Agenda - Council - 07/28/2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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14 Figure 4. Vision for regional water supply sustainability. Sustainable water supply management will maximize the region's use of existing water supply infrastructure investments - usually groundwater - within sustainable limits. Where demand exceeds the sustainable limits of existing sources, water conservation and other sources are available to support demand. Water Demand (Hypothetical Data) ▪ Groundwater is sustainably available to meet demand ▪ Alternative approach or combination of approaches needed to meet demand Available approaches to augment groundwater: • Water Conservation • Reuse • Surface water Estimated upper limit on sustainably available groundwater Time A regionally sustainable combination of water supply approaches will maximize the use existing water supplies and system investments within the sustainable limits of the resource and use other approaches to meet demand above the amount sustainably available from those sources. Where infrastructure changes are needed - such as to address needs for increased treatment, reducing impact on natural and recreational resources - all available options should be considered, with input from neighbors and other partners who may know of opportunities for added value and cost-sharing. Appendix 4 provides some case studies of local examples of alternative approaches to water supply, which move the region toward achieving our goal of sustainability. While there are important benefits to long term planning, there is uncertainty about the future. Tools like regional groundwater flow modeling, discussed in Chapter 5, can be used to explore a range of possible future conditions. Regional modeling is a planning tool, not a regulatory tool, and it provides useful information to support regional planning and cooperation that ensures sustainability. Working collaboratively with the local providers to develop and share sound technical information and implementation tools will be the pathway to success in the area of sustainability. Guiding principles Sustainable water supply planning must consider the links between surface water and groundwater, water quality and quantity, and water and land use. As these links are evaluated, both objective technical information and subjective human values come into play. Water supply planning must be based on principles that strike a balance between technical information and human values. The following principles inform water -related decisions in the region: WATER SUPPLY MASTER PLAN- Draft June 2015