DATE: September 2, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
Honorable President and Board Members
FROM: Utilities Department
2026-026
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AND
CORONA UTILITY AUTHORITY ACTION
SUBJECT:
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH WATERFLUENCE FOR
LANDSCAPE IRRIGATION EFFICIENCY REGULATORY COMPLIANCE SUPPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to execute a Professional Services Agreement with Waterfluence, LLC. to support compliance with Senate Bill 606, Assembly Bill 1668, and Assembly Bill 1572. Waterfluence, LLC. will assess and classify irrigated landscape areas for Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional accounts, develop State-compliant GIS data, identify Special Landscape Areas and Non-Functional Turf, and provide a water budget platform with customer support and ongoing reporting.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Authorize an appropriation in the amount of $200,000 to the Utilities Department‘s Sustainability and Conservation Operating Budget and an estimated revenue increase in the amount of $15,000 for a reimbursement from Western Water Municipal Water District in the Water Utility Fund (FD_1570). b. Authorize a bid award with Waterfluence, LLC. in the amount of $200,000 for Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Regulatory Compliance Support pursuant to Corona Municipal Code Section 3.08.125(B) - Competitive bidding already completed.
c. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to negotiate and execute the Professional Services Agreement with Waterfluence, LLC. in the amount of $200,000 during the initial fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, and an additional $100,000 per year for the second and third year, including any non-substantive extensions, change orders, purchase orders and amendments up to the amount authorized in the Corona Municipal Code Section 3.08.070(G), which is equivalent to 10% or $20,000 during the initial fiscal year, and $10,000 per year for the second and third year.
d. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to issue a purchase order to Waterfluence, LLC. in the amount of $200,000 for the initial fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, and an additional $100,000 per year for the second and third year, with the initial contract term ending June 30, 2029, and optional one-year renewals hereinafter.
That the Corona Utility Authority review, ratify, and to the extent necessary, direct that the City Council take the above actions.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
California’s long-term water conservation framework, “Making Conservation a California Way of Life” (Senate Bill (SB) 606 and Assembly Bill (AB) 1668), requires urban water suppliers to adopt more precise, data-driven methods for managing outdoor water use.
These laws direct the State Water Board to develop standards that ensure Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional (CII) property-type landscapes are measured accurately, and their respective water budgets can be enforced statewide. Over time, these regulations have evolved into specific mandates, targeting how cities must quantify CII-irrigated landscape areas and report annual water-use performance.
In July 2024, the State Water Board formally adopted the water conservation framework, “Making Conservation a California Way of Life,” which set the CII Dedicated Irrigation Meter (DIM) Standard. This standard requires every water supplier—including the City of Corona—to measure and substantiate irrigated landscape areas for all CII-DIM accounts by July 1, 2028. These measurements will serve as a foundation for the State-approved water budgets that become enforceable on that date. The regulation also established a Mixed-Use Meter (MUM) threshold, requiring identification of large CII mixed-use sites by June 30, 2027, with further compliance steps due by 2029.
Additionally, the passage of Non-Functional Turf restrictions (AB 1572) created a statewide ban on irrigating non-functional turf (NFT) - first for government properties by January 1, 2027, and then for all CII properties by January 1, 2028. This means that the City must be able to properly identify/map NFTs and notify customers, support compliance, and prepare for enforcement. These obligations, along with new annual reporting requirements that began on January 1, 2025, have made accurate landscape measurements and site-specific water budget tools – essential operational needs for water suppliers, such as the City of Corona.
Together, SB 606, AB 1668, and AB 1572 mandate the state requirements that necessitate the recommended professional services agreement with Waterfluence, LLC (Waterfluence). To comply, Corona must complete high-accuracy landscape measurements, classify sensitive land types, such as special landscape areas and NFT, and deploy a platform that generates water budgets, supports customers, and produces State-ready reporting outputs. Waterfluence’s work ensures the City has the technical, regulatory, and customer engagement infrastructure that is required for full compliance with the State’s water-use efficiency standards.
ANALYSIS:
On May 7, 2026, the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) published a request for proposal (RFP) for a multi-year comprehensive program to measure, classify, and manage Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional irrigated landscapes, while deploying a water budgeting platform to ensure compliance with SB 606, AB 1668, and AB 1572 – and received one (1) bid. The IEUA determined that Waterfluence, LLC. can successfully provide the level of services required at a reasonable cost.
In turn, the City of Corona’s Utilities Department staff evaluated the IEUA’s determination and decided that it meets Corona’s comprehensive program requirements. Staff believes that Competitive Bidding has been accomplished for these services pursuant to Corona Municipal Code Section 3.08.125(B), which states as follows:
“Competitive Bidding already completed.” When the purchasing agent and the authorized contracting party, with the approval of the City Manager, determines that:
(1) A competitive bid procedure has been conducted by another public agency...; and
(2) The price to the city is equal to or better than the price to that public agency.” Additionally, the price to the City is equal to or better than the prices outlined in the IEUA Professional Services Contract. Waterfluence’s scope of work and pricing is shown below:
Description IEUA
Unit Cost
City of Corona
Unit Cost
Site Set-up $88 $85
Ongoing Maintenance $66 $62
Landscape Field Survey (LFS) $1,800 $1,800
Year 1 $88 + $66 + needed LFS $85 + $62 + needed LFS
Year 2 $66 + needed LFS $62 + needed LFS
Year 3 $66 + needed LFS $62 + needed LFS
The Utilities Department staff is requesting City Council consideration to approve the Professional Services Agreement with Waterfluence to develop a comprehensive program to measure, classify, and manage CII-irrigated landscapes, while deploying a water budgeting platform to ensure City of Corona’s compliance with SB 606, AB 1668, and AB 1572.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Approval of the recommended actions will result in an appropriation in the amount of $200,000 to the Utilities Department Sustainability and Conservation Operating Budget and an estimated revenue increase in the amount of $15,000 for a reimbursement from Western Water Municipal District in the Water Utility Fund (FD_1570). Funding for future fiscal years will be recommended through the annual budget process. An annual reimbursement request from Western Municipal Water District will be submitted in the amount of $15,000, and if approved, will be deposited into the Water Utility Fund (FD_1570) revenue account to offset the cost of this agreement.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the “common sense” exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action is to approve a professional services agreement with Waterfluence to assess irrigable landscape areas and deploy a water budgeting platform and there is no possibility that approving this agreement will have any impact on the environment.
Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: NADIYA BALUKH, SUSTAINABILITY SUPERVISOR
REVIEWED BY: TOM MOODY, DIRECTOR OF UTILITIES
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Waterfluence PSA
2. Exhibit 2 – IEUA Professional Services Contract