IV.K.

1 Water

a. INTRODUCTION

This section discusses water supply and demand within the project area. This section analyzes the
proposed project’s impact on the ability of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to
meet project demands of the proposed project.

1. Environmental Setting

Delivery of adequate water supplies to the desert and semi-desert environments of Southern California
has been a central issue to the area for more than 200 years. Over that time, increasingly sophisticated
water delivery systems have been developed, together with the wholesale, retail, and regulatory agencies
necessary to ensure reliable supplies of quality water to accommodate the demands of a growing region.
In 2005, the customers of the LADWP purchased 220 billion gallons of water, of which 90 percent came
from other regions via the Los Angeles Aqueduct System, the State Aqueduct System, and the Colorado
River Aqueduct System.1 The LADWP has complete charge and control of its distribution system inside
the City of Los Angeles under the provisions of the City Charter. The LADWP’s Water Operating
Division, under authority extended by the Board of Water and Power Commissioners, owns, operates
and maintains all water facilities within the City and is responsible for ensuring that the delivered water
meets all applicable state quality standards. The 2455 proposed project is located within the City of Los
Angeles, and as such, the LADWP would be the water provider to the project site.

The California Urban Water Management Planning Act requires every municipal water supplier who
serves more than 3,000 customers or provides more than 3,000 acre-feet per year (afy) of water to prepare
an Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP). In the UWMP, the water supplier must describe the water
supply projects and programs that may be undertaken to meet the total water use of the service area. The
LADWP has prepared a 2005 UWMP that includes estimates of past, current and projected probable and
recycled water use, identifies conservation and reclamation measures currently in practice, describes
alternative conservation measures, and provides an urban water shortage contingency plan. LADWP’s
UWMP relies on the Southern California Association of Governments’ (SCAG) projections of regional
population growth.2

1 City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power 2006 Water
Quality Report, 2006.
2 City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, 2005 UWMP, p. 1-1.
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The current UWMP indicates that LADWP is planning for future growth in the population in its service
area. According to the UWMP projections, water demand by the year 2010 will be 683,000 afy, or
approximately 610 million gallons per day (mgd).3 LADWP estimates that the long-term safe yield of its
own water supplies in 2010 is approximately 383,950 afy during average weather conditions, 232,250 afy
during a single-dry year period, and 217,250 afy during a multi-dry year period.4 The plan for meeting
the increasing demand for water relies on continued conservation measures, increased use of recycled
water as well as reliance on three primary sources of water, the Los Angeles Aqueduct, local
groundwater, and water purchases from the Metropolitan Water District (MWD). Currently LADWP
purchases approximately 208,684 afy from the MWD. 5 According to LADWP, there are adequate supplies
available to serve City needs over the next two decades. Imported water is forecasted to remain as the
City's primary water resource.

In recent years, conservation has become an important aspect of water supply planning. Today’s total
water consumption is nearly equal to that of 20 years ago, despite an increase of approximately
700,000 people during the same period. LADWP attributes the savings in water consumption to the City’s
successful water conservation measures. Water conservation is discussed in more detail under Regulatory
Framework, below.

No water is currently consumed on the undeveloped site; however, water is currently supplied to
adjacent development. Water can be supplied to the site up to an elevation of 1,180 feet above sea level
(based upon a minimum water pressure of 45 pounds per square inch, or psi) from an extension of the
existing 12-inch water main in Andora Avenue.

b. REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

A number of regulations and ordinances regarding water supply and water use apply to the project site
and the proposed development. These regulations and ordinances are discussed below.

1. State

The proposed project is required to comply with Title 20 and Title 24 and of the California Code of
Regulations. Title 24 contains California Building Standards, including the California Plumbing Code
(Part 5), that promote water conservation. Title 20 of the code addresses Public Utilities and Energy and
includes appliance efficiency standards that promote water conservation.

3 City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, 2005 UWMP, Exhibit 1K.
4 City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, 2005 UWMP, Exhibit 6C–6E.
5 City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power 2006 Water
Quality Report. Based on 30 percent of 227 billion gallons supplied to LADWP users in 2005.
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Senate Bill 221 and Senate Bill 610

These two pieces of legislation amend existing California law regarding land use planning and water
supply availability by requiring more information and assurance of supply than required in the City
UWMPs. As of January 1, 2002, the law requires water retail providers, like the LADWP, to demonstrate
that sufficient and reliable supplies are available to serve large-scale developments prior to completion of
the environmental review process and approval of such large-scale projects.

