Terms: Section 5. CONSERVATION GOALS
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| 5.1 Use of MOU for Bay/Delta protection and water use efficiency. The BMPs, the estimates of reliable savings and the processes established by this MOU are agreed to by the signatories for purposes of protection of the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary ("Bay/Delta"); in order to move the water conservation process forward; and/or to develop a cost effective alternative to new water supplies. The willingness of the signatories to enter into this MOU for purposes of the protection of the Bay/Delta in no way limits the signatories' ability to propose different conservation practices, different estimates of savings, or different processes, or for non-urban water suppliers or for other water management issues. The signatories may present other assumptions of reliable conservation savings, provided that such assumptions could not have adverse impacts upon the water supplies of any signatory water supplier. Furthermore, the signatories retain the right to advocate any particular level of protection for the Bay/Delta Estuary, including levels of freshwater flows, and do not necessarily agree on population projections for California. This MOU is not intended to address any authority or obligation of the State Board to establish freshwater flow protections or set water quality objectives for the Estuary, or to address any authority of the Department of Water Resources or United States Bureau of Reclamation.
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| 5.2 Recommendations for Water Conservation. The signatories will make the following recommendations to the State Board, Department of Water Resources or US Bureau of Reclamation to support BMPs and the advancement of water conservation practices:
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| | (a)
| That implementation of the BMP process set forth in this MOU represents a sufficient long-term water conservation program by the signatory water suppliers, recognizing that additional programs may be required during occasional water supply shortages;|
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| (b) | That the State Board should include a policy statement in the water rights considerations of the Bay/Delta protection supporting the BMP process described in this MOU and that the BMP process should be considered in any documents prepared by the State Board pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act as part of the Bay/Delta proceedings.|
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| (c) | That the Department of Water Resources and Bureau of Reclamation consider an agency’s implementation of the BMPs set for the in the MOU as evidence of good faith efforts by the signatory agency to achieve water use efficiency and conservation.
5.3 Letter to State or Federal Water Agencies..
Within 30 days of signing this MOU, each signatory will jointly or individually convey the principles set forth in Sections 5.1 and 5.2 above by sending a letter to the State Board, Department of Water Resources and/or Bureau of Reclamation copied to the California Urban Water Conservation Council.
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| 5.4 Withdrawal from MOU. If the State Board or EPA uses future urban water conservation savings that are inconsistent with the use of BMPs as provided in this MOU, any signatory shall have the right to withdraw from the MOU by providing written notice to the Council as described in Section 7.4(a)(I) below.