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 Water Supply Contamination — Widespread contamination of the local water supply is perhaps the least likely threat to our water; however, several types of contaminants could enter the water supply. These include: • Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria that may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife. • Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, that can be naturally -occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming. • Pesticides and herbicides that may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses. • Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals that are by- products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, agricultural application, and septic systems. • Radioactive contaminants that can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities. There are no known, significant sources of any of these contaminants near the City's water supply, so a substantial loss of water due to this cause is unlikely. However, the City does receive 75% of its water supply from local groundwater, so the significant emergence of a contaminant, through either an accidental or naturally occurring spill or release, or an intentional act of sabotage or terrorism, could impact the availability of safe drinking water. Impacts of Water Outages Drought, or other loss of water supply, is one of the few hazards that has the potential to affect every person in the City and County at the same time. These impacts include restrictions on all residential, commercial or other uses of water; agricultural losses and associated economic losses; economic impacts to tourism and recreation industries; and increased costs for water. The City does not have significant agricultural operations but the loss of agricultural crops or animals elsewhere in the state would impact the availability of food supplies and consumer costs for food. Water -dependent businesses, such as car washes, restaurants, nurseries, and recreation may be forced to shut down, with the associated loss of employment and City tax base. Income loss to the City's Water Department from reduced consumption could result in the need to increase water rates in order to cover fixed operational costs. As water supply becomes scarcer, the need for deeper wells, increased imports or the development of other sources of supply could also result in significantly higher operational costs. Water -rationing, bulk -water hauling and mass distribution of bottled water may be required. Ultimately if a severe, multi -year shortage existed for long enough without relief, it could culminate in an inability to provide sufficient food and drinking water to sustain the population, resulting in a forced migration of people away from the area to other regions or states. 108