DATE: June 15, 2026
TO: President and Members of the Estero Municipal Improvement District (EMID) Board of Directors
VIA: Stefan Chatwin, District Manager
Marlene Subhashini, Assistant District Manager
FROM: Andrew Brozyna, Public Works Director
Yelena Cappello, Principal Management Analyst
DEPARTMENT: Public Works
SUBJECT: PUBLIC HEARING AND ADOPTION OF THE 2025 URBAN
WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN AMD WATER SHORTAGE
CONTINGENCY PLAN
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the EMID Board of Directors adopt the attached resolution adopting the 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and Water Shortage Contingency Plan.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Adoption of the Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) and Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP) is required by State law. The UWMP serves as a foundational planning document for urban water suppliers to assess water demands, supplies, and supply reliability over a 20-year planning horizon under normal, single- dry-year, and multiple-dry-year conditions. The UWMP also summarizes water conservation, water management, and supply reliability planning activities.
The WSCP is incorporated as part of the UWMP and establishes EMID’s planned response to potential water shortage conditions. The WSCP identifies shortage response actions for shortages ranging from 0% to greater than 50%.
Pursuant to the Urban Water Management Planning Act, EMID is required to update its UWMP every five years and submit the adopted plan to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR). Following adoption, the final 2025 UWMP and WSCP will be submitted electronically to DWR, provided to the California State Library, and posted on the City’s website.
The 2025 UWMP incorporates updated water demand projections based on the 2025 Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) Demand Study, updated population and employment forecasts, and continued passive and active conservation assumptions. Although population and employment are projected to increase, projected water demand remains relatively consistent due to recent lower water-use trends, continued conservation and water-use efficiency The 2025 UWMP also reflects newer regulatory requirements, including the Making Conservation a California Way of Life framework, and includes updated dry-year reliability analysis related to potential Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (Bay-Delta Plan) impacts.
BACKGROUND
The Urban Water Management Planning Act requires urban water suppliers that provide water to more than 3,000 customers or supply more than 3,000 acre-feet of water annually to prepare and adopt an UWMP. The UWMP is intended to evaluate whether adequate water supplies are available to meet existing and future water needs over a 20-year planning period.
The UWMP Act also requires water suppliers to prepare a WSCP. The WSCP identifies how a supplier will prepare for and respond to water shortages, including drought conditions, supply interruptions, and other shortage events. To comply with the UWMP Act, water suppliers are required to update and submit their UWMP to the Department of Water Resources every five years.
Bay-Delta Plan Amendment Implementation
The State Water Resources Control Board oversees the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary Water Quality Control Plan, commonly known as the Bay-Delta Plan. In December 2018, the State Water Board adopted amendments to the Bay-Delta Plan that would establish new flow requirements for the lower San Joaquin River and its tributaries, including the Tuolumne River, which is a primary source of supply for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Regional Water System. If implemented as adopted, the 2018 Bay-Delta Plan amendments would require increased instream flow releases on the affected tributaries during February through June. These requirements are intended to support fish and wildlife and could reduce the amount of water available for storage and delivery through the SFPUC Regional Water System during dry years.
The 2018 Bay-Delta Plan amendments have not been fully implemented due to litigation and continued consideration of potential alternative approaches, including the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes proposal. These alternative approaches generally include a combination of flow commitments, habitat restoration, and other measures intended to improve ecosystem conditions while addressing water supply impacts.
At this time, the final implementation of the Bay-Delta Plan amendments, or any alternative agreement, remains uncertain. As a result, the 2025 UWMP continues to evaluate potential dry-year supply reliability risks associated with implementation of the Bay-Delta Plan based on information provided by SFPUC and BAWSCA.
ANALYSIS
The UWMP and WSCP have been prepared in accordance with the Urban Water Management Planning Act and in cooperation with BAWSCA, SFPUC, and the BAWSCA member agencies.
