Water Shortage
Contingency Plan
DRAFT
City of Rialto
APRIL 2026 CITY OF RIALTO
CITY OF RIALTO
Water Shortage
Contingency Plan DRAFT
APRIL 2026
Prepared by Water Systems Consulting, Inc and Blua
Consulting, LLC
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT was prepared by Water Systems Consulting, Inc. The primary authors are listed below.
Laine Carlson, PE
Ariana Lopez
Aaron Morland, PE
Patricia Parks, PE
Madeline Blua
Water Systems Consulting, Inc. would like to acknowledge the significant contributions of the City of Rialto. The primary contributors are listed below.
Toyasha Sebbag
Jason Pivovaroff, Dopudja & Wells
Rialto Water Services, as Operated by Veolia North America
Table of Contents
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT | i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
City of Rialto ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................. 1
1.0 Water Service Reliability Analysis ................................ ................................ .................... 3
2.0 Annual Water Supply and Demand Assessment Procedures ................................ .......... 3
3.0 Water Shortage Stages ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 5
4.0 Shortage Response Actions ................................ ................................ ............................ 8
4.1 Supply Augmentation ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 8
4.2 Demand Reduction ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 8
4.3 Operational Changes and Additional Mandatory Restrictions ................................ ......14
4.4 Emergency Response Plan ................................ ................................ .........................14
4.5 Seismic Risk Assessment and Mitigation Plan ................................ ............................14
4.6 Shortage Response Action Effectiveness ................................ ................................ ...15
5.0 Communication Protocols ................................ ................................ ............................... 15
6.0 Compliance and Enforcement ................................ ................................ ........................15
7.0 Legal Authority ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............16
7.1 Declaration of Water Shortage ................................ ................................ ....................16
7.2 Proclamation of Local Emergency ................................ ................................ ...............16
8.0 Financial Consequences of WSCP Implementation ................................ ........................16
9.0 Monitoring and Reporting ................................ ................................ ............................... 17
10.0 WSCP Refinement Procedures ................................ ................................ ...................17
11.0 Plan Adoption, Submittal, and Availability ................................ ................................ ...17 References ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................... 19 Attachment 1 ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................20 Attachment 2 ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................21
List of Figures
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT | ii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Regional and Retail Agency Annual Assessment Process and Timeline ..................... 5 Figure 2: Crosswalk to DWR Six Standard Stages ................................ ................................ ..... 7
List of Tables
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT | iii
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Annual Assessment Procedure ................................ ................................ .................... 4 Table 2: DWR 8-1 Water Shortage Contingency Plan Stages ................................ .................... 7 Table 3: DWR 8-2R Supply Augmentation & Other Actions................................ ........................ 8 Table 4: DWR 8-3R Demand Reduction Actions ................................ ................................ ........ 9
Acronyms & Abbreviations
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT | iv
ACRONYMS & ABBREVIATIONS
AWIA American Water Infrastructure Association
BTAC Basin Technical Advisory Committee
CWC California Water Code
CII Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional
DWR California Department of Water Resources
DRA Drought Risk Assessment
ERP Emergency Response Plan
RHWC Riverside Highland Water Company
RRA Risk and Resilience Assessment
RWS Rialto Water Services
RUWMP Regional Urban Water Management Plan
SBV San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District
SWP State Water Project
UW MP Urban Water Management Plan
WSCP Water Shortage Contingency Plan
WVWD West Valley Water District
Water Shortage Contingency Plan 1
City of Rialto
This Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP) is a strategic plan that the City of Rialto (Rialto or the City ) uses to prepare for and respond to water shortages .
A water shortage occurs when the water supply available is insufficient to meet the normally expected customer water use at a given point in time. A shortage may occur due to a number of reasons. This includes water supply quality changes, climate change, drought, regional power outages, and catastrophic events (e.g., earthquakes). Additionally, the State may declare a statewide drought emergency and mandate that water suppliers reduce demands. The WSCP serves as the operating manual that Rialto will use to prevent catastrophic service disruptions through proactive, rather than reactive, mitigation of water shortages.
This WSCP provides a process for an annual water supply and demand assessment and structured steps designed to respond to actual conditions. This level of detailed planning and preparation provides accountability and predictability to help Rialto maintain reliable supplies and reduce the impact of any supply shortages and/or interruptions.
