SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY WATERSHED MANAGEMENT AREA 2013 INTEGRATED REGIONAL WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN An Integrated, Healthy and Balanced Watershed

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1 SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY WATERSHED MANAGEMENT AREA 2013 INTEGRATED REGIONAL WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN An Integrated, Healthy and Balanced Watershed The South Orange County Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Plan has been developed from and coordinates with existing plans and research documents provided by the participating agencies in a manner that identifies and integrates regional projects to improve water supply, protect water quality, enhance the environment, and provide flood risk management. This Plan establishes a priority ranking to help further regional efforts to investigate the feasibility of, and identify funding for, these projects. Individual projects however, will go through the appropriate environmental review and permitting process as funding is secured. Two new components developed as appendices to the Plan will be adopted at a later date. The first is the Salt and Nutrient Management Plan for which South Orange County Wastewater Authority is serving as the lead agency. The second, the Groundwater Management and Facility Plan, is being led by Santa Margarita Water District on behalf of the San Juan Basin Authority. Both of these appendices are going through a separate review and adoption process by their lead agencies. Members of the Executive Committee, Management Committee, and the public are encouraged to participate in these processes. The review process for the Salt and Nutrient Management Plan has not been finalized by the State Water Resources Control Board so additional steps may be required by the State for this appendix. The Groundwater Management Plan is scheduled to be approved by its lead agencies in October. Once approved by their respective agencies the plans will be presented to the Executive Committee for formal adoption as finalized appendices to the Plan. 1 INTRODUCTION Located along the scenic and temperate southern coast of California, South Orange County is rich with history. Legacies passed on from native societies, once expansive cattle ranches, and twentieth century entrepreneurial farmers remain a part of the area s culture today. From the landmark Mission San Juan Capistrano near the stunning western coastline to the Cleveland National Forest in the east, South Orange County continues to be a destination known for beauty and a high quality of life. Following the national migration trends after World War II that drew citizens to Sunbelt cities, the region transitioned into one of the newest areas of urban development in the early 1960 s. Several cities incorporated over the subsequent decades, and the population has increased to over 500,000 residents. Most of the coastline is developed, and additional urbanization is anticipated in the backcountry ranch land over the next 20 years. Today, the region s social and cultural makeup includes a unique mix of equestrian lifestyle, authentic Mexican/Hispanic culture, and a progressive business industry. 1-1

2 The region s economy has come into its own from the shadows of Los Angeles to the north and San Diego to the south with a unique technological and business infrastructure. This is demonstrated by the diversity of industries represented from medical devices to construction as well as intellectual resources to support this diversity. The recent economic downturn hit the region early and particularly hard, as Orange County was home to countless mortgage brokers, particularly in the sub-prime area. The region s high-tech sector remains a diverse and driving force of the local economy. Venture capital investment appears to be growing again after a sharp decline in the first half of the decade. However, venture capital in the first half of 2009 was below the pace of 2008, suggesting peaks and valleys in future investment. After 10 years of unemployment rates typically lower than the state and U.S. averages, the region s unemployment rate spiked to 9.5% in 2009, which was similar to the rest of the nation. The region s income is rising slower than in past years, increasing 2.4% between 2006 and 2007, compared with 6% between 2005 and 2006, and 5.5% between 2004 and In 2009, the national inflation rate was negative (deflation), falling 0.34%. As a result, each dollar bought marginally more, but Orange County residents were unlikely to sense the advantage since per capita income declined 5.5% from $51,877 in 2008 to $49,020 in In 2010, income statistics for both the state and nation indicated a rebound of approximately 3%, reflected in Orange County as well. 2 The unemployment rate in Orange County dropped to 7.0 percent in November 2012, down from the 7.2 percent in October 2012, and below the year-ago estimate of 8.1 percent. This compares with an unadjusted unemployment rate of 9.6 percent for California and 7.4 percent for the nation during the same period. The California Employment Indicator Index, indicates that job growth is sluggish in Orange County industry employment is showing slight increases and fluctuations with some industries performing better than others, yet overall growth still remains slow due to the extensive impacts associated with the Great Recession. Orange County population growth has slowed. Migration into the County has slowed and even become negative in recent years leaving natural increase as the engine driving growth. Orange County continues to diversify its population yet, while all ethnicities are currently experiencing drops in birth rates, the Latino demographic is largely accountable for the majority of new births and by 2020 the Latino demographic is expected to become the new majority of the population. Overall, Orange County was ranked 38th in population percentage growth from 2000 to 2010 with 5.8%, compared to the state. 3 Figure 1-1 on the following page shows a map of South Orange County. 1 Orange County Business Council Orange County Community Indicators Report Available online: 2 Orange County Business Council Orange County Community Indicators Report Available online: 3 County of Orange - OC Economic Indicators Dashboard. December 2012 Metrics. Available online: 1-2

