Southern California Water Committee Provides Urban Water Planning Assistance for Regional Water Suppliers

March 30, 2011

Los Angeles – Furthering its commitment to educating Southern Californians about the region’s water needs and state’s water resources, the Southern California Water Committee (“SCWC”), a leading voice for regional collaboration on water issues, hosted a third public workshop last week to provide urban water suppliers with expert technical and legal guidance as they prepare their 2011 Urban Water Management Plans (“UWMPs”), which serve as fundamental blueprints for managing local and regional water supplies.   

“California’s recently enacted water conservation requirements present water suppliers with significant new challenges as they undertake their water supply planning for the coming years,” said Jill Willis, partner with Best Best & Krieger and chair of SCWC’s Urban Water Planning Task Force. “The Southern California Water Committee provided a timely and invaluable forum for our members to hear first-hand from experts the best practices for implementing a sound water plan.”

Under California law, all urban water suppliers that provide water to 3,000 or more connections, or that provide more than 3,000 acre-feet of water annually, must prepare and update an UWMP every five years.  The purpose of UWMPs is to ensure urban water suppliers have adequate water supplies for existing and future demands. Plans must identify and discuss various factors affecting current and projected water supplies and demand, and must identify steps being taken to ensure the availability and reliability of future supplies. Urban water supplies must describe and evaluate all sources of water supply (such as surface, recycled, groundwater), efficient uses of water and conservation programs, and strategies and schedules for implementation. Retail water suppliers must submit their plans for review to the California Department of Water Resources by July 1, 2011.

Recent legislation (SBX7-7) calls for all water suppliers to increase water use efficiency.  The new law requires a 20 percent reduction in statewide urban per capita water use by Dec.31, 2020. Retail urban suppliers must include “substantial evidence” in their plans documenting water conservation efforts and how the targets will be achieved. Water suppliers must meet the water conservation requirements to be eligible for state water grants or loans.

“Given the complexities of California’s water resources and new legislative requirements for conservation, preparing urban water management plans is a complex process for water suppliers,” said Steve Robbins, General Manager of the Coachella Valley Water District. “The Southern California Water Committee’s informational workshop was a value-added event for our agency staff to attend. The quality insight and practical advice the panelists offered on properly submitting an urban water management plan will be of great benefit to us as we move forward.”

SCWC has now hosted three workshops in the Southern California region during the past year, bringing together some of the foremost experts in the field. Last week’s event included representatives from the California Department of Water Resources, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, Municipal Water District of Orange County, Long Beach Water Department, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, McCormick Kidman & Behrens, and Best Best & Krieger, who shared their insights on preparing sounds plans that meet all applicable legal mandates.

“Our organization is committed to providing members with important information and strategic guidance on statewide and regional water policy,” said Rich Atwater, executive director for SCWC. “On behalf of our organization, I want to thank our experts who donated their time and resources to make this event series so successful.”

SCWC’s Urban Water Planning Task Force has taken a leading role in developing and managing this workshop series and the accompanying guidance for SCWC members, and will continue its important work on water supply planning for Southern California.

                                                                                        ###

Established in 1984, the Southern California Water Committee is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, public education partnership dedicated to informing Southern Californians about our water needs and our state’s water resources.  Spanning Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Imperial, Riverside, Ventura and Kern Counties, the SCWC’s members include representatives from business, government, agriculture, water agencies, labor and the general public.  Visit us at www.socalwater.org and find us on Facebook.