Agenda Item No: M.1
AGENDA REPORT
DATE: June 2, 2026
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: David Gassaway, City Manager
SUBJECT: PW 2025 Urban Water Management Plan Update
Public Hearing Regarding the Draft 2025 City of Fairfield Urban Water Management Plan
Funding Source: N/A
Contact: Michael J. Hether, (707) 428-7493
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Hold public hearing.
STATEMENT OF ISSUE
California law requires the City of Fairfield to prepare and adopt an Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) every 5 years. The last UWMP was adopted by the City Council on June 15, 2021, by Resolution No. 2021 -133. The City must submit the UWMP to the Departm ent of Water Resources (DWR) on or before July 1, 2026. A public hearing to receive input is required as part of the UWMP adoption process.
DISCUSSION
The Urban Water Management Planning Act (Act) was adopted by the California state legislature as Assemb ly Bill (AB) 797 in 1983. The Act requires all urban water suppliers exceeding a threshold of more than 3,000 customers or supplying more than 3,000 acre -feet (AF) annually, to develop an UWMP and to update it every 5 years. The City of Fairfield’s water system exceeds both thresholds and consequently has complied with provisions of the Act since inception. The DWR reviews all UWMPs to ensure that water suppliers are implementing effective water management strategies to support long-range planning activities.
UWMP is a planning document that supports long-term water resource planning, whose purpose is to ensure the availability of adequate water supplies for demands imposed by future growth.
Urban water suppliers are required to assess the reliability of water sources over a 20 -year planning horizon that considers normal, dry, and mul tiple dry years. A UWMP plan generally
describes and evaluates water supply sources, projected population, future water demands, demand management measures, strategies for responding to water shortages, and other relevant information to ensure an appropria te level of reliability in water supply and demand forecasting.
Legislation enacted in 2018 requires the development of a standalone water shortage contingency plan (WSCP). The WSCP is a document that provides a supplier with an action plan for a drought or catastrophic water supply shortage. Creating the WSCP as a separate document from the Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) allows for individual updates and revisions without the need to modify the UWMP itself. Therefore, the 2025 WSCP is included as Appendix B to the 2025 UWMP.
The proposed UWMP and WSCP update provides a comprehensive look at the City’s water sources and evaluates available supply alongside potential demands based on projected growth over the period of 202 5 to 204 5. The primary water sources for the City have been and will continue to be from the Solano Project (Lake Berryessa) and the State Water Project (SWP).
Projected demands imposed by future growth were taken from land use information taken from the City’s General Plan and Public Utility Master Plan.
Past updates have also incorporated the implementation of water conservation goals, and this update calls for a continuation of water conservation best management practices that focus on the prevention of water wa ste, increased irrigation efficiency in both existing and newly landscaped areas, improved efficiency in the business community, and enhanced public outreach efforts. Sound planning and a history of investment in the City’s water utility has resulted in a highly reliable water supply to serve our community.
The City must adopt and submit both the UWMP and the WSCP to DWR by July 1, 202 6.
Currently, the council is reviewing the draft versions of the UWMP and WSCP, as minor revisions are anticipated prior to the upcoming hearing on June 2, 2026. After receiving all feedback, the final versions of both documents will be prepared and presented for council approval at the meeting scheduled for June 16, 2026.
The Draft 2025 Urban Water Management Plan, including the Draft Water Shortage Contingency Plan (Appendix B) is available for viewing on the City of Fairfield website and a paper copy is available on the 3rd floor of City Hall in the Public Works Department.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
N/A
PUBLIC CONTACT/ADVISORY BODY RECOMMENDATION
Staff noticed the cities and County that the Administrative Draft of the Urban Water Management Plan was available for review and comment. Additionally, a Notice of Public hearing was published in the Daily Republic Newspaper.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
This action is mandatory pursuant to requirements of the Water Conservation Act and the Water Conservation Bill of 2009.
COORDINATED WITH
N/A
STAFF CONTACT
Michael J. Hether, Assistant Public Works Director - Utilities (707) 428-7493
[email protected]
ATTACHMENTS
N/A