This WSCP was prepared in conjunction with Rialto’s 2025 UWMP, which is included in the 2025 Regional Urban Water Management Plan (2025 RUWMP) and is a standalone document that can be modified as needed. This document is compliant with the California Water Code (CWC) Section 10632 and incorporates guidance from the State of California Department of Water Resources (DWR) UWMP Guidebook.
IN THIS S ECTIO N
• Water Service Reliability
• Annual Water Supply and
Demand Assessment
• Supply Shortage Stages and
Response Actions
City of Rialto
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT 2
The WSCP describes the following:
1. Water Service Reliability Analysis: Summarizes Rialto’s water supply analysis and reliability and identifies any key issues that may trigger a shortage condition.
2. Annual Water Supply and Demand Assessment Procedures: Describes the key data inputs, evaluation criteria, and methodology for assessing the system’s reliability for the coming year and the steps to formally declare any water shortage stages and response actions.
3. Water Shortage Stages: Establishes water shortage stages to clearly identify and prepare for shortages.
4. Shortage Response Actions: Describes the response actions that may be implemented or considered for each stage to reduce gaps between supply and demand.
5. Communication Protocols: Describes communication protocols under each stage to ensure customers, the public, and government agencies are informed of shortage conditions and requirements.
6. Compliance and Enforcement: Defines compliance and enforcement actions available to administer demand reductions.
7. Legal Authority: Lists the legal documents that grant the City the authority to declare a water shortage and implement and enforce response actions.
8. Financial Consequences of WSCP Implementation: Describes the anticipated financial impact of implementing water shortage stages and identifies mitigation strategies to offset financial burdens.
9. Monitoring and Reporting: Summarizes the monitoring and reporting techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of shortage response actions and overall WSCP implementation. Results are used to determine if shortage response actions should be adjusted.
10. WSCP Refinement Procedures: Describes the factors that may trigger updates to the WSCP and outlines how to complete an update.
11. Plan Adoption, Submittal, and Availability: Describes the process for the WSCP adoption, submittal, and availability after each revision.
City of Rialto
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT 3
1.0 Water Service Reliability Analysis
As part of the 2025 RUWMP, Rialto completed a water supply reliability analysis for normal, single-dry, and five-year consecutive dry year periods from 2030-2050. A Drought Risk Assessment (DRA) was also performed to analyze supply reliability under five consecutive years of drought from 2026-2030. As described in Chapter 3 of the 2025 RUWMP, the effects of a local drought are not immediately recognized since the region uses the local groundwater basins to simulate a large reservoir for long-term storage. Rialto is able to pump additional groundwater to meet increased demands in dry years and participates in efforts to replenish the basins with imported and local water through regional recharge programs. Additionally, Rialto implements several ongoing water conservation measures. Regional recharge programs and conservation help to optimize and enhance the use of regional water resources.
Based on the 2025 RUWMP analysis, Rialto’s water supply is reliable and not expected to see impactful change under drought conditions.
Even though localized drought conditions should not affect supply, other shortages may occur due to a number of reasons, such as water supply quality changes, regional power outage, State mandates for water use efficiency standards, and catastrophic events (e.g., earthquake).
Therefore, Rialto will use this WSCP as appropriate to address shortages and other supply emergencies.
2.0 Annual Water Supply and Demand
Assessment Procedures
As an urban water supplier, Rialto must prepare and submit an Annual Water Supply and Demand Assessment (Annual Assessment) by July 1 each year pursuant to CWC Section 10632.1. The Annual Assessment is an evaluation of the near-term outlook for supplies and demands to determine whether the potential for a supply shortage exists and whether there is a need to trigger a WSCP shortage stage and response actions in the current calendar year to maintain supply reliability. This process will take place at the same time each year based on known circumstances and information available to Rialto at the time of analysis and can be updated or revised at any time if circumstances change.
Rialto will convene an internal WSCP Team to conduct the Annual Assessment each year.
The WSCP Team may include the following staff:
• Director of Utilities
• Conservation Coordinator
• Rialto Water Services/Veolia Operations Staff
City of Rialto
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT 4
The Annual Assessment procedure, including key data inputs and evaluation criteria, is summarized in Table 1. The Annual Assessment procedure and timeline, along with how it integrates with the annual assessment that will be conducted on a regional basis in parallel, is shown graphically in Figure 1.
Table 1: Annual Assessment Procedure
TIMING
ASSESSMENT
ACTIVITIES
PROCEDURE, KEY DATA INPUTS, EVALUATION
CRITERIA, AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
STAFF
RESPONSIBLE
JAN-
FEB
Estimate
unconstrained
demands for
coming year
Demands will be estimated based on water sales
forecasts from annual budget or prior year demands plus any anticipated changes.
Director of
Utilities
JAN-
FEB
Estimate
available
supplies for the
year,
considering the
following year
will be dry
The Basin Technical Advisory Committee (BTAC) evaluates groundwater in storage each year. The Bunker Hill, Lytle Creek, Rialto-Colton, and Riverside North basins are
sustainably managed to provide storage for use in dry
years. In the unlikely event that local supplies are
reduced, Rialto will coordinate with the BTAC to identify anticipated supplies.
Director of
Utilities
JAN-
FEB
Consider
potential
constraints that
may impact
supply delivery
Identify any known regional or Rialto infrastructure issues that may pertain to near-term water supply reliability, including repairs, construction, and environmental
mitigation measures that may temporarily constrain
capabilities, as well as any new projects that may add to system capacity.
Identify any facilities out of service due to water quality problems, equipment failure, etc. that may impact normal water deliveries.
Identify any potential or emerging impacts to
groundwater quality, such as emerging regulatory
constraints that may limit use of available supplies for potable needs.
Rialto Water
Services
(RWS)/Veolia
FEB Convene
WSCP Team to
conduct Annual
Assessment
Compare supplies and demands and discuss any
constraints that may impact supply delivery. If the
potential for a shortage exists, determine which shortage response level and actions are recommended to
reduce/eliminate the shortage.
Additionally, if the State declares a drought state of
emergency and requires demand reductions, the WSCP
Team will determine which water shortage stage and
response actions are needed to comply with the State
mandate.
WSCP Team
City of Rialto
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT 5
TIMING
ASSESSMENT
ACTIVITIES
PROCEDURE, KEY DATA INPUTS, EVALUATION
CRITERIA, AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
STAFF
RESPONSIBLE
JUNE City Council If the potential for a shortage exists or the State has mandated demand reductions, the results of the Annual
Assessment will be presented to the Water Subcommittee
of the City Council, Utility Commission, and the Rialto City Council, including the recommended shortage stage and
response actions. The City Council may order the
implementation of a shortage stage and will adopt a
resolution declaring the applicable water shortage stage.
City Manager,
Cable
Advisory &
Utilities
Commission,
City Council
ON-
GOING
Implement
WSCP actions,
if needed
Relevant members of Rialto staff will implement shortage response actions associated with the declared water
shortage stage.
WSCP Team
BY
JULY 1
Submit Retail
Annual
Assessment
Send Final Retail Annual Assessment to DWR. WSCP Team
Figure 1: Regional and Retail Agency Annual Assessment Process and Timeline
3.0 Water Shortage Stages
With the exception of a catastrophic failure of infrastructure, Rialto does not foresee imposing a water shortage stage due to a supply shortage. Rialto may impose a water shortage stage to encourage efficient water use and to comply with State drought mandates, such as those that occurred in 2014 and again in 2022 with Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-7-22 (EO N-7- 22), which required that urban water suppliers implement demand reduction actions listed in the supplier’s state standard shortage stage 2. This section provides information on the water shortage stages and response actions that Rialto may implement.
City of Rialto
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT 6
Rialto uses four (4) shortage stages to identify and respond to water shortage emergencies. At a minimum, Rialto encourages baseline conservation efforts year-round, regardless of a shortage emergency.
Stage I: Normal Conditions
Normal conditions mean normal supply and distribution capacity is available.
Stage II: Water Alert
Stage 2 means that the City may not be able to meet all water demands of all water customers, or the state of California has adopted regulations requiring the City to implement requirements and actions of a Stage 2 Water Alert as outlined in Section 12.20.022 of Ordinance Number 1560, regardless of the City's local water supply. All customers are required to reduce potable water consumption by a minimum of twenty percent.
Stage III: Water Warning (Includes Sub-Stages A, B, and C) Stage 3 means that the City is not able to meet all water demands of all water customers, or the state of California has adopted regulations requiring the City to implement requirements and actions of a Stage 3 water warning as outlined in Section 12.20.023 of Ordinance Number 1560, regardless of the City's local water supply. All customers are required to reduce potable water use consumption by a minimum of twenty-five percent.
Stage IV: Water Emergency
Stage 4 means that the City is experiencing a major failure of water supply or distribution, or the state of California has adopted regulations requiring the City to implement requirements and actions of a Stage 4 water emergency as outline in Section 12.20.024 of Ordinance Number 1560, regardless of the City's local water supply. All customers are required to reduce potable water consumption by a minimum of thirty percent. The use of water shall be limited to essential household, commercial, manufacturing or processing uses only, except where other uses may be allowed by permit.
The CWC outlines six standard water shortage stages that correspond to a gap in supply compared to normal year availability. The six standard water shortage stages correspond to progressively increasing estimated shortage conditions (up to 10-, 20-, 30-, 40-, 50-percent, and greater than 50-percent shortage compared to the normal reliability condition) and align with the response actions that a water supplier would implement to meet the severity of the impending shortages.
The CWC allows suppliers with an existing WSCP that uses different water shortage stages to comply with the six standard stages by developing and including a cross-reference relating its existing shortage categories to the six standard water shortage stages. Rialto is maintaining the current four shortage stages for this WSCP. A crosswalk defines how Rialto’s current water shortage stages will align with the DWR’s standardized six stages of shortage. A visual representation of this alignment is shown in Figure 2 and Table 2 City of Rialto
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT 7
Figure 2: Crosswalk to DWR Six Standard Stages
Table 2: DWR 8-1 Water Shortage Contingency Plan Stages DWR
STANDARD
SHORTAGE
LEVEL
DWR PERCENT
SHORTAGE
RANGE RIALTO’S SHORTAGE LEVEL
RIALTO PERCENT
SHORTAGE RANGE
1 Up to 10% Normal Conditions (Rialto Stage 1) Up to 10% 2 Up to 20% Water Alert (Rialto Stage 2) Up to 20%
3 Up to 30% Water Warning (Rialto Stages 3A, 3B, and
3C)
Up to 25%
4 Up to 40% Water Emergency (Rialto Stage 4) 30-50% and Above 5 Up to 50% Water Emergency (Rialto Stage 4) 30-50% and Above 6 >50% Water Emergency (Rialto Stage 4) 30-50% and Above Note: One stage in the Water Shortage Contingency Plan must address a water shortage of 50%.
City of Rialto
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT 8
4.0 Shortage Response Actions
This section was completed pursuant to CWC Section 10632(a)(4) and 10632.5(a) and describes the response actions that must be implemented or considered for each stage to minimize social and economic impacts to the community.
In accordance with CWC 10632(b), Rialto analyzes and defines water features that are artificially supplied with water, including ponds, lakes, waterfalls, and fountains, separately from swimming pools and spas.
4.1 Supply Augmentation
Table 3 identifies the supply augmentation actions Rialto can take in the event of a water shortage condition. Rialto currently maintains mutual aid agreements with the City of San Bernardino, Fontana Water, Riverside Highland Water Company (RHWC), and West Valley Water District (WVWD). During water shortage emergencies, Rialto may be able to obtain supplemental water supply though these connections, if available.
Table 3: DWR 8-2R Supply Augmentation & Other Actions
SHORTAGE
STAGE
SUPPLY
AUGMENTATION
METHODS AND OTHER
ACTIONS BY WATER
SUPPLIER
HOW MUCH IS THIS
GOING TO REDUCE
THE SHORTAGE GAP?
ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION OR
REFERENCE
4 Other purchases 0-100% Mutual aid agreements with the City of San Bernardino, Fontana
Water, RHWC, and WVWD.
4.2 Demand Reduction
In addition to prohibitions on end uses, Rialto participates in statewide efforts to conserve water and protect the ecological habitat of the region. The reduction goal is to balance supply and demand. Table 4 summarizes these efforts and end use prohibitions.
City of Rialto
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT 9
Table 4: DWR 8-3R Demand Reduction Actions
SHORTAGE
STAGE
DEMAND
REDUCTION
ACTIONS
HOW MUCH IS THIS GOING
TO REDUCE THE
SHORTAGE GAP? ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION OR REFERENCE
PENALTY,
CHARGE, OR
OTHER
ENFORCEMENT
All Expand Public
Information
Campaign
0-20% No
1 CII - Restaurants
may only serve
water upon
request
0-1% All restaurants and food establishments are requested not to serve water to their customers unless specifically requested by the customer.
No
1 Landscape -
Limit landscape
irrigation to
specific times
0-5% Watering with automatic sprinklers should be done between 8 pm and 6 am and hand watering and nonautomatic sprinklers should be done between 6 pm and 8 am. Drip irrigation is exempt from this recommendation. Water being used during repair or
maintenance of watering systems is exempt from this section.
No
1 Landscape -
Other
landscape
restriction or
prohibition
0-5% The use of sprinklers for any type of irrigation during high winds, which divert a significant amount of water away from the intended landscaping, is prohibited.
Yes
1 Landscape -
Other
landscape
restriction or
prohibition
0-5% The irrigation with potable water of landscape outside of newly constructed homes and buildings must be consistent with regulations or other requirements established by the California Buildings Standards Commission, as those regulations may be modified from time to time.
Yes
1 Landscape -
Prohibit certain
types of
landscape
irrigation
0-5% The irrigation of potable water of ornamental turf on public street medians is prohibited. The term "median" shall mean the strip of land between street lanes.
Yes
City of Rialto
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT 10
SHORTAGE
STAGE
DEMAND
REDUCTION
ACTIONS
HOW MUCH IS THIS GOING
TO REDUCE THE
SHORTAGE GAP? ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION OR REFERENCE
PENALTY,
CHARGE, OR
OTHER
ENFORCEMENT
1 Landscape -
Restrict or
prohibit runoff
from landscape
irrigation
0-5% Water used which results in flooding or run-off should be prevented and controlled. Use of water for any purpose which results in flooding or run-off in gutters, driveways or streets is prohibited.
Yes
1 Other -
Customers must
repair leaks,
breaks, and
malfunctions in
a timely manner
0-1% No person shall knowingly permit water to leak from any facility, improvement, or plumbing fixture on his/her/its premises; any such leak shall be repaired in a timely manner.
Yes
1 Other - Prohibit
use of potable
water for
washing hard
surfaces
0-1% There shall be no application of water to sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking areas, patios, porches, verandas, tennis courts or other paved, concrete or other hard surface areas, except that flammable or other similarly dangerous or unhealthy substances may be washed from said areas by direct hose flushing for the benefit of public health or safety.
Yes
1 Other - Require
automatic shut-
off hoses
0-1% Washing of automobiles, trucks, trailers, boats, and other mobile equipment is prohibited unless done with a bucket or handheld device equipped with an automatic shut off trigger nozzle or device attached to it that causes it to cease dispensing water immediately when not in use. This section does not apply to the washing of the above-listed vehicles or mobile equipment when conducted at a commercial car or truck wash utilizing recirculating systems. Such washings are exempted from these regulations when the health, safety, and welfare of the public is contingent upon frequent vehicle cleaning such as garbage trucks and vehicles used to transport food and perishables.
Yes
City of Rialto
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT 11
SHORTAGE
STAGE
DEMAND
REDUCTION
ACTIONS
HOW MUCH IS THIS GOING
TO REDUCE THE
SHORTAGE GAP? ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION OR REFERENCE
PENALTY,
CHARGE, OR
OTHER
ENFORCEMENT
1 Water Features
- Restrict water
use for
decorative
water features,
such as
fountains
0-1% No water shall be used to clean, fill, operate, or maintain levels in decorative fountains unless such water is part of a recirculating system.
Yes
2 CII - Lodging
establishment
must offer opt
out of linen
service
0-1% Operators of hotels and motels must provide guests with the option of choosing not to have towels and linens laundered daily and prominently display notice of this option.
Yes
2 CII - Restaurants
may only serve
water upon
request
0-1% All restaurants are prohibited from serving water to their customers except when specifically requested by the customer.
Yes
2 Landscape -
Limit landscape
irrigation to
specific days
0-5% All landscape irrigation shall be limited to no more than four (4) days per week for no more than ten (10) minutes per station per day. This provision does not apply to any landscape that has water-efficient devices that are operated properly. Water- efficient devices are drip irrigation systems and operational weather-based irrigation controllers. The term "week" is defined as Sunday through Saturday.
