Opinion ID: 2632447
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Water Supply: Sources, Impacts and Mitigation Measures

Text: According to the FEIR, the average water demand in the Specific Plan area, on full build out, is estimated to be 8,539 acre-feet annually (afa); demand in the remainder of the Community Plan area is estimated at 13,564 afa, giving a total project demand, when fully built and occupied, of about 22,103 afa. The plan for supplying this water relies on both groundwater and surface water supplies. Initially, groundwater in an amount eventually reaching about 5,527 afa would be provided from a newly developed source, the North Vineyard Well Field (Well Field), to be built southwest of the development. The Well Field is thought to have a safe yield of about 10,000 afa, but that full amount would not necessarily be available to Sunrise Douglas. The project's additional needs, beyond those supplied from the Well Field, would later be met with surface water diverted from the American River. Both the ground and surface water supplies would be delivered by the Sacramento County Water Agency (the Water Agency). The Water Agency, according to the FEIR, will provide the surface water supplies as part of its system for a larger area of the County known as Zone 40, which, as expanded in 1999, includes the Sunrise Douglas project area. This water will be employed in conjunctive use with the Well Field groundwater, employing more surface water in wet years (allowing the groundwater resources to be recharged) and more groundwater in dry years when surface supplies are restricted. The Water Agency has an existing contract with the federal Bureau of Reclamation for 15,000 afa of American River water for use in Zone 40 (an allocation referred to in the FEIR and by the parties as Fazio water) and is negotiating or exploring other surface water diversion rights. The FEIR relied to a significant extent on prior water supply planning completed under the aegis of the Water Forum, a group of public and private stakeholdersincluding the County, the City of Sacramento, other water providers, business groups and environmental organizations (among them the Environmental Council of Sacramento, a plaintiff here), that undertook long-term planning to meet increased demand for American River water through the year 2030. The Water Forum's product, the Water Forum Proposal, which became the Water Forum Agreement on execution by the participants, includes plans for increased surface water diversions by several water purveyors, including new diversions by the County and the Water Agency by the year 2030 totaling as much as 73,000 afa; used conjunctively with groundwater, this surface water is intended to meet the County's need for new water supplies in the Zone 40 area. The final EIR for the Water Forum Proposal extensively analyzed the environmental impacts of the participants' planned increases in surface water diversion, as well as the cumulative impacts of the proposal and other foreseeable changes in area water supply and demand. It found that in spite of measures included in the proposal for water conservation, conjunctive use and fisheries protection, increased use of American River water under the plan is likely to cause significant and potentially significant impacts within the Lower American River and Folsom Reservoir, including effects to certain fisheries, recreational opportunities, and cultural resources. In addition, impacts to water supply, water quality and power supply are likely to occur outside the American River system. The impacts of groundwater withdrawals at the Well Field, the other source of water for the development, are discussed in the FEIR for the Community and Specific Plans. The FEIR analyzes a set of seven groundwater withdrawal scenarios to satisfy Specific Plan area and other regional needs, ranging between 2,265 afa and 32,821 afa. According to the FEIR's modeling analysis, groundwater elevations in the shallow aquifer near the Well Field would decline by 10-15 feetdeemed a potentially significant amount because it could affect adjacent landowners' domestic wellsunder the scenarios involving the project's use of around 10,000 afa of groundwater from the Well Field. [2] This potential impact would be mitigated by conjunctive use of surface water supplies to recharge the aquifer and, if necessary, by deepening domestic wells or connecting their users to the municipal supply. Because the Sunrise Douglas development does not have legal rights to the projected Well Field and surface water resources, and transmission and treatment facilities have not yet been built, the FEIR contemplates that legal entitlements for development must await final agreements and facilities financing. The FEIR's mitigation measure WS-1 specifies that entitlements (subdivision maps, parcel maps, use permits, building permits, etc.) in Sunrise Douglas shall not be granted unless agreements and financing for supplemental water supplies are in place.