraction and Aquifer Management
(DREAM) Project and North San Joaquin Water Conservation District (NSJWCD)
South System Improvements prepared by San Joaquin County, Department of
Public Works
MEETING DATE:
PREPARED BY:
March 29, 2016
City Manager
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Authorize City Manager to Draft and Execute a Comment Letter in
Response to the Mitigated Negative Declaration for Recharge
Extraction and Aquifer Management (DREAM) Project and North
San Joaquin Water Conservation District (NSJWCD) South System
Improvements prepared by San Joaquin County, Department of
Public Works
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: San Joaquin County and NSJWCD have entered into several
agreements with East Bay Municipal Utilities District (EBMUD)
which, if allowed to go forward will result in EBMUD exporting
groundwater from San Joaquin County to serve EBMUD's Bay Area
customers. At issue, is a Mitigated Negative Declaration prepared by San Joaquin County's Department
of Public Works for a self-styled "demonstration" project, the so called DREAM Project, to be constructed
and operated by the County, NSJWCD, and EBMUD.
The DREAM Project proposes to take up to 1,000 acre-feet of Comanche Reservoir releases (surface
water to be diverted from the Mokelumne River) to be run through a revamped NSJWCD canal system to
a location approximately two (2) miles southeast of the City's current sphere of influence, where the
water will be used to irrigate 350 acres of farmland in lieu of irrigation by pumped groundwater.
NSJWCD also proposes to construct a small twelve inch pipeline from that location to EBMUD's
Mokelumne Aqueduct to export 500 acre-feet of extracted groundwater out of San Joaquin County to
serve EBMUD's Bay Area customers.
In and of itself the DREAM Project is largely unobjectionable; however, it belies a larger project outlined
in the November 2014 Protest Dismissal Agreement (PDA)' over EBMUD's time extension of its Permit
10478. The PDA would create a much larger and permanent project designed to export San Joaquin
County groundwater to EBMUD's Bay Area customers. Theoretically the project will take less
groundwater than it creates by recharge; but the current environmental document fails to study whether
the larger project, as outlined in the 2104 PDA, will work, while at the same time allowing the majority of
the infrastructure to be constructed and securing the permits necessary for the larger project (a cost of $4
' Entered into by and between Central Delta Water Agency, County of San Joaquin, EBMUD, NSJWCD, South Delta Water
Agency, and Stockton East Water District.
APPROVED: f2,0,, -4,
6�� n Schwabauer, Ci er
million in infrastructure and permit fees) under the guise of a limited "demonstration" project. Moreover,
the DREAM Project relies on diverting surface water from the Mokelumne River that Woodbridge
Irrigation District (WID), and by extension the cities of Lodi and Stockton along with 40,000 acres of local
irrigated farmland (WID customers), claim under WID's pre -1914 water rights. The Mitigated Negative
Declaration also fails to analyze the consequences the larger PDA project, or the loss of surface water,
will have on WID and its customers, including the City of Lodi, as well as impacts to the overall
groundwater basin, the rural properties located near the proposed groundwater extraction well, current
groundwater recharge efforts, and the impact to fish and habitat within the Mokelumne River system
downstream from the proposed point of diversion.
Staff requests authority to draft an appropriate Comment Letter, to be signed by the City Manager, to
preserve Lodi's ability to challenge the DREAM Project as it moves forward. It may be that after a more
thorough environmental review of the DREAM Project, staff's concerns will be resolved or
mitigated. However, failure to file timely comments will hamper Lodi's opportunity to address its concerns
regarding the impact of the DREAM Project on the environment and the ability of WID to serve its
customers, including Lodi residents.
FUNDING: Not Applicable.
'Stepheh Schwabauer
City Manager