Short Term Water Exchange with Irvine Ranch Water District
Summary
SCH Number
2022050493
Public Agency
Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency
Document Title
Short Term Water Exchange with Irvine Ranch Water District
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
5/24/2022
Document Description
Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency (SCVWA) has initiated discussions with Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) for a mutually beneficial Short-term Drought Relief and Transfer Program (Short-term Program). The Short-term Program would involve IRWD dedicating 5,000 AFY of its recovery capacity in the Strand and Stockdale Integrated Banking Projects (IRWD Water Bank) to SCV Water in 2022 and 2023 for recovery of SCVWA’s Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District (Rosedale) banking program (Rosedale Program). This water would be provided in exchange for the future transfer of an equivalent amount of SWP water from SCV Water to IRWD.
SCVWA anticipates the need for the recovery and delivery of additional banked water from its Rosedale Program in 2022 and potentially in 2023. IRWD and SCVWA would implement a Short-term Program whereby IRWD would provide SCV Water drought relief by making available recovery capacity from the IRWD’s banking programs to facilitate recovery up to 5,000 AFY of SCVWA’s banked water. When the final SWP allocation is 45% or greater, SCV Water would transfer an equal amount of its future SWP Table A water to Metropolitan Water District. Such transfer of water shall be completed prior to December 31, 2027. Metropolitan would accept this water, on IRWD’s behalf, consistent with IRWD’s Coordinated Operating and Exchange Agreement with Metropolitan. SCVWA would pay the costs to recover and convey the recovered water to the California Aqueduct under its Banking Program Agreement with Rosedale, as well as certain administrative costs that may be applicable to recovery of this water.
Contact Information
Name
Rick Vasilopulos
Agency Name
Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency
Job Title
Water Resources Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Santa Clarita
Counties
Los Angeles, Ventura
Regions
Countywide
Other Location Info
The Project does not have a specific location as it does not entail construction, development, or any other activity that could potentially result in a significant environmental impact.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
15061(b)(3)
Reasons for Exemption
The short-term water transfer agreement is exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), the “common sense exemption,” which provides that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Here, SCV Water finds the water transfer agreement exempt from CEQA as “it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question” as it provides that SCV Water would receive 5,000 AFY of IRWD recovery capacity in 2022 and 2023 and then SCV Water would provide 5,000 AFY of SWP water, the same amount transferred in 2022/2023, to IRWD prior to December 31, 2027, such that the agreement will have no “significant effect on the environment.”
County Clerks
Los Angeles, Ventura
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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