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Where's the Water Going to Come From?

Upland's new (very flawed) General Plan calls for 1,589 new housing units (apartments, condos and some homes) for an intended population growth of 8,000+ residents. We know that there will be higher crime, more street congestion and more need for city services and of course more water.

WHERE IS THE WATER GOING TO COME FROM?

Governor Brown just signed an executive order that Californians have to cut back 25% of their water use. He even went higher for cities that have higher than average water use. They will have to cut back more. Upland is one of those areas and has been ordered to cut back 36%!

IF WE HAVE TO CUT BACK, WHY CAN DEVELOPERS BUILD HIGH DENSITY HOUSING WHICH WILL ADD SO MANY NEW PEOPLE TO AN ALREADY STRESSED SYSTEM?

I watched last night's City Council meeting and was shocked. A City Council member asked a city staff member if there would be enough water for the 203 new condos at 8th and Sultana. Staff said that the Planning Commission already vetted this issue as did an Environmental Impact Report done in 2011 and there were no water issues.

So let me get this straight. It's now 2015. We are now in a severe drought - experts are saying this is the worst in many years - and because the Planning Commission and a report from 2011 said we have enough water, then we have enough water for hundreds of new residents? Gee, "this sure makes sense!"

I went to a meeting today sponsored by a Commercial Real Estate networking organization (CREW-IE). The topic was going to be how Developers can tap into new water sources during this drought. Photos of Lake Mead and Oroville Dam were shown to shock the audience as to the severity of the drought. One of the panelist, representing a major water district, said that their agency's guiding planning principle was to "plan for a deeply uncertain future."

Another panelist said that "high density housing is more water efficient than single family homes."

I came away totally confused - on one hand, cities should plan for a worst case scenario but developers should build more high density housing because it is more efficient use of water.

FRIENDS, STOP THIS PLAN. THERE IS NOT ENOUGH WATER FOR 8,000+ NEW RESIDENTS!