Title
Approval of the Long-Range Water Supply Plan
Recommended Action
I move that the Board of Public Utilities approve the revised Long-Range Water Supply Plan and forward to the County Council for their consideration.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of the updated Long-Range Water Supply Plan.
Body
DPU contracted with Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Inc. (DBS&A) to revise the Long-Range Water Supply Plan. Using the original format and data from the Council-adopted 2006 Long-Range Water Supply Plan as a starting point, DBS&A updated the Plan to:
- Reflect current population and water demand projections,
- Evaluate potential climate change impacts, and
- Assess various water supply options, including the timing for development of the County’s San Juan-Chama water rights.
The revised Long-Range Water Supply Plan was presented at a public meeting on November 15, 2016, which had 24 attendees, to the Board of Public Utilities on November 16, 2016 and to the County Council on November 29, 2016. The final step, as required by the Office of the State Engineer, is to get County Council approval for adoption of the final revised Plan on February 28, 2017. DPU has received written comments from Robert Wells, the Pajarito Conservation Alliance, Ed Jacobson, and C.M. Gillespie. In addition, staff met with three County Councilors on January 17, 2017 to review the plan in detail. Based on input from these sources the following appropriate adjustments have been incorporated:
There were many comments and questions about the need for and cost of a potential San Juan-Chama project. The updated long-range water supply plan does not endorse any specific San Juan-Chama project. While the comparison of water supply and demand does not clearly demonstrate that the project water is needed in the short term, the County has more uncertainty in their demand projections than many other communities with the need to support changes in LANL water dema...
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