Water Demand
During normal, non-drought years, SFPUC is expected to meet EMID’s projected demands. EMID’s Individual Supply Guarantee from SFPUC is approximately 2,154 million gallons (MG) per year. Based on the 2025 demand of 1,473 MG, EMID is using approximately 68% of its Individual Supply Guarantee. Although population and employment are projected to increase over the planning period, total water demand is expected to remain relatively consistent. Growth-related demand is largely offset by continued conservation and efficiency savings, recent lower water-use trends, stable or reduced landscape demand, and anticipated reductions in system water losses. EMID has implemented and will continue to implement active conservation measures, such as rebates, outreach, advanced meter infrastructure (AMI) customer water-use monitoring, and management of distribution system water loss
Supply Reliability
The key supply reliability constraints evaluated in the UWMP include drought conditions, and potential regulatory actions such as implementation of the Bay-Delta Plan amendments. SFPUC is continuing to evaluate strategies to meet its contractual obligations and adopted service level goals, including alternative agreements, regional supply projects, and other water supply reliability efforts.
If the Bay-Delta Plan amendments are implemented as adopted, SFPUC has indicated that it would be able to meet system demands during normal years but is projected to experience supply shortages during dry years. Based on SFPUC’s water service reliability data, EMID is also projected to experience dry-year SFPUC supply shortages if the Bay-Delta Plan amendments are implemented as adopted.
SFPUC is also evaluating additional water supply reliability strategies, including potable reuse, groundwater banking, dry-year transfers, storage expansion, and other regional partnerships. However, because the outcome of the Bay-Delta Plan process and alternative agreements remains uncertain, the 2025 UWMP continues to evaluate dry- year supply reliability risks using the current regional supply reliability projections assuming the Bay-Delta Plan amendments are implemented as adopted.
If additional water supply becomes available through adoption of alternative agreements or implementation of SFPUC’s Alternative Water Supply Program, EMID may amend the UWMP as appropriate.
Water Shortage Contingency Plan
The WSCP is a planning document designed to prepare for and respond to water shortages. It concentrates on the reduction of non-essential water uses such as landscape irrigation and other discretionary outdoor water use and gives the highest priority to preserving water uses that are essential to the health, safety, welfare, and economic vitality of EMID’s customers. The 2025 WSCP includes six levels corresponding to increasing ranges of water shortages:
Water Shortage Level Demand Reduction Target
Level 1 Up to 10%
Level 2 Up to 20%
Level 3 Up to 30%
Level 4 Up to 40%
Level 5 Up to 50%
Level 6 Greater than 50%
The WSCP identifies specific shortage response actions for each of the six levels, including water-use prohibitions that are in effect at all times regardless of a declared water shortage. This planning framework is intended to help maintain reliable supplies and reduce the impacts of supply interruptions through proactive management. The WSCP provides EMID with a structured guide for responding to water shortages, including standardized shortage levels, pre-established response actions, and procedures for catastrophic supply interruptions. If shortage conditions arise, EMID’s governing body, staff, and the public can identify and implement the appropriate steps to manage the shortage.
Upon declaration of a water shortage by the SFPUC or the State, staff would return to the EMID Board with a resolution to implement the appropriate water shortage condition and corresponding restrictions identified in the WSCP.
Public Noticing
State law requires a public hearing prior to adoption of the UWMP and associated WSCP, as well as notification regarding preparation and planned adoption of the plans.
EMID sent a notice of preparation of the plans on March 6, 2026, and a notice of public hearing on May 27, 2026, to water agencies in the region, neighboring cities, and the County of San Mateo. Public notice of the hearing is being provided through publication in the Foster City Islander on June 3, 2026, and June 10, 2026. A press release regarding the public hearing was issued on May 28, 2026. The draft 2025 UWMP and WSCP were also posted on the City’s website and a copy placed in the City Hall lobby for public review.
CEQA
Pursuant to Section 10652 of the CWC and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15282 (v), the CEQA does not apply to the preparation and adoption of UWMPs.
FISCAL IMPACT
No additional appropriations or resources are anticipated to finalize and adopt the 2025 UWMP and WSCP.
CITY COUNCIL VISION, MISSION, AND VALUE/PRIORITY AREA
Facilities and Infrastructure
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 - Resolution
Attachment 2 - Hyperlink - UWMP and associated WSCP (Draft posted on www.fostercity.org/UWMP)