Sustainable Groundwater Management

The State of California enacted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 (SGMA), on September 16, 2014 as part of a three-bill package including Assembly Bill (AB) 1739 (Dickinson), Senate Bill (SB) 1169 (Pavley), and SB 1319 (Pavley). The legislation provides a framework for the sustainable management of groundwater by local agencies, with an emphasis on the preservation of local control. The state agencies primarily responsible for implementing SGMA are the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB).

The first major SGMA milestone was the requirement to form Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) by June 30, 2017. The City has formed an exclusive GSA for its jurisdiction. The City will be coordinating with the Tracy Subbasin GSAs to develop a Groundwater Sustainability Plan that needs to be completed and approved by January 31, 2022.

For more information regarding Sustainable Groundwater Management, contact Utilities Department at (209) 831-6330.

City of Tracy, Groundwater Sustainable Agency

Water Quality and Control

Under the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for setting national limits for hundreds of substances in drinking water. The EPA also specifies various treatment processes that water facilities must undergo in order to remove these substances. Water treatment monitoring is continually performed to ensure drinking water is meeting regulatory standards. The EPA uses this data to ensure that the consumers are receiving clean water and to verify that states are enforcing the laws that regulate drinking water.

This publication (see right side bar) conforms to the regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) which requires water utilities to provide detailed water quality information to service customers annually. We are committed to providing you, the consumer, with this information about your water supply because customers who are well informed are our best allies in supporting improvements necessary to maintain the highest quality drinking water standards.

As required by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, the City's water supplies must meet stringent water quality standards set by the California Department of Health Services and the EPA. The City of Tracy completed a watershed sanitary survey of its drinking water sources in 2020. This survey can be obtained by contacting the Water Production Supervisor at (209) 831-6302. Water customers who are landlords receiving this report are asked to share this information with their tenants.

General

Even when a drought is undeclared, it still haunts the State’s water supply sources, major events occurring at the State level impact municipalities and irrigation districts. Every water agency continues to scramble to find alternative sources or solutions for their short and long-term water uses. California water regulators enacted a statewide drought fee and hefty fines for water guzzling homeowners, as part of the workshop discussing how to implement the Governor’s order for water pricing to maximize conservation. California State Parks even shut off water in public showers at state beaches in an attempt to conserve water during the drought.

Due to increased costs of enforcement and loss of revenues, most of the water agencies in the Bay Area have double digit increases in their water rates to meet operating and maintenance costs. The Governor has asked for a 20% reduction in water use over last year.

State Curtailment

Curtailments have been mandated by the State Water Resources Control Board and Department of Water Resources.

Closure of Delta Mendota Canal

Since Delta Mendota Canal (DMC) is not shut down, the City continues to pump its allocation until further notice. At the request of neighboring irrigation districts, San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority has installed a temporary pumping system in the DMC which allows reverse pumping of the Central Valley Project (CVP) stored water from San Luis Reservoir back towards Tracy. This is insurance for the neighboring irrigation districts and the City of Tracy to continue receiving water supplies from DMC during summer months if it is shut down due to any reason. In order to benefit from this temporary project, the City needs to enter into an agreement with San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority to share the proportionate capital, operational and maintenance costs.

City’s Water Status

The City’s water status has not changed from last year. The City has multiple water sources and a modest water distribution network.

Summary

After achieving only a small reduction in its water uses for 2019, the City is anticipating similar results for 2020, hoping that with continuous support from its residents and businesses to achieve or surpass the State mandated requirements to reduce its overall water uses.

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