PUB00048 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

I I I I I I I DRAFT 8/24/92, Page 5 construction of major new projects. As new projects become necessary, the sizing and staging of such projects should be emphasized to maximize cost effectiveness. 3. Increase reliabilitv and resiliency -- Other things being equal, water supply systems should be designed with multiple sources of water supply in order to protect against any unexpected and sudden facilities failure in anyone component or against localized drought, which could severely impact one water supply system while leaving adjacent systems unaffected. I I I 4. DeveloD better drouf!ht resDonse capabilities -- Rational response to drought from a regional perspective should recognize and take advantage of the geographic, economic and physical variability in water supplies and demands. The frequency and severity of droughts should be explored and understood, and the economic and other tradeoffs of enduring occasional reductions in water supply versus building additional water projects to protect against such shortages should be well understood. Water supply systems with geographically different sources of supply should be intertied for insurance against localized droughts. The use of non- tributary groundwater and the temporary and voluntary transfer of agricultural water to higher valued uses should be included. 5. Address critical permittinf! and Dublic interest issues -- Modern realities regarding environmental protection and other public interest issues require that water supply planning be sensitive to the "best alternative" approach with respect to economic, environmental and socioeconomic impacts. This approach must have a strong regional perspective while at the same time being protective of localized areas in the state. I I I I I I I I I 6. Provide more flexibility to resDond to chanf!inf! needs -- Given their costs, water supply systems should incorporate flexibility in several dimensions. They should be able to shift their points of water delivery to meet unexpected shifts in the location of water demands. They should be expandable in small steps to accommodate uncertain growth patterns in water needs. They must provide internal flexibility to allow individual water users to buy in or out of water supplies both with respect to the amount of yield and firmness of yield. Such a system would maximize the use of the currently developed water resource. 7. Minimize the loss of irrif!ated af!riculture -- Irrigated agriculture remains an important aspect of the State' s economy and resource base. Rational water resources management should seek to minimize conflicts between municipal, environmental and agricultural interests and to create and strengthen mutually beneficial relationships among these water user groups. Thus, concepts that provide for the sharing of water or dry year leases of water from farmers to cities, for example, may be preferable to the permanent transfer and dry up of major acreages. 8. Address critical environmental concerns -- Water supply systems should be developed and operated in such a way as to minimize their effects on environmental and recreational values such as aquatic life, water quality. instream flows and reservoir levels. Recognizing that the water supply needs and goals of communities within the Metro area differ considerably from one community to another, the following principles provide a rational framework for the evaluation of options for integration of water supply systems from the point of view .of an individual water provider: