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6.1.E. - Page 6 <br /> of ineeting demands during years of normal rainfall, are increasingly less reliable when rainfall is <br /> below normal. This problem will continue to worsen as more people and businesses move into <br /> the region thereby increasing the demand for water. The San Francisco Bay Area Integrated <br /> Regional Water Management Plan 2 highlights the growing imbalance between water supply and <br /> demand and provides a blueprint for improving the region's water supply reliability. The plan <br /> emphasizes a multi-faceted approach to addressing regional water problems and sets forth a core <br /> strategy of increasing the amount of water recycling in the region. <br /> On February 3, 2009, the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) <br /> adopted a policy encouraging the use of recycled water. The State Water Board found that <br /> recycled water, when used in compliance with the policy, Title 22, Division 4, Chapter 3 of the <br /> California Code of Regulations (CCR), and all applicable state and federal water quality laws, is <br /> safe, and strongly supports its use.3 <br /> With regional and state support for recycled water, the Grand Jury sought to determine what <br /> efforts the County and Cities were undertaking to promote and develop programs for recycling <br /> water. <br /> METHODOLOGY <br /> The Grand Jury collected information about water recycling programs in the County via a survey <br /> sent to the County Public Works director and each of the Cities' managers. The Grand Jury <br /> conducted online research and interviewed representatives from Redwood City, the Bay Area <br /> Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA), and the South Bayside System Authority. <br /> The Grand Jury also toured the South Bayside System Authority treatment facility, the Redwood <br /> City recycled water pump station, and a site in Redwood City using recycled water for irrigation. <br /> DISCUSSION <br /> The Need for Recycled Water <br /> According to the City/County Association of Governments (CCAG) Energy Strategy 2012 <br /> document,4 the County and Cities' water supply systems may not be able to meet the challenges <br /> of population growth and climate change. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, <br /> operator of the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct, estimates that the County and Cities will need an <br /> additional 5 million gallons of water per day by 2018 to meet projected demands. In order to <br /> meet this demand, the County and Cities will need to implement cost-effective and feasible water <br /> conservation and recycling programs. <br /> 2 <br /> "San Francisco Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan,"http://bairwmp.or�/plan/executive- <br /> summary(Dec. 19,2012). <br /> s <br /> California Recycled Water Policy,http://www.waterboards.ca.�ov/water issues/pro�rams/water recyclin�,�polic� <br /> (Dec. 19,2012). <br /> 4 <br /> "San Mateo County Energy Strategy 2012," <br /> http://www.cca�.ca.�ov/pdf/USTF/reparts/Draft°Io20County°Io20Energy°Io20Strateg�.�pdf(Dec. 19,2012). <br /> 2 <br />