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The Zone 7 Water Agency, which supplies water to the Dublin San Ramon Services District, unanimously approved a resolution late last month directing its general manager to negotiate and execute all required documents for a water exchange with the Contra Costa Waster District (CCWD).
“This is a great opportunity; we definitely can’t pass up,” Board of Directors president John Greci said during the Nov. 19 meeting.
The one-year water exchange would allow Zone 7 to transfer 2,500 acre-feet of its State Water Project (SWP) water to CCWD for direct use in CCWD’s service area between December and February.
This water is usually pumped back from the Semitropic Water Storage District and Cawelco Water District; however, Zone 7 is unable to use all of the available “pumpback” water due to reduced demands in fall/winter.
CCWD would send this water to its Old and/or Middle River Intakes, and in exchange, Zone 7 would receive an equal amount of CCWD’s Central Valley Project water supply next summer — when demands in Zone 7’s service area are at their peak.
In addition, the exchange, facilitated by CCWD’s use of Los Vaqueros Reservoir storage water, would serve as a good demonstration project of the potential role of the reservoir in enhancing water storage options for Zone 7, according to agency officials.
“The risk to Zone 7 is that we would lose the permit fees that we were putting forward to actually get the application in front of the state board,” said Carol Mahoney, Zone 7’s integrated planning manager. “If you look at all the costs … it would be between about $40,000-$50,000.”
According to staff reports, the maximum additional cost of the one-year exchange is estimated at $483,000 for 2,500 acre-feet, which will be funded out of the agency’s water enterprise fund.
“I think this could take us to farther … faster for water sustainability, and I applaud the concept,” board member Dick Quigley said.
Alameda County Water District (ACWD) recently approved the same proposal with CCWD, therefore there would be a signatory to a three-party agreement for the exchange, Zone 7 staff said.
DSRSD sent a letter to Zone 7 stating: “We applaud the Zone’s consideration of these purchases in exchanges in preparation for a possible fourth consecutive dry year. Such transfers and exchanges are also very valuable as a ‘proofs of concept’ that such arrangements can be made in a way that serves the needs of the Tri-Valley under reasonable terms and is ecosystem-friendly.”
