City of Morgan Hill Water System Master Plan 2017

2017 City of Morgan Hill

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CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION

This chapter provides a brief background of the City’s domestic water system, the need for this master plan, and the objectives of the study. Abbreviations and definitions are also provided in this chapter.

1.1 BACKGROUND

The City of Morgan Hill (City) is located approximately 22 miles southeast of the City of San Jose, and 8 miles northwest of the City of Gilroy ( Figure 1.1 ). The City provides potable water service to more than 42,000 residents, as well as a myriad of commercial, industrial, and institutional establishments. The City operates a domestic water distribution system that consists of 16 groundwater wells, 12 storage tanks equating to 10.5 million gallons in storage, and over 177 miles of distribution pipelines. In 2002, the City developed a Water System Master Plan (WSMP) that identified capacity deficiencies in the existing water system and recommended improvements to alleviate existing deficiencies and serve future developments in the Urban Growth Boundary. The City recognizes the importance of planning, developing, and financing the water system infrastructure. The City retained the services of Placeworks to develop a comprehensive, long- term General Plan for the orderly development of the community, while integrating the City's social, economic, and environmental goals. On July 27, 2016, the City Council adopted the Morgan Hill 2035 General Plan, a comprehensive update of the City's General Plan.

1.2 SCOPE OF WORK

As a part of the General Plan update, the City also initiated the update of the infrastructure master plans. These master plans, which were closely coordinated and paralleled the preparation of the General Plan, included:

 2017 Water System Master Plan

 2017 Sewer System Master Plan

 2017 Storm Drainage System Master Plan

City Council approved the preparation of the General Plan in June of 2013, which included authorizing Akel Engineering Group Inc. to prepare this master plan. The 2017 WSMP evaluates the City’s water system and recommends capacity improvements necessary to service the needs of existing users and for servicing the future growth of the City. This 2017 WSMP is intended to serve as a tool for planning and phasing the construction of future domestic water system infrastructure for the projected buildout of the City of Morgan Hill. The area and horizon for the master plan is stipulated in the City’s General Plan. Should planning conditions change, and

June 2017

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City of Morgan Hill Water System Master Plan