3 South Orange County Watershed Management Area Figure 1-1: South Orange County Map 1-3

4 Water is the key element for sustaining South Orange County economies that allow the region to thrive. Significant local investments in water, sewer, and flood infrastructure have been made in the past to allow the area to be served on a reliable basis. Planning and investments to carry the region through the next 25-year planning horizon are critical and are central to preserving the quality of life and planning for flood management; surface runoff management; watershed management; water use efficiency; water supply and reliability; recycled water; habitat preservation, conservation and restoration; water quality protection and improvement; resource stewardship; and related water resource management strategies. Figure 1-2 shows the South Orange County IRWM Plan Goals, which are discussed in further detail below and in Section 4 Objectives. Figure 1-2: South Orange County IRWMP Goals Water quality improvement efforts over the last decade have resulted in significant improvements in coastal water quality along the County beaches. The Heal the Bay Annual Report (2012) states that the County grades for year-round dry weather were excellent and wet weather grades fair, besting the 5 year average. Coastal and surface water quality remains an important component of the region s IRWM planning. Reducing runoff and improving the water quality in streams and along the beaches is a key goal for the region. 1-4

5 Another key goal of the region is the expansion and protection of the water supply and efficient use of the water. The South Orange County water supply originates predominately from imported sources, making the region subject to conditions and agencies outside of the region. The South Orange County IRWM Plan is aimed at diversifying water sources by developing a variety of local opportunities to decrease the reliance on imported sources. For example, the local San Juan Valley Groundwater Basin has been the subject of multiple management programs for treating existing brackish waters and managing wet year supplies for use during dry year conditions; South Orange County is a leader in implementing water recycling projects turning wastewater into a resource; urban water reuse projects are being developed to help reduce runoff and utilize a local resource; and water conservation projects have been a standard for many years including recent programs using weather-based irrigation controllers. Fiscal resources are also needed to improve the water quality in the local streams to protect the beneficial uses that are listed for these water bodies, and to increase where possible local supply through water reclamation, conservation, stormwater capture/treatment, and groundwater and seawater desalination. South Orange County is at the forefront of technological and management advances. For example, over the past decade the County of Orange, South Orange County cities, water and wastewater agencies, and interested citizens have been participating in watershed studies for the Aliso Creek, Dana Point Coastal Streams, Laguna Coastal Streams, San Juan Creek, San Clemente Coastal Streams, and San Mateo Creek watersheds. Watershed Management Plans were completed for the Aliso Creek, and San Juan Creek watersheds. These were among the first types of efforts that studied the overall health of the watershed and developed recommendations and actions for implementation on a collective basis among the many partners. Watershed Workplans 4 have been developed and are regularly updated for the following watersheds in the San Diego Region to comply with Directive G of the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board's Order (Regional Board Order No. R ): Aliso Creek Dana Point Coastal Streams Laguna Coastal Streams San Juan Creek San Clemente Coastal Streams San Mateo Creek 4 OC Watersheds, Watershed Workplans, available online 1/22/13: 1-5

6 The Watershed Workplans describe the Watershed Permittees' development and implementation of a collective watershed strategy to assess and prioritize the water quality challenges within the watershed's receiving waters, identify and model sources of the highest priority water quality problem(s), develop a watershed-wide best management practices (BMP) implementation strategy to abate highest priority water quality problems, and a monitoring strategy to evaluate BMP effectiveness and changing water quality prioritization in the watershed. South Orange County continues to implement watershed protection and policy compliance. Another example of the region s progressive approach to water management is the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) and the South Orange County water districts water ongoing commitment to system reliability and development of a System Reliability Plan (September 2004). Phase 1 of the study identified both (1) water supply shortages by agency that would occur due to outages of critical components of the regional imported water distribution system, and (2) shortages due to potential supply shortages from extended and severe droughts. The Phase 1 study also identified a range of potential projects that could provide reliability enhancements to mitigate risks of potential regional distribution system outages. This effort provided the foundation for developing candidate water system and supply reliability improvements in Phase 2. The purpose of the Phase 2 plan was to demonstrate the benefits of additional investments to help prevent short-term water shortages caused by facility outages in an area that is over 90 percent reliant on imported water. The Phase 2 plan recommended a number of initiatives to improve water reliability, including ocean desalination in Dana Point to serve South Orange County. Phase 1 & 2 testing of the desalination project was completed from Activities of Phase 3, Extended Pumping and Pilot Plant Testing, started in 2010 and final reports were completed in May The final reports are anticipated in summer of An update to the 2004 South Orange County Water Reliability Study will be completed in This update summarizes the considerable investments and improvements resulting from the 2004 study including the ability to sustain short-term supply disruption from several days in the year 2000 to about 16 day or more in This update also includes a distinction between system and source reliability. The definitions of each are provided below: System Reliability having the infrastructure to continue meeting customer needs with various parts of the local or regional system out of order. We typically think in terms of days or weeks for durations of outages, although an outage of the Colorado River Aqueduct, the State Water Project, or even parts of the MET system could be out of operation for much longer following a major earthquake. Source Reliability having the water to put into the system on a sustainable basis into the future (main risks are extended drought, regulatory restrictions, and climate change impacts that impose or create delivery shortages on MET). We would typically be looking at shortages affecting us for durations of 1 to 3 years or longer. Local Projects that develop a new source of supply provide both system and source benefits. 1-6

