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October 2022

Board of Director Meetings


Monday, October 10, 2022; 8 a.m. - The October 2022 Board of Directors meeting will be held at the District’s headquarters office located at 1402 N. Vosburg Drive, Azusa, California 91702. Board members and staff will attend the meeting in person. Due to limited spacing and to continue to enhance safety related to Covid-19, the public is invited to attend the meeting via video conference.


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Save the Date: November 2022 Board Meeting – Monday, November 14, 2022; 8 a.m.

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FEATURE ARTICLES

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SGVMWD’s Maintenance and Assessment Project Completed

This newsletter has covered a variety of “infrastructure investments” made by the District in the past few years including a $2.68 million commitment to the Delta Conveyance Project which proposes new tunnel configurations that would stabilize both the Delta’s fragile ecosystem and imported water deliveries to State Water Contractors such as SGVMWD, and funding of infrastructure projects in member cities such as water main construction projects in Sierra Madre and a PFAS water treatment facility in Monterey Park.


This edition, we are focusing on the District’s own infrastructure, namely the Devil Canyon-Azusa Pipeline. Beginning May 31st, the pipeline was offline for maintenance and a “Condition Assessment Project” to test the integrity and condition of 4.3 miles of the District’s Devil Canyon-Azusa Pipeline within the City of Glendora. The Project will help the District identify and plan future maintenance and/or enhancements to the infrastructure.

 

As part of the Assessment, an internal electromagnetic inspection was conducted. Two WYEs were installed along the pipeline to enable the launch and retrieval of the full-bore "See Snake” assessment equipment.

Left: WYEs

Right: “See Snake” assessment equipment

Additional equipment screened the pipeline for leaks, air pockets, irregularities in pipeline walls, and other information. A visual inspection of the pipeline was conducted with a high-tech camera mounted on a long-range, self-propelled, remotely operated vehicle tractor that moved within the length of the pipeline (see picture below). 

 

Areas of interest from preliminary data analysis were identified for the camera operator to inspect. CCTV recordings will assist with post-inspection engineering including structural analysis, failure risk curves and repair prioritization. There were no areas requiring excavation for supplemental inspection or immediate repair, so the pipeline was refilled and pressure-tested, and deliveries of imported water resumed September 20, 2022.

OPERATIONS &

INFRASTRUCTURE

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SGVMWD Operations and Local Water Delivery Update 


The State set the allocation to State Water Contractors such as the District at 5% in March 2022 following the driest January – March in history. This is the second consecutive year of a 5% allocation, a historic first for water contractors such as the District. A 5% allocation means the District will deliver 1,440 AF of water (of its planned 28,800 AF) from the State Water Project to underground storage in the Main San Gabriel Basin. Coupled with ongoing drought and the long-term impacts of climate change, this is a significant challenge to the Valley’s ability to supplement local groundwater supplies.

 

About 80 percent of the Valley’s water supply is furnished by local groundwater, and the Valley imports about 20 percent of the water we use from northern California and the Colorado River. A 60 percent allocation is needed to meet the demand of our member cities for replacement water. Thus, in years where the allocation dips below that amount, we see the important role that water storage plays.


The pipeline resumed water deliveries in September by delivering 368 acre-feet to the Main Basin. 

WATER SUPPLY CONDITIONS

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Water Supply Challenges Worsen Across California and the

San Gabriel Valley

Summary - As shown in the graphics above, water supply conditions remain lower than desired and drought conditions continue to worsen. U.S. Drought Monitor maps reveal 100% of California is experiencing moderate drought.

 

Climate change and increasingly warmer temperatures (two degrees hotter, on average, now than 50 years ago) have evaporated precipitation and melted snow pack much faster than in prior years, resulting in less melting snow feeding rivers and reservoirs, and soil moisture drying out before soaking down into the ground.

 

We’ll need multiple above-average rain and snow years to make up the difference. As the updated graph below illustrates, rainfall in the past four years has been below average and drought is common and “normal” in the San Gabriel Valley.

In response to these conditions, the Governor issued an executive order in March 2022 calling for local water agencies to implement more aggressive conservation measures. In May, to hasten water savings, the State Water Resources Control Board approved emergency regulations that require local water suppliers, such as the District’s member cities of Alhambra, Azusa, Monterey Park and Sierra Madre, to activate “Level 2” of their local contingency plans to prepare for a water shortage of up to 20%. Nearby water agencies, such as the Metropolitan Water District, have imposed water use restrictions aimed at reducing water use by about 35%.


Local Groundwater – in the Main San Gabriel Basin, the “Baldwin Park Key Well” is the indicator of local groundwater levels (see graph – blue line includes cyclic storage; black line does not). As of late September 2022, the level declined to 178.2 feet above mean sea level, reduced from 179.2 in August and 183.8 in July. The present level is trending downward toward the historic low of 169.4 recorded on November 21, 2018. Watermaster’s operating guidelines for replacement water or “safe yield” is between 200 and 250 feet above mean sea level.


