City of Merced
2025 Urban W ater Managem ent Plan &
2025 W ater Shortage Contingency Plan
Presented by B lack W ater Consulting Engineers
Presenters
Bao Cha, EITRyen Simpson, PE
State Requirem ents
Urban Water Management Planning Act (AB 797),
Water Code Section 10610 – 10657
• Requires urban water suppliers to prepare and
adopt an UWMP
• Urban Water Suppliers = agencies servicing
3,000 or more connections or supplying more
than 3,000 acre-feet of water annually
• Update required every 5 years
• Required for eligibility for State grants and loans
P urpose
Evaluate future water demands, assess available supplies, prepare for drought conditions, and identify conservation and infrastructure improvements needed to maintain reliable service.
2025 UW MP Overview
Chapter Key Component
1 UWMP Introduction and Lay Description
2 UWMP Preparation
3 Service Area Description
4 Water Use Characterization
5 SB X7-7 Baseline, 2020 Targets, and 2025 Targeting
6 Normal-Year Water Supply Characterization
7 Water Service Reliability and Drought Risk Assessment 8 Water Shortage Contingency Plan
9 Demand Management Measures
10 UWMP Adoption, Submittal, and Implementation
Changes to UW MP Since 2020
Per Section 1.1 of the UWMP Guidebook,
Finalized January 2026:
• Minor Adjustments to Water Code
• Classification for Suppliers to
Multiple Public Water Systems
• UWMP Submittal Tables
• 2028 Water Loss Standard Reporting
• Lower-Income Housing Water Use
Monitoring Guidance
• Groundwater Recharge and Storage
Reporting Guidance
System D escription
2025 Municipal Connections 2025: 24,818
2025 Volume of Water Supplied:
19,138 Acre Feet or 6,236 Million Gallons
98,030 Residents
Water Use Categories include Single Family,
Multi-Family, Commercial, Industrial,
Landscape, Other, and Water Loss
Historical & Current W ater Usage
20,081 20,183 20,320
18,829 19,483 19,138
0 5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Volume (AF)
Total
Water Loss
All Other Demand
Commercial
Residential
Current & P rojected W ater Usage
19,138
18,938 19,531 20,143 20,775
0 5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
2025 2030 2035 2040 2045
Volume (AF)
Total
Water Loss
All Other Demand
Commercial
Residential
Senate B ill X7 - 7 W ater Use Reduction Com pliance
2025 Urban
Water Use:
174 GPCD
2020 Urban
Water Use:
181 GPCD
2020 Urban
Water Use
Target:
248 GPCD
• 20% reduction
from baseline daily
per capita water
use
Baseline:
298 GPCD
• Baseline daily per
capita water use
• Average from
2001-2010
Target Met!
City eligible to receive a
water grant or loan
from the State
20% Reduction
As per Senate Bill 555, each urban retail water supplier will be required to comply, by 2028, with an individualized volumetric water loss standard for the supplier’s real loss.
Each supplier’s standard was calculated using the economic model developed by the State Water Board and the supplier’s own unique data.
2028 Real W ater Loss Standard
Baseline Real Loss
Standard:
40.9 GPSCD
2028 Real Loss
Standard:
12.8 GPSCD
(Most Recent Water
Loss Audit) 2023 Real
Loss Value:
21.1 GPSCD
68.6%
reduction
W ater Supply & R eliability
Existing Groundwater Supply
• 21 Active Wells
• Total Well Capacity approximately 56,900
gallons per minute (gpm)
Future Groundwater Supply
• 4 Planned Wells
• Well Capacity approximately 2,500 gpm each
Future Surface Water Supply
• Planned Construction of a Surface Water
Treatment Plant
• Capable of producing 10 mgd
• Stand-alone document included with
the UWMP
• Provides plan to identify and respond to
potential water shortage
• Currently the City has enacted Water
Shortage Level 2 to mitigate the total
amount of water usage across the City.
• Demand Reduction Actions (DRAs) are
being implemented to reach these goals
as per the Water Shortage Contingency
Plan and the City’s Ordinance.
W ater Shortage Contingency P lan
Water Shortage Contingency Plan Levels
Water
Shortage
Level
Percent
Shortage
Range
Shortage Response Actions
1 Up to 10% Prohibits outdoor water wasting activities. Commercial and industrial water conservation measures.
2 Up to 20% Increases landscape irrigation limits.
3 Up to 30% Increases landscape irrigation limits.
4 Up to 40% Increases landscape irrigation limits.
5 Up to 50% Prohibits most landscape irrigation.
6 > 50% Prohibits all landscape irrigation.
• Water Waste Prevention Ordinances
• Water Metering
• Conservation Pricing
• Public Education and Outreach
• Water Audits
• Program Coordination and Staffing Support
• Additional DMMs
• Residential Plumbing Retrofit
• Washing Machine Rebate
• Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Conservation Programs • Turf Replacement Initiative
Dem and Managem ent Measures (W ater Conservation)
Adoption, Submittal, and Implementation Process
Initial Preparation Notices
April 6, 2026
Two Newspaper Notices
May 20 & May 27, 2026
Presentation and
Public Hearing
June 15, 2026
Adopt 2025 UWMP and
WSCP
• Within 30 days, submit
documents to DWR,
California State Library, and
other local agencies.
• Documents will be available
for public review.
Questions?
THANK YOU