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Agenda Report
June 15, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Municipal Services Committee (June 9,2026)
FROM: Water and Power Department
SUBJECT: PUBLIC HEARING FOR CITY COUNCIL ADOPTION OF THE PASADENA 2025 URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN AND
WATER SHORTAGE CONTINGENCY PLAN
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Find that the 2025 Urban Water Management Plan ("UWMP") and Water Shortage Contingency Plan ("WSCP") are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act j pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15282(v), which exempts from CEQA the preparation and adoption of urban water management plans pursuant to the Water Code;
2. Conduct a public hearing on June 15, 2026, to receive comments on the UWMP and the WSCP; and
3. Adopt a resolution approving the 2025 UWMP and WSCP immediately following the public hearing and incorporating any changes the Council deems necessary.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
As an urban water supplier, Pasadena Water and Power ("PWP") has prepared the 2025 UWMP to comply with the requirements of the California Water Code ("CWC"). The UWMP demonstrates Pasadena's long-term water supply and resource planning and ensures adequate water supplies are available to meet current and future water demands. The 2025 UWMP complies with applicable California Law and must be adopted by the City of Pasadena and submitted to the State Department of Water Resourcesby July 1,2026.
Adoption of the UWMP and WSCP does not impose rate changes or operational limitations on residents or businesses. These documents serve as State-required planning tools that outline how Pasadena will ensure reliable, sustainable water service MEETING OF.06/15/2026AGENDA ITEM NO.11
Public Hearing and Adoption of 2025 Urban Water Management Plan & Water Shortage Contingency Plan June 15, 2026
in normal years as well as during drought or other shortage conditions. Implementation actions described in the plans occur only if specific shortage triggers are met.
The UWMP consists of the following: water system description, water supplies and demands, water supply reliability, drought risk assessment, demand management measures, and climate change impacts over a twenty-year period, which PWP is proceeding beyond the requirements of the Act by developing a plan that spans twenty- five years.
Based on the analyses conducted in the 2025 UWMP, PWP has sufficient supplies from local groundwater in the Raymond Basin and imported water as made available by The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California ("MWD"). Furthermore, PWP will continue implementing its comprehensive water conservation programs, replacing wells, improving groundwater operations, upgrading water facilities, and implementing projects to enhance recharge operations. These actions will continue to reduce water demands and increase local supply, thus continuing to strengthen supply reliability and system resiliency.
The WSCP is a stand-alone document that details actions PWP intends to implement in case of an actual water shortage condition. The WSCP anticipates a water supply shortage and provides pre-planned guidance for managing and mitigating the shortage based on Pasadena's existing "Water Waste Prohibitions and Water Supply Shortage Plans" (Pasadena Municipal Code Chapter 13.10). The WSCP must address droughts and other catastrophic emergencies, such as earthquakes, regional power outages, and others through established demand management measures that provide additional means of maintaining adequate water supply to protect public health and safety.
BACKGROUND:
Regulatory Requirements for UWMP
To ensure adequate water supply planning, the Urban Water Management Planning Act (CWC Sections 10610 through 10656) requires that every urban water supplier that provides water to more than 3,000 customers or supplies more than 3,000 acre-feet ("AF") of water annually shall prepare and adopt an UWMP every five years. The State Department of Water Resources provides guidance on the framework of the UWMP in the "2025 UWMP Guidebook for Urban Water Suppliers." PWP's UWMP closely follows the recommended outline in the Guidebook to ensure full compliance with the law and eligibility for State grants and loans. PWP last fulfilled the requirement for the UWMP with the City Council's adoption of the 2020 UWMP on June 7, 2021.
Current and Projected Water Use
In 2025, PWP supplied approximately 26,400 acre-feet of water to serve its over 38,600 customer accounts (approximately 165,500 people), qualifying PWP as an "urban water supplier". In 2009, the State Legislature passed the Water Conservation Act, referred to as Senate Bill ("SB") X7-7, with targets and compliance to be reported in the UWMP. SB Public hlearing and Adoption of 2025 Urban Water Management Plan & Water Shortage Contingency Plan June 15, 2026
X7-7 requires each urban retail water supplier to reduce urban per capita water use by 20% by December 31, 2020, when compared to a baseline calculated using the ten-year average water use for the period from calendar years 1995 to 2004. By 2020 Pasadena surpassed its 20% reduction goal by achieving 153 gallons per capita per day, which is about 27% less than the 211 gallons per capita per day calculated baseline.
Future projections through the 25-year planning horizon include mandated reductions enacted by SB 606 (Hertzberg, 2018) and Assembly Bill ("AB") 1668 (Friedman, 2018) These regulations establish water use objectives and long-term standards for efficient water use for urban retail water suppliers, including PWP. Standards apply to indoor residential water use; outdoor residential water use; Commercial, Industrial, Institutional ("Cll") water use, and water loss. Based on these standards, maximum water budgets are determined for each urban retail water supplier. The regulations were finalized in 2024 with more stringent standards between 2025 and 2040, with enforcement from the State Water Resources Control Board beginning in 2027. Required reporting began in 2024 and Pasadena continues to be in compliance with the state's urban water use objectives.
