Item 26 - Adoption of the City of Santa Ana Emergency Operations Plan

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City of Santa Ana Emergency Operations Plan Part I Basic Plan 1976-1977 — Though only spanning two years, this drought was severe in measure. The winter of 1976 had only one-half normal precipitation and the winter of 1977 had only one-third normal precipitation, making them the fourth and first driest years in history, respectively. Average storage levels in water reservoirs throughout the state dropped to 57% of average in 1976 and to 37% in 1977. 1987-1992 — From 1987 to 1992, California again experienced a serious drought, the first extended, multi -year drought since the 1930's, due to significantly lower precipitation. 1990, 1991 and 1992 were the seventh, fifth and tenth driest years on record. After four years of drought and three winter months of meager precipitation, California's water prospects looked bleak at the start of 1991. Reservoir levels had dropped to 40% of average, the lowest since 1977, the driest year on record. Other supply systems were suffering more major shortages, which led to stringent water rationing and severe cutbacks in agricultural production and threatened the survival of permanent crops. 2007-2009 — California experienced three consecutive dry years between 2007 and 2009, the 12th driest three-year period in history. This led to the first -ever statewide State of Emergency Proclamation due to drought. This drought was significant in that it was the first time there were significant cutbacks in water deliveries from Northern California to Southern California through the California Aqueduct System, where Southern California receives a substantial portion of its water supply, since its construction. 2012-2016 — Drought conditions began over the western United States in 2011 and grew progressively worse over the following five years. The years 2012-2014 were the single driest three-year period ever recorded. 2014 was the third driest single year in history and the low precipitation continued into the 2015 and 2016 water years. This time period also coincided with record warmth, with 2014, 2015 and 2016 as the three warmest years ever recorded for Santa Ana: Santa Ana temperature climate Maximum 1-Year Mean Avg Temperature for SANTA ANA FIRE STN Rank Value Ending Date Missing Days 1 69.4 2014-12-31 0 2 69.4 2015-12-31 0 3 68.3 2016-12-31 1 4 67.4 1997-12-31 16 5 67.3 2009-12-31 11 6 67.1 1992-12-31 12 7 66.8 2012-12-31 2 8 66.8 2008-12-31 13 9 66.7 2006-12-31 12 10 66.5 1984-12-31 15 Period of record: 1916-05-17 to 2017-05-31 The warmer weather means less snowfall and a quicker, earlier runoff of spring snowmelt, which is a major source of water supply for the state. This resulted in the second -ever statewide State of Emergency Proclamation due to drought, issued in January 2014 and not lifted until April 2017, after a rainy winter. The following charts, prepared by the National Weather Service San Diego Office, indicate that between January 2011 and September 2016, the City of Santa Ana had lost the equivalent of three full seasons of rainfall: 104