Under SB 610, it is the responsibility of the water service provider to prepare a Water Supply Assessment
requested by a City or County for any “project” defined by Section 10912 of the Water Code that is
subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Section 10912 of the Water Code defines a
“project” as the following:

 A proposed residential development of more than 500 dwelling units;

 A proposed shopping center or business establishment employing more than 1,000 persons or
having more than 500,000 square feet of floor space;

 A proposed commercial office building employing more than 1,000 persons or having more than
250,000 square feet of floor space;

 A proposed hotel or motel, or both, having more than 500 rooms;

 A proposed industrial, manufacturing or processing plant, or industrial park, planned to house

more than 1,000 persons, occupying more than 40 acres of land, or having more than
650,000 square feet of floor space;

 A proposed mixed-use project that includes one or more of the previously listed projects; or

 A proposed project that would demand an amount of water equivalent to, or greater than, the
amount of water required by a 500 dwelling unit project.

The proposed project includes the subdivision of 91 gross acres (85.98 acres) into 45 single-family lots and
3 open space lots; therefore, the proposed project does not constitute a “project” under Section 10912 of
the Water Code and a Water Supply Assessment is not required.

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Urban Water Management Plan

The California Urban Water Management Planning Act (California Water Code Division 6, Part 2.6
Sections 10610–10656) requires water suppliers to develop water management plans every five years to
identify short-term and long-term water demand management measures to meet growing water
demands during normal, dry, and multiple-dry years. The plan includes the following:

 A description of existing and planned sources of water available to the water supplier

 Conservation efforts to reduce water demand

 Alternative sources of water

 Assessment of reliability and vulnerability of water supply

 Water shortage contingency analysis

Details of LADWP’s efforts to promote the efficient use and management of its water resources are
contained in its Year 2005 Urban Water Management Plan (Water Plan) and are discussed below. The
2005 Water Plan is available at the LADWP’s Web site.

2. City

Los Angeles Infrastructure Systems Element

Long-term goals are set forth by the City of Los Angeles in the Infrastructure Systems Element related to
water services. The LADWP manages the water supply for Los Angeles. Its goal is to insure that the
City’s water quality and demand are met by available water supplies. The City obtains water from the
Los Angeles Aqueduct, local wells, purchases from the MWD and use of reclaimed wastewater. The
quantities of water obtained from these sources vary from year to year and are dependent on weather
conditions and water demand.

In recent years, the long-term water supply available from the Los Angeles Aqueduct has become
uncertain, and the City has committed itself to increasing the reliability of its water supply. Future
increases in the use of reclaimed wastewater will help make the total water supply more reliable. The Los
Angeles City Council has established a goal for the reuse of 40 percent of its wastewater by the year 2010.
Reclaimed wastewater will be used for groundwater recharge, agriculture, recreation, landscaping,
industry, seawater intrusion barriers, and environmental enhancement. The use of reclaimed wastewater
will displace or supplement potable water supplies and, therefore, increase the reliability of the City's
water supply.

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Through a combination of continued demand side management and increased use of reclaimed
wastewater, Los Angeles’ future water demands can be reliably met with available water supplies.

Los Angeles Water Conservation Policies

The City of Los Angeles has adopted several mandatory water conservation policies, as summarized
below:

 Ordinance Nos. 163,532 and 164,093, enacted in 1988, require new buildings to install low-flush
toilets and urinals (1.5 gallons per flush) in order to obtain building permits.

 Title 20 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 1604(g) establishes efficiency standards
(i.e., maximum flow rates) for all new showerheads, lavatory faucets, and sink faucets.

 Section 1606(a) prohibits the sale of fixtures that do not comply with the regulations.

 Ordinance 170,978, enacted in July 12, 1996, involves a comprehensive landscape ordinance that
applies to all projects except single-family dwellings that create 2,000 square feet or more of
non-permeable surface.

 Section 12.41 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code describes a program the City is implementing to
contribute to conservation of the City’s imported water resources mandated by state law by
setting minimum standards for water delivery systems to landscapes.

c. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS

1. Significance Criteria

Thresholds

The 2006 L.A. CEQA Thresholds Guide indicates that the determination of a project’s significance to water
resources shall be made on a case-by-case basis, considering the following factors:

WAT-1 The total estimated water demand for the proposed project;

WAT-2 Whether sufficient capacity exists in the water infrastructure that would serve the project, taking
into account the anticipated conditions at project buildout;

WAT-3 The amount by which the project would cause the projected growth in population, housing or
employment for the Community Plan area to be exceeded in the year of the project completion; or

WAT-4 The degree to which scheduled water infrastructure improvements or project design features
would reduce or offset service impacts.

