Water Committee Special Meeting – November 21, 2017: Approves Schedule, Vice Chair, Conservation Ordinance, Delta, Meter Updates
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Water Committee Special Meeting – November 21, 2017
The Water Committee held a special meeting on November 21, 2017, at 3:04 PM in the City Hall Council Chamber (called to order at 3:04 PM). The committee approved the 2018 meeting schedule, selected a vice chair, reviewed and forwarded an outdoor water conservation ordinance amendment, received presentations on the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta and the water meter retrofit program, and discussed related outreach and coordination efforts.
Consent Calendar
- 2018 Regular Meeting Schedule for the Water Committee – Approved unanimously. The committee will meet quarterly on the third Tuesday of each quarter at 3:00 PM.
Discussion Items
- Selection of 2018 Vice Chair – Councilmember Eric Guerra was unanimously selected as Vice Chair for 2018, effective at the next regular meeting.
- Ordinance Amending Chapter 13.04 (Outdoor Water Conservation) – Staff presented revisions requested by City Council on August 15, 2017. Changes include: reducing the second violation fine from $50 to $25; a moratorium on second, third, and fourth violations until March 1, 2018, to focus on education; a new 30-day landscape establishment period; and director’s authority to grant exemptions for unique circumstances (e.g., homeowner associations). The ordinance also clarifies intent to encourage efficient water use and healthy trees. The committee voted unanimously (3–0) to forward the ordinance to the full City Council for approval. Members discussed the importance of smart controllers, rebates, and coordination with low-impact development policies.
- Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta Presentation – Staff provided an update on delta processes including the California Water Fix (two 40-foot diameter tunnels, 35 miles under the Delta), the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan Phase 2, and a voluntary settlement agreement facilitated by former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. The city’s “modified flow management standard” for the lower American River aims to protect water supply reliability and improve habitat. The committee received and filed the presentation.
- Water Meter Retrofit Update – The accelerated water meter program: City is 71% metered, with approximately 40,000 meters remaining to be placed by the end of 2020. Construction costs total $212 million; program total $245 million. To date, $20 million has been spent. Outreach efforts include a website, app, and ads. Average customer response time is 1.5 business days (goal 2 days). Local hire participation averages 24% (goal 5%). Committee members praised the improved program and requested better coordination with Public Works on road resurfacing and messaging about water main relocations. The presentation was received and filed.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the 2018 regular meeting schedule (quarterly on third Tuesdays).
- Selected Councilmember Eric Guerra as 2018 Vice Chair.
- Forwarded the outdoor water conservation ordinance amendment to City Council.
- Received and filed the Delta presentation and Water Meter Retrofit Update.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, welcome everybody. Uh, this is the first meeting of the Water Committee, Standing Water Issues Committee for the City of Sacramento. As such, it's noticed as a special meeting, but uh, we'll be adopting a calendar today. So I'm really happy that you're all here, as you know, water issues are a big deal to the city of Sacramento, especially made evidenced after our last very deep drought that we survived. So I think this is a great forum to express our ideas about our water supply and uh how to nurture it and protect it moving forward and about lots of issues with the Bay Delta and everything else. So, Madam Clerk, will you call roll and establish a quorum? Council Member Hansen, Councilmember Harris. And if so, somebody could move consent. I was having a new day. A reluctant second. All those in favor of the consent calendar. Aye. Okay, so it's quarterly meetings. Councilmember Hansen. Shouldn't be too painful. Yes, so we've approved quarterly meetings on the third Tuesday of each quarter at 3 p.m. So I hopefully we can fit that in everybody's schedules. Okay, moving on to the discussion calendar. We have item number two selection of a vice chair for the water committee. So we'll need a nomination for vice chair. Well, we could, you know, it's happened before. I would love to nominate Councilmember Garrett if it would be very chair. Great. Um so all those in favor of Eric Garrett becoming vice chair of the water issues committee. Say aye. Aye. Aye. It's unanimous. Thank you. Mr. Guerin has the security of knowing you've never missed a council meeting. So I did miss one. Well, we won't hold that one against you. All right. Um great. Moving on to number three. And this is our water conservation ordinance, and I guess presenting will be Mr. Bill Bushaith. Oh no? Oh, very good. Excellent. Thank you. Good afternoon, Chair Harris and uh committee members. My name is Roshni Das. I'm the sustainability manager with the Department of Utilities. So today we are here to talk about uh some revisions that were uh discussed at that last council meeting on August 15th. Um August 15th, City Council had two actions taken, which was uh we uh city council rescinded the water stage two water shortage declaration and approved the staff recommended updates to the outdoor water conservation ordinance. At the time, uh City Council also requested that staff come back with some revisions to the ordinance, uh which is what we are going to cover here. So the main items that we were requested to look into were the cleanup language, uh some uh the reduction of fines, which was requested at the uh previous update, some enforcement relief, um, and ordinance evaluation. After listening to uh some concerns from the public, we have added two more items, uh, which is a new landscape establishment period and the director's authority.
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