7 Emergency Only Projects provide only system benefits. Finally, the updated study will include a new list of system and source reliability projects for consideration to more fully protect the area from longer periods of imported supply system outages and shortages. The region embraced the Integrated Regional Water Management Planning Act of 2002 to enhance forward planning in an even more coordinated fashion. In 2008, SBX2-1 (Perata) repealed and replaced the Act and appropriates funding from two initiatives passed by voters in Proposition 84 and Proposition 1E. The County of Orange, cities, and water and wastewater agencies of South Orange County formed the South Orange County IRWM Group in 2004 and subsequently developed and adopted the South Orange County IRWM Plan in The IRWM Group established the South Orange County IRWM region as a cooperative framework for planning and implementing water management strategies in the region. The South Orange County IRWM Group was recognized as a region during the Proposition 50 IRWM Program Implementation Grant effort in In 2007, the South Orange County IRWM Region was awarded Proposition 50 funding. Subsequently in 2009 the South Orange County Watershed Management Area (WMA) was recognized as a region during DWR s Regional Acceptance Process (RAP). The IRWM Group is incorporating project and planning elements of the South Orange County WMA within the IRWM Plan. The South Orange County IRWM Group embraces the IRWM model because it brings together short term and long term management strategies that will protect the water supply and water quality of the WMA. The South Orange County agencies maintain the belief that water management strategies can and should be integrated to provide a reliable water supply, protect and improve water quality, and achieve other objectives. The IRWM Plan is designed to help local agencies and governments manage their water, wastewater, and ecological resources. The purpose of the IRWM Group in developing this Plan is to identify potential projects intended to improve water quality and supply in order to investigate their feasibility, engage in long range water planning, to establish priorities among the proposals of the member entities and obtain potential funding. As the IRWM Plan is implemented, the County, as agent of the State of California, will serve as a conduit for funding to the individual agencies proposing the projects. This IRWM Plan does not commit any resources to implementation of any project nor does its creation constitute a commitment by the County or any member entity to carry out any of the proposed projects. Determinations to proceed with individual projects and required environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act, will be performed by the individual agencies prior to approval of funding. Agencies within the coastal zone of South Orange County face unique environmental challenges relative to inland areas, including the protection of millions of visitors who 1-7

8 utilize the ocean for recreation each year, as well as protection of the unique marine resources from polluted runoff. This IRWM Plan includes strategies to comply with Clean Water Act and Porter-Cologne and protect beneficial uses of receiving waters to improve water quality of the coastline. Within the South Orange County WMA, the County coastline includes one ASBS area, Heisler Park Ecological Reserve. In addition, there are three locations within the South Orange County WMA that are on the California s Critical Coastal Areas (CCA) listing San Juan Creek, Aliso Creek, and Heisler Park Ecological Reserve. This IRWM Plan also supports the state priorities that relate to the California Water Plan Update 2009, the CALFED Bay-Delta Program, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) Water Recycling Task Force Recommendations, the SWRCB s Recycled Water Policy, Governor Schwarzenegger s 20x2020 Water Conservation Plan of 2010, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals of AB 32, the Water Desalination Task Force Recommendations, the California Ocean Plan, the California Watershed Action Plan, the TMDL List, the comprehensive Orange County Drainage Area Management Plan (DAMP), and the Regional Water Boards Watershed Management Initiative Chapters. The Plan does this through the integration of projects and programs that incorporate a wide range of water management strategies. Beneficial effects from implementation of proposed projects and programs will contribute to the goals and objectives of the local, regional and statewide priorities. 1-8