Commission recommends updated water element to align General Plan with state code

Consultant Catherine Flora presented the updated Water Use and Preservation element of the Saratoga Springs General Plan, saying the draft incorporates the city’s drinking-water and pressurized-irrigation master plans, the water conservation report and a 40-year review of water rights and capacity. She told commissioners the updated element aligns the General Plan with new state code requirements for water planning and includes a citywide water budget to assess capacity for future growth.

Flora said the draft had been reviewed by the state and by city staff and that the updated drinking-water and pressurized-irrigation master plans will be presented to the commission in coming months with more technical detail. Commissioners asked about irrigation storage locations identified in the report and staff clarified how secondary ponds and storage tanks are operated seasonally.

After questions, a commissioner moved to recommend approval of the draft general plan update to the City Council “based upon the evidence and explanations received today”; Commissioner Hill seconded the motion and the commission approved the recommendation unanimously. The planning commission’s action is advisory; the City Council will consider adoption at a future meeting.

What happens next: staff will include the updated element and supporting master-plan material in the council packet for formal city review and potential adoption.