Note: Groundwater use accounts for 41% of California’s total water supply on an average, annual basis, and as much as 58% in a critically dry year. About 85% of public water systems rely on groundwater as their primary supply. Of water diverted and pumped in California, about 80% is used by agriculture and 20% is used by cities and towns.

Imported Water – in March 2022, the California Department of Water Resources reduced its allocation of imported water to State Water Contractors such as SGVMWD from zero to 5% (for the second consecutive year) due to the record-setting dry conditions from January through March of this year. Imported water is used to supplement local groundwater supplies in the Main San Gabriel Basin. The graph below shows how imported water allocations fluctuate over time and how deliveries have been reduced significantly for three years in succession, hindering our ability to replenish local groundwater supplies.


Local Rainfall – Los Angeles County Department of Public Works reports annual rainfall levels from October 1 to September 30 each year. For the nearby San Gabriel Canyon Powerhouse weather station, a total of .00 inches of rain has fallen so far this water year.

 

Statewide Snow Pack – as of September 30, 2022, statewide, snowpack was 0% of the April 1 average (snow pack is measured from April 1 to March 31, a 12-month period). April 1 is usually the “high point” for snow accumulation each year.

 

Note: On average, the Sierra Nevada Mountains snowpack, which is a key source of water banked in reservoirs, supplies about 30%, water needs as it melts in the spring and early summer, feeding reservoirs and the water table, resulting in groundwater.

 

Statewide Reservoir Levels – statewide, as of September 30, 2022, reservoir levels were at 69% of average and 41% of capacity, reduced from readings in June and July. In late September, Shasta Lake, the state’s largest reservoir, was at just 33% capacity and Lake Oroville, the state’s second largest reservoir, was at just 35% capacity.

 

Note: Every winter, most areas need about 12 inches of rainfall before the ground is saturated enough to get large amounts of runoff into streams and reservoirs. California’s reservoirs generally hold enough water to go one dry year without impacts but begin to empty if a wet year does not follow.

GRANTS

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ABC-Channel 7 Features “Opportunities for Water Leadership (O.W.L.) Community Grant Program” on its “Save Water Wednesday” Program


The District’s O.W.L. Grants Program was featured in September by ABC-Channel 7 to help encourage water conservation. As part of its “Save Water Wednesday” community feature, the ABC-Channel 7 visited the Sierra Madre Community Nursery School and Sierra Madre Post Office (Sierra Madre Community Foundation), each of which has benefited from “O.W.L. Grants” to improve the efficiency of irrigation systems and to promote conservation with youth, parents and staff.

 

Pictured on the right is Board President, Thomas Wong, being interviewed by ABC-Channel 7 at the Nursery School.

ABC 7: Save Water Wednesday Video

Details on the O.W.L. Grant Program

 

The OWL Community Grant Program seeks to fund and spur creation of local, grassroots-oriented water conservation projects by providing “seed money” to help schools and non-profit groups possessing plans, inspiration, and volunteers. More than $35,000 in grants were funded last fiscal year.

 

We are very flexible with respect to project approaches and funding levels. In fact, as of April 1, 2022, we no longer have limits on the amount of funds for which schools and non-profit organizations may apply. Charted below is a summary of grants to date. Applying is easy and may be completed online. Contact us if you have any questions at 626-969-7911 or info@sgvmwd.com.

EDUCATION &

CONSERVATION

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Cooler Weather? It’s a Great Time to Implement Water-Wise Gardening Tips in Our Member Cities

 

As Fall has arrived, and with it the hope of cooler temperatures and needed rainfall, the District is offering a new water conservation resource for our member cities. Working with information provided by the California Native Plant Society, and their very informative Calscape website (www.calscape.org), the District created water-wise gardening tips customized to meet the unique climates of our four member cities – Alhambra, Azusa, Monterey Park and Sierra Madre.

 

Fall and winter are the best time of the year to plant new water-wise vegetation, to give plants and their roots time to become established before hot, dry weather resumes next spring and summer. The gardening tips recommend California Native plants suitable for each city, as well as local nurseries and landscape supply stores at which the plants may be purchased. As more and more residents change out their old, water-intensive lawns and gardens for hardscapes and drought-tolerant vegetation, these tips will save water and save money!

 


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COMMUNITY

OUTREACH

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Food for Thought: Local, Community Public Information Ads


The District is in the midst of a local public information ad campaign designed to provide water saving tips and rebate information to stakeholders in our member cities. We’ve also initiated outreach with several Chinese language publications to communicate better with many Chinese-speaking people in the District’s service area. Ads have run in the following local, community-based publications (print and digital):


  • Around Alhambra (Alhambra)
  • San Gabriel Examiner (Azusa)
  • Cascades (Monterey Park)
  • Mountain View News (Sierra Madre)
  • World Journal
  • Chinese LA Daily News

 

An interesting component of our work with the Chinese LA Daily News is that our ads are located on “placemats” printed and placed on tables at nine prominent restaurants in Alhambra and Monterey Park. Here is an example of one of the placemat ads which we call, “Food for Thought!”


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San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District www.sgvmwd.com

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