Urban Water Management Plan 2015

Yearly extremes in temperature vary, with the peak high rising to above 100 ° F and winter lows receding to the 20 ° F range. The City has a historical average annual rainfall of approximately 21 inches, with the majority of the rainfall occurring from November to March. These months typically see over 3 inches of rain each. The average annual evapotranspiration (Eto) is 49.4 inches. 3.3 SERVICE AREA POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHICS The City is a growing community, with over 2 percent of the Santa Clara County population residing within the City limits. Department of Finance records estimate the 2015 population of Morgan Hill at 42,382. Located on the Highway 101 corridor, Morgan Hill has historically been a growing city. Between 1970 and 1980 the City saw dramatic growth, with the population increasing from 5,579 to 16,924 at an average annual growth rate of approximately 18 percent. This rapid growth led to the City’s adoption of a growth management system, known as the Residential Development Control System (RDCS), which regulates growth by limiting the number of new homes approved annually. Following the implementation of the RDCS the average annual growth rate between 1980 and 2000 fell to approximately 4.7 percent. From 2000 to present, the City has seen an average annual growth rate of approximately 2.4 percent. The 2016 General Plan Update is currently planning for a 2035 population of 58,200 and projected populations consistent with this growth are used to project demands as part of the 2015 UWMP. The current and projected service area population is summarized in Table 3-1 . It should be noted that potential changes to the in progress General Plan may occur, but are expected to decrease the population. As such, the numbers in this UWMP are conservative.

Table 3-1 Population - Current and Projected

2015

2020

2025

2030

2035

2040

42,382

48,000

51,400

54,800

58,200

61,600

August 2016

3-3

City of Morgan Hill 2015 Urban Water Management Plan