2025 Urban Water
Management Plan &
Water Shortage
Contingency Plan
City Council
June 8, 2026 www.paloalto.gov
2 BACKGROUND
• The City has been filing Urban Water Management Plans (UWMP) since 1985. The State requires cities to adopt an UWMP every five years demonstrating water supply reliability over a 20-year planning timeframe based on development plans in normal, dry and multiple dry years.
• 2025 UWMP must be adopted by City Council and submitted to the DWR by July 1, 2026. • Palo Alto must have a current UWMP on file to be eligible for any water grant or loan administered by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the State Water Resources Control Board.
• City is drawing up to $192 million, on a reimbursement basis, from a State Revolving Fund loan at 0.8% interest to finance the Secondary Treatment Upgrades project at the Regional Water Quality Control Plant.
3 WHAT UWMP IS AND IS NOT:
• Follows prescriptive California Water Code
regulatory requirements
• Palo Alto must demonstrate that it can meet
future demands associated with growth
• Growth based on Palo Alto planning
requirements for Regional Housing Needs
Allocation and Housing Element
• Required components: water demand
analysis, water supply reliability assessment,
Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP)
• 100% of Palo Alto’s Water Supply is from
SFPUC’s Regional Water System
• Not a contractual or legal agreement
• Not a long-term commitment to a
particular demand forecast or
alternative water supply investment
• Not a rate-setting document
4 PALO ALTO WATER DEMAND
City of Palo Alto Water Supply Purchases – Actual and Forecast Water Sales by Customer Class (FY 2025)
5 WATER SHORTAGE CONTINGENCY PLAN (WSCP)
Plan Stage Target Water
Savings
I Up to 10%
II 10%-20%
III 20%-30%
IV 30%-40%
V 40%-50%
VI >50%
Actions tailored to each stage including:
▪ Information Outreach and Audit Program
▪ Demand Side Management Programs
▪ Rate Structures
▪ Water Use Restrictions
Restrictions escalate by stage:
▪ Stage I: Basic waste prevention
▪ Stages II-V: Increasing limits on irrigation
and other nonessential uses
▪ Stage V: No new water service
connections are permitted unless offset
▪ Stage VI: Water use for health and safety
only, with limited irrigation for trees
6 2025 UWMP AND WSCP ADOPTION SCHEDULE
• March 31 – UAC discussion of preliminary information on the UWMP and WSCP • May 6 – UAC approved the UWMP , WSCP , did not recommend revisions, and voted to attach Commissioner Gupta’s companion memo for awareness (Attachment C) o Substitute Motion to add seven edits from Commissioner Gupta’s memo failed 2-4-1 o Substitute Motion to submit Commissioner Gupta’s Companion Memo to the City Council as additional information passed 4-1-1-1
• June 8 – Council Review and Adoption
• July 1 – Deadline to file with California Department of Water Resources The City of Palo Alto’s Draft 2025 UWMP and WSCP can be viewed at:
https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/Utilities/Water/Water-Resources/Urban-Water- Management-Plan
7 RECOMMENDED MOTION
Recommendation to Adopt a Resolution Adopting the 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and a Resolution Adopting the 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan. CEQA Status: Not a project.
www.paloalto.gov
QUESTIONS & DISCUSSION