That the City Council:
A. Conduct a public hearing as required by State law to solicit input on an amendment to La Habra Municipal Code, Title 13, Public Services, Chapter 13.40, Water Conservation and Water Supply Shortage Program; and

B. Approve the first reading of ORDINANCE NO. ______ ENTITLED:  AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LA HABRA REPEALING IN ITS ENTIRETY CHAPTER 13.40, "WATER CONSERVATION AND WATER SUPPLY SHORTAGE PROGRAM" OF TITLE 13 "PUBLIC SERVICES" AND REPLACING IT WITH CHAPTER 13.40, "WATER SHORTAGE CONTINGENCY RESPONSE".

The City of La Habra's current water conservation ordinance was enacted in 2009 in response both to severe, ongoing drought conditions at that time, as well as a request by the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) for all local agencies to reduce water usage by 10 percent.  The ordinance identified four stages of water supply shortage levels, ranging from 10 percent to 40 percent in water demand reduction, identified measures to be implemented with each stage, and assessed penalties for non-compliance.

Significant dry year conditions in 2012 to 2017 prompted the California Legislature to modify the Urban Water Management Planning Act in 2018 to include Water Shortage Contingency Plans (WSCPs) as a stand-alone requirement for every urban water supplier.  The WSCP is a strategic planning document designed to prepare for, and respond to water shortages through proactive water management.

On June 21, 2021, and in accordance with state law, the La Habra City Council approved Resolution No. 6016 and adopted the 2020 City of La Habra Water Shortage Contingency Plan.  La Habra's WSCP complies with California Water Code (CWC), and provides a structured guide for the City to address potential water shortages by incorporating prescriptive information with six levels of shortage ranging from 10 percent to greater than 50 percent.  Appendix A of the La Habra WSCP identifies the water shortage contingency levels and the demand reduction measures corresponding to each level.  The six levels of shortage have now been standardized throughout the region and across the state to provide a consistent approach to conveying the relative water supply shortage conditions.  Demand reductions for each level are determined by each urban water supplier pursuant to state requirements.

The WSCP, and the proposed ordinance, were prepared by Arcadis U.S., Inc. in a collaborative effort with City staff.  The proposed ordinance supports the adopted WSCP to include current permanent water conservation requirements, and six standard water shortage levels corresponding to progressive ranges from 10 percent to greater than 50 percent shortages, as required by state law.  The proposed ordinance has been reviewed by La Habra's legal counsel for content, and compliance with California Water Code.

There is no impact to the General Fund.  The preparation of the La Habra 2020 Urban Water Management Plan, Water Shortage Contingency Plan, and proposed Water Shortage Contingency Response Ordinance were included in the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Utility Authority's annual operating budget at a cost of $44,240.