Agenda Item No: P.7
AGENDA REPORT
DATE: June 16, 2026
TO: Acting Mayor and Council
FROM: David Gassaway, City Manager
SUBJECT: Resolution 2026-124 PW 2025 Urban Water Management Plan Update Adoption
Adoption of the 2025 City of Fairfield Urban Water Management Plan
Funding Source: N/A
Contact: Michael J. Hether, (707) 428-7493
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Adopt resolution.
STATEMENT OF ISSUE
Under California law, the City of Fairfield is required to prepare and adopt an Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) every five years. The most recent UWMP was adopted by the City Council on June 15, 2021. The City is required to submit the updated UWMP to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) by July 1, 2026.
DISCUSSION
The Urban Water Management Planning Act (Act) was adopted by the California state legislature as Assembly 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 five 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 ensur e 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 w ater 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 multiple dry years. A UWMP plan generally describes and eval uates water supply sources, projected population, future water demands,
demand management measures, strategies for responding to water shortages, and other relevant information to ensure an appropriate level of reliability in water supply and demand forecasting.
Legislation enacted in 2018 requires water suppliers to develop a stand -alone Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP). The WSCP outlines actions to be taken during drought conditions or catastrophic water supply shortages. Maintaining the WSCP as a separate document from the UWMP allows updates and amendments to be made independently without revising the UWMP.
Accordingly, the 2025 WSCP is included as Appendix B of the 2025 UWMP.
The proposed UWMP and WSCP update provides a comprehensive look at th e 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.
Previous up dates have also addressed the implementation of water conservation goals. This update continues those efforts by promoting water conservation best management practices focused on preventing water waste, improving irrigation efficiency in both existing and newly landscaped areas, increasing water-use efficiency within the business community, and expanding public outreach and education efforts. Through sound planning and ongoing investment in the City’s water utility system, the City has maintained a highly r eliable water supply for the community.
The City must adopt and submit both the UWMP and the WSCP to DWR by July 1, 2026, in accordance with State regulations.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
N/A
PUBLIC CONTACT/ADVISORY BODY RECOMMENDATION
Staff notified the Cities and County that the Administrative Draft of the Urban Water Management Plan was available for review and comment. In addition, a public hearing will be held.
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
Attachment 2: Proposed Resolution
Attachment 3: Proposed 2025 Urban Water Management Plan Update