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Santa Ana 2020 Urban Water Management Plan <br />arcadis.com <br />7-12 <br />Management Tools and Options <br />Existing and planned water management tools and options for the City, OCWD, and MWDOC’s service <br />area that seek to maximize local resources and result in minimizing the need to import water are <br />described below. Although they are a direct MET Member Agency, the City benefits from collaboration <br />between MWDOC and OCWD to maximize local resources. <br />Reduced Delta Reliance: MET has demonstrated consistency with Reduced Reliance on the <br />Delta Through Improved Regional Water Self-Reliance (Delta Plan policy WR P1) by reporting <br />the expected outcomes for measurable reductions in supplies from the Delta. MET has improved <br />its self-reliance through methods including water use efficiency, water recycling, stormwater <br />capture and reuse, advanced water technologies, conjunctive use projects, local and regional <br />water supply and storage programs, and other programs and projects. In 2020, MET had a <br />602,000 AF change in supplies contributing to regional-self-reliance, corresponding to a <br />15.3% change, and this amount is projected to increase through 2045 (MET, 2021). For detailed <br />information on the Delta Plan Policy WR P1, refer to Appendix C. <br />The continued and planned use of groundwater: The water supply resources within the City’s <br />service area are enhanced by the existence of groundwater basins that account for the majority of <br />local supplies available and are used as reservoirs to store water during wet years and draw from <br />storage during dry years, subsequently minimizing the City’s reliance on imported water. <br />Groundwater basins are managed within a safe basin operating range so that groundwater wells <br />are only pumped as needed to meet water use. The City supports and partners in recycled water <br />efforts, including groundwater recharge, through its coordination with OCWD and OC San. <br />The City is currently planning for new well construction and major well rehabilitation at seven well <br />sites, described in Section 6.9. <br />Groundwater storage and transfer programs: MET and OCWD’s involvement in <br />SARCCUP includes participation in a CUP that improves water supply resiliency and increases <br />available dry-year yield from local groundwater basins. The groundwater bank has 137,000 AF of <br />storage (OCWD, 2020b). Additionally, MET has numerous groundwater storage and transfer <br />programs in which MET endeavors to increase the reliability of water supplies, including the <br />AVEK Waster Agency Exchange and Storage Program and the High Desert Water Bank <br />Program. The IRWD Strand Ranch Water Banking Program has approximately 23,000 AF stored <br />for IRWD’s benefit, and by agreement, the water is defined to be an "Extraordinary Supply" by <br />MET and counts essentially 1:1 during a drought/water shortage condition under MET’s Water <br />Supply Allocation Plan. In addition, MET has encouraged storage through its cyclic and <br />conjunctive use programs that allow MET to deliver water into a groundwater basin in advance of <br />agency demands, such as the Cyclic Storage Agreements under the Main San Gabriel Basin <br />Judgement. <br />Water Loss Program: The water loss audit program reduces MET’s dependency on imported <br />water from the Delta by implementing water loss control technologies after assessing audit data <br />and leak detection. <br />Increased use of recycled water: The City partners with OCWD in recycled water efforts to <br />identify opportunities for the use of recycled water for irrigation purposes, groundwater recharge