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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Report - April 20, 2005 E-10AGENDA ITEM E 0 10 CITY OF LODI COUNCIL COMMUNICATION AGENDA TITLE: Authorize the City Manager, or his Designee, to Execute a Memorandum of Understanding between the Mokelumne River Forum and the California Department of Water Resources MEETING DATE: April 20,2005 PREPARED BY: Public Works Director RECOMMENDED ACTION: That the City Council authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute a Memorandum of Understanding between the Mokelumne River Forum and the California Department of Water Resources. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The City of Lodi has been participating in the Mokelumne River Forum, a collaborative processwhere the status of Mokelumne River water and mutually beneficial projects have been discussed. To continue and expand this process, the California Department of Water Resources has made funding available for administrative aspects of the process. To attain this funding, participating party must enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The City of Lodi has participated in the drafting of the attached MOU. The goals of the Forum are to develop mutually beneficial and regionally focused solutions to meet the water supply and related needs of the parties. Goals would be achieved by pursuing water supply availability, reliability, and quality that are acceptable to all participants in the Mokelumne River Forum; developing solutions that resolve conflicts among and between the parties and stakeholders; and assisting in meeting "up -country" consumptive water and infrastructure needs (Amador, Calaveras, and Alpine), San Joaquin County water supply needs (basin overdraft), dry -year drinking water needs of the parties, and water needs for agriculture, the environment and recreation. The Forum members plan to execute the agreement at their April 21, 2005 meeting FISCAL IMPACT: Minor expenditures and staff time. From November 2002 through December 2004, the City has contributed $7,000 in facilitator costs. Continuation of the process with State support will save the City future facilitator costs. FUNDING AVAILABLE: Not applicable. RCPIFRBlfb Attachment [�, Richard C Prima, Jr`< Public Works Director APPROVED: -X;ZD ► Blair King Manager J IWaterlCCMokRiverMOU doc 411 41 20 05 FINAL March 25, 2005 MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING TO COOPERATIVELY INCREASE WATER SUPPLY, IMPROVE WATER SUPPLY RELIABILITY, AND IMPROVE WATER QUALITY IN THE SERVICE AREAS OF THE PARTIES This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is entered into this day of , 2005, by and among the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), Alpine County, Amador County, Amador Water Agency, Calaveras County Water District, Calaveras Public Utilities District, City of Lodi, City of Stockton, East Bay Municipal Utility District, Jackson Valley Irrigation District, North San Joaquin Water Conservation District, San Joaquin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District and Mokelumne River Water and Power Authority, Stockton East Water District and/or Central San Joaquin Water Conservation District, and Woodbridge Irrigation District, also referred to collectively as "the Parties." The Parties, and other organizations and interest groups (e.g., the San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation and others) that elect to participate in the collaborative process herein referenced in Article 1, shall collectively constitute the "Mokelumne River Forum." RECITALS A. The State Legislature has determined that the conjunctive management of water resources is an effective way to improve the reliability of water supplies for all regions of the State. B. The Department of Water Resources seeks to facilitate and support water resource management efforts, particularly those that could increase dry - year water supplies, while providing management and protections for groundwater resources. C. Water resources originating from the Mokelumne River Watershed have been and will remain a significant source of the water for people, the environment, and agribusiness and provide an invaluable contribution to the economy and public well-being. D. The Parties recognize that there is potential for improvement in groundwater management and for conjunctive management of ground and surface water resources, and are willing to explore the possibility of increasing the availability of water supplies through regional conjunctive use efforts and new or enhanced water storage (ground and surface). FINAL March 25, 2005 ARTICLES NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties recognize that this MOU is a statement of principles and objectives and not a binding agreement, and the Parties agree to the following: The Parties will work to resolve conflicting issues, develop an appropriate collaborative process, and enter officially into the "Mokelumne River Forum" to work cooperatively through stakeholder participation to examine and enhance ongoing conjunctive water management activities, explore new initiatives, and in identify potentially feasible solutions to meet the outlined objectives of the Parties. 2. The Parties acknowledge that other water -related planning programs may be ongoing concurrently with the Mokelumne River Forum effort, and the Parties hereby commit to coordinate with those other programs to minimize duplication and reconcile conflicts. 3. The Parties will endeavor to increase the availability and reliability of water resources from the Mokelumne River watershed area through cooperation, open communication, and consensus building among the Parties in a forum process including a broad range of regional stakeholders. 4. The Parties will share all technical data, analyses, conclusions, and findings developed through the course of implementing this MOU. 5. The Parties will work cooperatively to accomplish the following objectives: • Develop mutually beneficial and regionally focused solutions to meet the water supply and related needs of the Parties by pursuing water supply availability, reliability, and quality that are acceptable to all participants in the Mokelumne River Forum. • Develop solutions that resolve conflicts among and between the Parties and stakeholders and assist in meeting: o Up -country consumptive water and infrastructure needs (Amador, Calaveras, and Alpine); o San Joaquin County water supply needs (basin overdraft); o Dry -year drinking water needs of the Parties; and o Water needs for agriculture, the environment and recreation. 6. The Parties will engage in a collaborative process to accomplish the tasks outlined in Appendix A ("Tasks") to facilitate regional consensus -based planning efforts. The Parties envision a two-year process to accomplish the tasks. 2 FINAL March 25, 2005 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have executed this Memorandum of Understanding as of the day and year first written above. STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES By ALPINE COUNTY By AMADOR COUNTY By AMADOR WATER AGENCY By CALAVERAS COUNTY WATER DISTRICT By CALAVERAS PUBLIC UTILITIES DISTRICT 0 FINAL March 25, 2005 CITY OF LODI CITY OF STOCKTON By EAST BAY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT By JACKSON VALLEY IRRIGATION DISTRICT By NORTH SAN JOAQUIN WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT By SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT AND MOKELUMNE RIVER WATER AND POWER AUTHORITY By 4 FINAL March 25, 2005 STOCKTON EAST WATER DISTRICT AND/OR CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT 0 WOODBRIDGE IRRIGATION DISTRICT 0 FINAL March 25, 2005 Appendix A TASKS Task 1. Forum Budget and Stakeholder Outreach Plan: A. Develop an outreach program that engages other interested parties to participate in the forum process. The outreach program will enhance stakeholder participation, encourage the sharing and exchange of information, foster open and honest communication, and build consensus and support for possible courses of action. B. Develop a budget and proposed cost -share funding agreement to cover the cost associated with maintaining the Mokelumne Forum, outreach efforts, and costs to perform anticipated studies. C. Review and apply for appropriate local, State, and Federal funding and programs to provide additional resources for Forum activities. Task 2. Mokelumne River Forum Investigations A. Identify future water resource needs of the Parties as described in Article 5. B. Review and identify the Mokelumne River allocated supply and available supply. C. Identify potential solutions that could be implemented to help address the needs identified in Task 2A. D. Using existing and appropriate new information, perform a feasibility assessment to evaluate solutions that provide water supply benefits to the Parties that are technically, environmentally, economically, institutionally, socially and legally feasible. Task 3. Preferred Option and Action Plan Recommendations A. From results developed in the Task 2 investigations, develop an Action Plan and propose an Implementation Agreement. The Implementation Agreement will include recommended institutional arrangements for some or all of the Parties to join together to further investigate, design, finance, construct, and operate selected new water resource management alternatives for the benefit of the Parties and stakeholders. R