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<br />7A - ATTACHMENT NO.3 <br />Saltworks Proposal- Water Group Summary Report (22 January 2010) Page 62 <br /> <br />Because the delivery of water for the Saltworks project would not have a net impact on <br />Delta pumping, the water team concludes that the Saltworks EIR would not have to <br />analyze in detail the Saltworks project's impact within the Delta. For this reason, the <br />water team preliminarily concludes that the analysis would not have to reach into and <br />beyond the operation of the Delta pumps. Rather, the EI R would have to provide <br />sufficient information to demonstrate that the proposed water transfer, and resulting <br />shifts in timing of deliveries, would not result in an impact on Delta pumping. This <br />preliminary conclusion deserves additional attention, however, given the complexity of <br />any analysis that includes consideration of the impacts of Delta pumping. At a minimum, <br />further analysis should be performed to confirm the water team's preliminary conclusion. <br /> <br />3.8.5 Preliminary Conclusions about Proposed Water Transfer <br /> <br />As noted above, DMB's proposal involves reaching agreement with or obtaining <br />approvals from the City and other public agencies. In the event Redwood City decides <br />to move forward with the CEQA process, the water team recommends (1) obtaining from <br />DMB additional details regarding its proposal, and (2) contacting the other involved <br />public agencies. The information provided by DMB and other agencies would then be <br />included in the Water Supply Assessment for the Saltworks project. Indeed, the water <br />team recommends that, if the City decides to proceed with the environmental review <br />process, the City should ensure that the Saltworks EIR includes a WSA that provides a <br />robust analysis of DMB's proposed water transfer. It will be important to consult with <br />other involved public agencies (e.g., SFPUC, BAWSCA, OWR) , so that the EIR includes <br />the information the other agencies will need in order to decide whether to approve the <br />agreements necessary for the proposal to proceed. In addition, operational details <br />concerning storage, treatment and delivery would have to be determined, both by <br />Redwood City, and by any intermediary agencies. <br /> <br />There is no way to ensure that other agencies will enter into agreements or otherwise <br />approve OMB's proposal. Nonetheless, the water team preliminarily concludes that <br />OMB's proposal is potentially feasible. As explained above, the Nickel water appears to <br />be quite reliable. SCVWO's acquisition of 2,000 acre-feet of Nickel water in 2009 <br />demonstrates that such a transfer can be accomplished. The amount of Nickel water <br />owned by OMB is more than sufficient to meet the needs of the Saltworks project. <br />Indeed, sufficient water is available to help augment and diversify supplies available to <br />both the City and whatever other water retailers are involved in the transaction. The <br />amount of water to be provided would be the subject of negotiations between DMB, the <br />City, and other involved agencies. To the extent DMB would agree to commit more of <br />the Nickel water than the Saltworks project itself would require, the City's overall water <br />supply could benefit from the Saltworks project. <br /> <br />3.9 Summary of Findings Regarding Water Supply <br />The DMB Supply Report identifies a suite of water supply options for the Saltworks <br />project. Potable supplies include Redwood City's SFPUC supply, local groundwater, <br />and supply achieved through offsetting potable demand locally or regionally to make that <br />supply available for the Project. Non-potable supplies include recycled water, graywater <br />and rainwater. <br /> <br />After the publication of the DMB Supply Report, OMB identified another potable water <br />supply option for the project - a surface water transfer. OMB has identified to the water <br /> <br />55 <br />