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Project Impacts

Impacts related to water are considered significant considering:

WAT-1 the total estimated water demand for the proposed project.

Throughout project construction, water would be used during grading and earthwork primarily to
reduce fugitive dust and to aid in earth compaction. Water consumption rates for construction related
activities have been developed from historical usage reports, and are estimated at approximately
0.89 acre-foot/acre for dry grading techniques. For a conservative analysis, grading activity would occur
on the entire project site (91 acres). Based on this information, construction watering would require a total
of approximately 81 acre-feet of water over the course of construction. Since construction activity is
temporary in nature and consumption would be spread throughout the entire construction period, and
given that LADWP has adequate supply to accommodate the anticipated water demand during
construction, the impact of the demolition and construction phase of the project on water services would
be less than significant.

As described in Section III, Project Description, the proposed project would consist of 45 single-family
residences, which would increase the site population by approximately 119 people. Based on the year
2010 population estimate contained in the Chatsworth-Porter Ranch Community Plan, the associated
population increase would represent approximately 0.09 percent of the projected area population of
134,960 persons.6 Implementation of the proposed project would increase the demand for water over
existing conditions and uses on the project site. Water consumption for the proposed 45-unit project
would be 17,820 gallons/day, based upon the average consumption of 150 gallons/day of water per
person per single-family unit. As such, the project water demand would result in a demand of
approximately 20 afy. This represents a relatively small fraction (approximately 0.003 percent) of the
projected water demand of 683,000 acre-feet that LADWP plans to meet by 2010 under average weather
conditions.7 Therefore, the water demand generated by the proposed project is accounted for in
LADWP’s projections, and impacts related to water demand would be less than significant.

Impacts related to water are considered significant considering:

WATER-2 whether sufficient capacity exists in the water infrastructure that would serve the project, taking
into account the anticipated conditions at project buildout.

6 City of Los Angeles, “Chatsworth-Porter Ranch Community Plan,” Los Angeles General Plan (2000), p. 7.
7 City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, 2005 UWMP, Exhibit 6C.
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The on-site and off-site fire flow demands would be determined by the Los Angeles Fire Department and
based on the applicable building code requirements after review of the final project plans. Once a
determination of the project’s domestic and fire demands has been made, the LADWP will assess the
need for additional facilities. Once the fire flow demands for the proposed project have been determined,
the applicant would need to request a Service Advisory Request (SAR) from the LADWP. This SAR
would determine whether the water pressure in the area is sufficient to meet the demand needed for fire
suppression. If it is not, upgrades to the facilities would be necessary to meet the required pressure.8
Once a determination of the proposed project’s domestic and fire demands has been made, the LADWP
would assess the need for additional facilities. Should the requirements change based upon the needs of
the project, infrastructure improvements may be necessary. Costs for new water services and
improvements to the existing water system would be at the applicant’s or contractor’s expense. Fire flows
and fire service are discussed further in Section IV.I.2, Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services.

Additionally, the LADWP has previously indicated that water can be supplied to the site up to an
elevation of 1,180 feet above sea level (based upon a minimum water pressure of 45 pounds psi) from an
extension of the existing 12-inch water main in Andora Avenue. 9 One residence along the western
portion of the project site is proposed at an elevation of 1,235 feet, meaning that the LADWP could not
supply water to this residence, and potentially significant impacts related to water pressure exist.
Mitigation measures MM-Water-1 through MM-Water-7 would address impacts related to water
pressure and supply. With the incorporation of MM-Water-1 through MM-Water-7, impacts related to
water pressure and supply would be less than significant.

Impacts related to water are considered significant considering:

WATER-3 the amount by which the project would cause the projected growth in population, housing, or
employment for the Community Plan area to be exceeded in the year of the project completion.

The LADWP relies upon SCAG’s growth projections in projecting future water demand. The proposed
project is consistent with and planned for within SCAG’s growth projections. Therefore, the water
demand generated by the proposed project is accounted for in LADWP’s projections, and implementation
of the proposed project would have a less than significant impact associated with growth in population,
housing, or employment beyond those estimates projected by SCAG.

