(A) The county faces and has faced in recent years the tremendous pressure of residential growth.
(B) Residential growth creates an increased demand for water supplies to service the residents a demand which is not temporary.
(C) The county relies extensively on ground water for its water supply for all uses. Also, the county receives water from the federal water project known as the San Felipe project. The San Felipe project primarily supplies agriculture at the present time.
(D) The supply of water in California, particularly in the county, is in jeopardy due to the present drought. The drought has not only affected the replenishment of the ground water but affects the supplies available to the San Felipe project as evidenced by recent cutbacks in the proposed supply.
(E) The county is geographically in an area that is historically subject to periodic droughts of lengthy duration, five to seven years or longer. As of the adoption date of the ordinance codified in this article, the county is in the fifth year of a devastating drought.
(F) Because of the growing demand for water in the county and the shrinking of the supply of water to meet those needs, the Board has commissioned a hydrologic study to determine how much water is available in the county for beneficial use without adversely affecting the quantity and quality of the county’s water supply.
(G) The hydrologic study will not be completed until fall of 1991. In light of the current water crisis, the public health, safety and welfare of current and future residents of the county require the gathering of adequate hydrologic information and also require interim restrictions to protect the water supply of the county residents until sufficient information is gathered.
(H) Furthermore, the actions specified in this article are required in order to mitigate or avoid potentially disastrous economic consequences which would be caused by an inadequate water supply.
(I) In recent years the county has been faced with a over-abundant demand for residential development as compared to non-residential development such as commercial and industrial. This imbalance of development has created many problems both environmental and economic.
(J) Because of the recent demand for residential structures, the current supply of residential structures is adequate to deal with the short-term needs of the county while the county reviews the water supply situation and develops actions to safeguard water supplies for present and future residents.
(K) In light of the current reduced demand for housing in this region due to economic circumstances and in light of the facts as determined in this section, the restrictions in this article do not appear to significantly reduce the housing opportunities of the region given the current and foreseeable demand for housing. However, even if housing opportunities were temporarily reduced, the threat of inadequate water supplies justifies the restrictions contained in this article in order to protect the public health, safety and welfare of county residents.
(1966 Code, § 17D-1) (Ord. 594, § 1(part))