Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Works Water topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council hears update on water supplies and wildfire preparedness; city manager outlines interties and storage options
Summary
City staff told the council Lompoc can produce roughly 7–10 million gallons a day and holds approximately 12 million gallons in storage; under high-demand wildfire conditions the system could be depleted in about a day. Staff highlighted intertie agreements and grant work intended to increase resilience.
Council members asked the city manager about water-system capacity and contingency planning following reports of intense fires in nearby counties. The city manager outlined current storage and production estimates, discussed intertie opportunities with neighboring systems and Vandenberg Space Force Base, and described vegetation and equipment-protection work planned to reduce fire risk.
Key points reported by staff: - The city holds roughly 12,000,000 gallons in storage in tanks. - Production capacity varies by operational treatment; city staff estimated production on the order of 7,000,000 to 10,000,000 gallons depending on treatment. Normal daily water use in Lompoc ranges from approximately 4,000,000 to 6,000,000 gallons per day depending on season. - Under the worst-case scenario described, high fire-driven demand could deplete supplies quickly – on the order of a single day if multiple factors coincide. - Staff described ongoing work funded in part by an OCC (Office of Community Conservation) grant and other interagency steps to develop interties with neighboring systems and Vandenberg to improve mutual aid and supply resilience. - Vegetation management around critical equipment and additional above-ground tanks at strategic locations (Mission Hills, Vandenberg) were discussed as ways to increase capacity and firefighting resources.
Council members asked for regular updates and for a contingency plan summary to be presented to the council. The city manager agreed to provide further information and periodic updates to reassure the council and the public about preparedness efforts.