8 City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, 2005 UWMP, Exhibit 6C.
9 City of Los Angeles. Andora Avenue Subdivision - Tentative Tract No. 53426 Draft EIR. 1987; City of Los
Angeles. Andora Avenue Subdivision - Tentative Tract No. 53426 Addendum, 2007.
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Impacts related to water are considered significant considering:

WATER-4 the degree to which scheduled water infrastructure improvements or project design features would
reduce or offset service impacts.

The proposed project’s water consumption would be determined by the applicant’s engineer based on the
Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety and applicable building code requirements.

Where estimated water requirements for the proposed project can be served by existing water mains in
the adjacent streets, water service would be provided routinely in accordance with the LADWP Rules and
Regulations. The proposed project is in area which would be served by an extension of an existing water
main along Andora Avenue, which would be routinely serviced by LADWP, thereby reducing water
facilities impacts.

In addition, project design features for water conservation, as recommended by LADWP, would reduce
water service impacts. Project design features for water conservation include:

 Ultra-low-flush water closets, ultra-low-flush urinals, and water-saving showerheads and faucets
would be installed.

 Water conserving clothes washers and dishwashers would be installed.

In addition, the project must comply with Section 12.41 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, which
includes abiding by standards for water delivery systems to landscapes. Therefore, given that water-
conserving design features would be incorporated and that LADWP would provide routine maintenance
for all lines servicing the project, the impacts to water service would be less than significant.

2. Mitigation Measures

MM-Water-1 Additional water conveyance facilities will be provided to service residences located
higher than 1,180 feet above sea level, such as a pump-tank system, if determined
necessary by the LADWP. The facilities must be designed to be satisfactory to the
LADWP.

MM-Water-2 Mitigation measures will be implemented as required by state law:

 Low-flush toilets (Section 17921.3 of the Health and Safety Code).

 Low-flow showers and faucets (California Administrative Code, Title 24, Park 6,
Article 1, T20-1406F).

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 Insulation of hot water lines in water recirculating systems (California Energy

Commission regulations).

 The project will also comply with water conservation provisions of the appropriate
plumbing code.

MM-Water-3 Landscape with low-water consuming plants wherever feasible.

MM-Water-4 Use mulch extensively, where feasible, in all landscaped areas. Mulch applied to top soil
will improve the water-holding capacity of the soil by reducing evaporation and soil
compaction.

MM-Water-5 Preserve and protect existing trees where feasible. Established plants are often adapted to
low water condition and their use saves water needed to establish replacement
vegetation.

MM-Water-6 Install efficient irrigation systems which minimize runoff and evaporation and maximize
the amount of water which will reach the plant roots. Drip irrigation, soil moisture
sensors, and automatic irrigation systems are a few methods of increasing irrigation
efficiency.

MM-Water-7 The project shall comply with City Ordinances 163,532, 164,093, and 170,978 relating to
water conservation measures.

d. CUMULATIVE IMPACTS

Development of the proposed project, in association with the list of related projects identified in
Section III, Project Description, would cumulatively increase water demand in the Chatsworth–Porter
Ranch Community Plan area and the Los Angeles Subregion. The SCAG 2008 Regional Transportation
Plan Growth Forecast Report projects that the City of Los Angeles will add 118,622 dwelling units
between 2005 and 2015.10 The proposed project and the identified related projects would collectively add
approximately 755 dwelling units, representing an approximately 3.5 percent (4,197 dwelling units of the
projected 118,622 units) contribution towards the projected dwelling unit increase for the City of Los
Angeles. Using SCAG’s growth forecasts, LADWP has projected that there will be an adequate supply of
water to accommodate anticipated growth for the next several decades. Given that the UWMP plans for
water supplies to serve existing and projected needs, it is anticipated that the LADWP will be able to
supply the demands of the proposed project and related projects through the foreseeable future, and no

10 Southern California Association of Governments. 2008 Regional Transportation Plan/Integrated Resources Plan,
June 2004.
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significant cumulative impacts related to water demand are anticipated. Therefore, the proposed project
does not have the potential to result in potentially significant cumulative impacts on water supply.

1. Mitigation Measures

No cumulative impacts to water supply were identified and, therefore, no mitigation measures are
necessary.

2. Adverse Effects

With implementation of the recommended mitigation measures, MM-Water-1 through MM-Water-7,

project and cumulative impacts related to water supply would be less than significant.

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