Sacramento Water Committee Meeting - February 8, 2022
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Sacramento Water Committee Meeting - February 8, 2022
The Sacramento Water Committee met on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, from 1:01 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. via teleconference. Chair Jeff Harris (District 3) presided, with Vice Chair Mai Vang (District 8) and Councilmember Katie Valenzuela (District 4) present. The committee received and filed four oral reports: the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan 2022 Update, the Sacramento Regional Water Bank Update, the Department of Utilities 2021 Year in Review, and a Current Hydrology and Conservation Update. The agenda was reordered to start with item 4 for the convenience of presenters.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Daphne (public speaker on Item 3 – Sacramento Regional Water Bank Update): Requested that copies of the presentation be made available after the meeting. No other public comments were received on agenda items or on matters not on the agenda.
Discussion Items
- Item 4: Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP) 2022 Update – Mary Jimenez (Department of Water Resources) and Ruth Darling (Central Valley Flood Protection Board) presented the working draft. Key points: The plan is the state’s programmatic vision for flood risk management over 30 years; the total investment need is now estimated at $25–$30 billion (up from $17–$21 billion in 2017); new policy issues on equity/social justice and climate resilience are being introduced; a public draft is expected by late March 2022, followed by a 60-day comment period with in-person and virtual public hearings. Chair Harris noted the Yolo Bypass Cache Slough Partnership is stalled and critical for flood protection, and that SAFCA has secured $1.8 billion for local flood projects.
- Item 3: Sacramento Regional Water Bank Update – Jim Peifer (Executive Director, Regional Water Authority) presented. Key points: The water bank aims to adapt to climate change by storing water underground; the region’s groundwater basin has capacity to store more water than Folsom Reservoir; climate change is projected to reduce snowpack by 75% and shift runoff peaks from May to March; the city’s cost to divert and deliver water has tripled since 2003 while inflation rose only 50%; Peifer asked for regional support to secure state and federal investment for the water bank. The committee received and filed the presentation.
- Item 1: Department of Utilities 2021 Year in Review – Bill Busath (Director, Department of Utilities) presented. Highlights: 31 billion gallons of water treated in 2021; the five-year meter installation program is essentially complete, on time and under budget; the McKinley Vault project performed well during record storms; the drainage division managed significant flood events and addressed unhoused encampments at critical facilities; over $3.1 million in federal assistance was received to cover water bill arrearages; the Utilities Rate Assistance (SURA) program will be discussed at the Budget and Audit Committee on March 1, 2022, with potential budget adjustments for new rate adjustments.
- Item 2: Current Hydrology and Conservation Update – Brett Ewart (Senior Engineer) presented. Key points: Despite heavy storms in October and December 2021, January 2022 was dry, and statewide storage remains low; Folsom Reservoir storage is above normal but may be drawn down to meet statewide deficits; the city’s water conservation efforts have resulted in a 6–22% reduction compared to 2020, and the city remains one of the most efficient water users in the region; the state’s new regulations on wasteful water use are already matched by city code; the drought is not over, and no relaxation of conservation measures is recommended.
Committee Comments & New Business
- Councilmember Valenzuela raised the issue of access to clean drinking water for unhoused residents, noting that a county contract for water delivery to encampments had lapsed. She proposed exploring the creation of public water access points (e.g., at parks) and asked for discussion at the next Water Committee meeting in May 2022. Director Busath acknowledged the issue and said he would begin discussions with city staff.
Key Outcomes
- All four oral reports were received and filed by unanimous consent.
- The committee will next meet on May 24, 2022, and then on August 9, 2022.
- The public draft of the CVFPP 2022 Update is expected by late March 2022, with a 60-day comment period thereafter.
- The Department of Utilities will present on the SURA program structure and funding at the Budget and Audit Committee on March 1, 2022.
Meeting Transcript
All right. Welcome everybody. Welcome, committee members and all those attending this meeting of the water committee of the city of Sacramento here on February 8th. Madam Clerk, will you please call roll to establish a quorum? Councilmember Valenzuela. Here. Councilmember Vang. Here and Chair Harris. I am present. For the record, I'm going to reorder the agenda today so that people who are in attendance can leave after they've made their presentation. So we're going to start with item four first, then go to item three, then number one, then number two. And that's really for the convenience of the presenters. That being said, um committee member Valenzuela, would you mind reading the land acknowledgement and leading us in the pledge? Absolutely. Let me pull it up here because I just moved my screen. Oh Mendy. Oh second. There we go. Thank you. Now if you please rise for the opening acknowledgement in honor of Sacramento's indigenous people and tribal lands. So the original people of this land, the Nisanon people, the Southern Maidu Valley and Plains Mewak, Atlan Wentu peoples and the people of the Wilton Rancheria, Sacramento's only federally recognized tribe. May we acknowledge and honor the Native people who came before us and still walk beside us today on these ancestral lands by choosing to gather together today in the act of practice of acknowledgment and appreciation for Sacramento's Indigenous Peoples History contributions and lives. Thank you. And now for the pledge, please salute. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, the liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Katie. Appreciate that. Um clerk, do you have any um announcements or shall we dive into the agenda? Mindy, are you still there? Yes, sir. I apologize. No worries. Uh, so you have no special announcements. We can go ahead and start the agenda. That's correct. Thank you, Chair. All right, we'd like to start then with the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan. A update and oral report. It's working great. Uh, Mary, welcome and thank you for coming to share this report with us because it's a pretty important one. Thank you very much. Uh Chair Harris and everyone. Uh, thanks for very much for having us today. My name is Mary Jimenez. I'm with the Department of Water Resources. Pleased to be here this afternoon with my colleagues from the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, uh, Miss Ruth Darling, who is their staff lead and Vice President Jane Doland, who you'll hear from shortly as well. Um, so we just have a brief PowerPoint to share with you today to give you a briefing on our development of this flood plan update. And we do want to leave a little bit of time at the end for your questions and comments if we can. Um, but that's what we've come prepared to share today.
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