Water Supply Reliability, Water Shortage Contingency Plan, and Drought Risk Assessment
The Urban Water Management Planning Act requires suppliers to conduct three key planning analyses to evaluate supply reliability. The first is a water service reliability assessment that compares total long-term projected water use with water supply sources available to the water supplier for normal, dry, and multiple dry water years in five-year increments over the next twenty years, at a minimum. The second analysis is a drought risk assessment ("DRA") that is required to be based on the driest five-year historic sequence for the agency's water supply. Additionally, CWC Section 10635 also requires that the analysis consider plausible changes in climate, regulations, and other locally applicable criteria which may impact supplies and demands. The third analysis is the water shortage contingency plan, which is a detailed proposal for actions PWP intends to implement during actual water shortage conditions.
PWP's water supply portfolio consists of a blend of local groundwater and imported supplies. About one-third to one-half is groundwater from the Raymond Basin, with the remainder purchased from MWD. MWD, the regional wholesaler for 26 member agencies, including Pasadena, relies primarily on the State Water Project supplies and Colorado River water. PWP supply reliability depends on both local groundwater conditions and MWD's imported water resources. MWD's reliability assessment was used in the development of Pasadena's UWMP.
In the reliability assessment, PWP anticipates sufficient water supplies to meet its projected demands through 2050 in all water year types (normal, single-dry, and multiple dry years). Supply and demand projections in acre-feet per year ("AFY") for multiple dry years are summarized in Table 1. In general, imported water supplies from MWD would be purchased in volumes needed to meet the difference between demands and local supplies.
Public hlearing and Adoption of 2025 Urban Water Management Plan & Water Shortage Contingency Plan June 15, 2026
Table 1- Multiple Dry-Year Supply and Demand Comparison (AFY) 2030
Groundwater-Raymond Basin1 I 9,789
2035 2040 2045 2050
9,7899,7899,7899,789
Water from MWD219,677 | 19,348 | 18,776 | 18,41018,482
Water from other sources100100100100100
Supply Totals29,566 | 29,237 | 28,665 | 28,299 | 28,371 Demand Totals329,566 | 29,237 | 28,665 | 28,299 | 28,371 1 Projected dry-year groundwater supplies are equal to voluntary reduced pumping rights of 9,233 AFY plus 556 AFY of average spreading credits for the period 2014-2018. 2MWD has determined it has supply capabilities sufficient to meet its member agencies' demands under a single dry year condition and a period of drought lasting five consecutive water years. 3 Demand Totals include regulatory required indoor and outdoor reductions under SB 606 and AB 1668.
For the DRA, PWP used the drought period from 2014-2018, as it was the driest five-year sequence to date. Similar to the results of the reliability analyses for dry year scenarios, DRA projections indicate sufficient supplies to meet demands. This analysis and results are provided in Chapter 7 of the UWMP.
The WSCP is a stand-alone document, which may be amended as needed and provides pre-planned guidance for managing and mitigating a water supply shortage based on Pasadena's existing "Water Waste Prohibitions and Water Supply Shortage Plans" (Pasadena Municipal Code Chapter 13.10). Due to the sufficiency of supplies projected in the DRA, the WSCP is not anticipated to be implemented unless certain water shortage conditions are met. These specific conditions are outlined in the WSCP, which is included as Appendix E of the UWMP.
Chapter 9 of the UWMP describes the Demand Management Measures to help lower demands and improve water service reliability. The measures include water waste prevention ordinances, advanced metering, public education and outreach, water conservation program coordination, and programs to assess and manage water system losses.
Public Notice, Review, and Hearing
The CWC requires PWP to coordinate its water supply planning with neighboring agencies and Los Angeles County ("LA County"), and conduct a public hearing to accept comments. The agencies were notified of the availability of the UWMP and the WSCP online at PWPweb.com/UWMP on May 7,2026.
PWP has executed the following milestone activities prior to the public hearing, which has allowed for a participatory process while also fulfilling statutory requirements. In January 2026, 60-day notification letters were sent to affected cities and LA County. The Public Draft 2025 UWMP and WSCP were published on PWP's website on May 7, 2026.
Public Hearing and Adoption of 2025 Urban Water Management Plan & Water Shortage Contingency Plan June 15, 2026
PageS of 6
The Public Hearing Notifications were published in the Pasadena Press on May 18, 2026, and May 25, 2026. Public comments can be provided during the Public Hearing on June 8, 2026.
COUNCIL POLICY CONSIDERATION:
The proposed resolution is consistent with the City's mission delivering exemplary municipal services with respect to adequate access to safe drinking water and sustainable management of Pasadena's drinking water sources. It is also consistent with the General Plan Land Use Element and the City Council's Strategic Planning Goals. It is required for regulatory compliance as well as achieving City Council goals to increase conservation and sustainability.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
State CEQA Guidelines Section 15282(v) sets forth a statutory exemption that specifically exempts from environmental review "the preparation and adoption of urban water management plans pursuant to the provisions of Section 1 0652 of the Water Code". In turn, section 10652 of the Water Code refers back to urban water management plans prepared pursuant to section 10632 of the Water Code. The UWMP is prepared pursuant to these sections of the Water Code and therefore falls under this exemption.
Public Hearing and Adoption of 2025 Urban Water Management Plan & Water Shortage Contingency Plan June 15, 2026
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of the UWMP will have no incremental fiscal impact on the Water Fund. The indirect or support cost requirements will be addressed annually in the Water Operating Budget. There is no impact to the General Fund.
Respectfully submitted,
DAVID M. REYES
General Manager
Water and Power Department
Prepared by:
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Stacie N. Takeguchi
Chief Assistant General Manager
Water and Power Department
Approved by:
MATTHEW E. KAWKESWORTH
Interim City Manager
Attachment A - 2025 Public Draft Urban Water Management Plan