Integrated water planning facilitates adequate water supplies for existing and future demands
At a glance
American Canyon relied on its recycled water delivery system for treated water disposal and water supply benefits, in order to meet planned growth within its utility service areas. American Canyon’s previous utility master plans were independent of each other and did not create a nexus between wastewater flows, recycled water production, and water supply needs.
The challenge
The city of American Canyon, located in Napa County, California, USA, supplies water to connections within its service area that encompasses the city limits, as well as portions of the surrounding area located within unincorporated Napa County. The State’s Urban Water Management Planning Act requires that American Canyon prepare and adopt an Urban Water Management Plan (the Plan) once every five years. The Plan provides a framework for long-term water planning and informs the public of American Canyon’s plans for long-term resource planning that facilitates adequate water supplies for existing and future demands.
Our response
GHD was retained to develop an integrated water utility master plan to meet the future water demands of American Canyon’s growing community. Historical billing records and sewer flow monitoring data was analyzed and used as the basis to establish existing potable water demands and sewer flows by land-use category. The GHD engineering team projected future demands, including for recycled water, under buildout conditions.
Once integrated, the water demands and sewer flows correlated with each other, and with other city planning documents, including their 2015 Urban Water Management Plan. This plan will help American Canyon to consistently evaluate proposed development projects based on actual conditions; monitor availability of recycled water needed to meet growing demands; and track conversion of potable water demand to recycled water.
GHD developed WaterCAD and SewerCAD models of the three utilities to evaluate existing performance and identify priority Capital Improvement Plans for the next ten to twenty years.
The impact
- Developed an integrated water utility master plan to meet the future water demands of a growing community
- Developed geographic information system-based hydraulic models of the three utilities for evaluation and performance purposes
- The City now has the ability to identify priority Capital Improvement Plans for the next ten to twenty years