Yes
2 Landscape -
Other
landscape
restriction or
prohibition
0-5% The City shall screen all new applications for water service installations and shall limit water use to that essential for construction and testing of landscape plumbing. Limited landscaping for new development shall be allowed as approved by the City.
Yes
City of Rialto
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT 12
SHORTAGE
STAGE
DEMAND
REDUCTION
ACTIONS
HOW MUCH IS THIS GOING
TO REDUCE THE
SHORTAGE GAP? ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION OR REFERENCE
PENALTY,
CHARGE, OR
OTHER
ENFORCEMENT
2 Landscape -
Other
landscape
restriction or
prohibition
0-5% Irrigating turf or ornamental landscapes during or within forty- eight (48) hours following measurable precipitation in excess of one-quarter inch is prohibited
Yes
2 Other -
Customers must
repair leaks,
breaks, and
malfunctions in
a timely manner
0-1% All customers shall repair all leaks within seventy-two (72) hours of notification by the City, actual notice by the customer, or other notice of such leak, unless other arrangements are made with the City administrator or his/her designee.
Yes
3A Landscape -
Limit landscape
irrigation to
specific days
0-5% All landscape irrigation with potable water shall be limited to no more than three days per week for no more than ten minutes per station per day. This provision does not apply to any landscape that has water-efficient devices that are operated properly.
Water-efficient devices are drip irrigation systems and operational weather-based irrigation controllers. Week is defined as Sunday through Saturday.
Yes
3A Other water
feature or
swimming pool
restriction
0-1% Ornamental ponds, fountains, water displays, and artificial lakes shall not be filled or refilled.
Yes
3A Landscape -
Other
landscape
restriction or
prohibition
0-5% New water service shall be installed but water shall be used before occupancy for essential construction only and for testing of landscape irrigation systems. The installation of new landscaping for all new development/projects must be approved by the City.
Yes
3B CII - Other CII
restriction or
prohibition
0-1% Water used for compaction, dust control, and other types of construction shall be by permit only and will be limited to conditions of the permit or may be prohibited as determined by the City administrator, or his/her designee.
Yes
City of Rialto
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT 13
SHORTAGE
STAGE
DEMAND
REDUCTION
ACTIONS
HOW MUCH IS THIS GOING
TO REDUCE THE
SHORTAGE GAP? ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION OR REFERENCE
PENALTY,
CHARGE, OR
OTHER
ENFORCEMENT
3C Other - Prohibit
vehicle washing
except at
facilities using
recycled or
recirculating
water
0-1% Washing of automobiles, trucks, trailers, boats, airplanes, and other types of mobile equipment is prohibited. Washing of the above-listed vehicles or mobile equipment shall be done only at a commercial car wash where recirculating or recycled water is being utilized. Such washings are exempt from these regulations when the health, safety, and welfare of the public is contingent upon frequent vehicle cleaning such as garbage trucks and vehicles used to transport food and perishables.
Yes
4 CII - Other CII
restriction or
prohibition
0-1% No water shall be used for construction purposes unless they are using reclaimed water. All fire hydrants and construction meters shall be locked off or removed.
Yes
4 Landscape -
Limit landscape
irrigation to
specific days
0-5% Commercial nurseries shall water only between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. and only with handheld devices or with drip irrigation.
Yes
4 Landscape -
Prohibit all
landscape
irrigation
0-5% There shall be no watering of any lawn or landscaped area, except by use of reclaimed water.
Yes
4 Other 0-1% The use of water shall be limited to essential household, commercial, manufacturing, or processing uses only, except where other uses may be allowed by permit.
Yes
City of Rialto
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT 14
4.3 Operational Changes and Additional Mandatory
Restrictions
During shortage conditions, operations may be affected by supply augmentation or demand reduction responses. Rialto will consider its operational procedures when it completes its Annual Assessment. Any additional mandatory restrictions implemented in response to the declaration of a shortage response stage, beyond the actions listed in Table 3 and Table 4 are listed in Rialto’s Ordinance No. 1560 provided in Attachment 1.
4.4 Emergency Response Plan
In 2025, Rialto completed a Risk and Resilience Assessment (RRA) and updated the Emergency Response Plan (ERP) in 2026 in accordance with America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) of 2018. The purpose of the RRA and ERP is to meet the AWIA compliance requirements and plan for long-term resilience of Rialto’s infrastructure. The RRA is an assessment of Rialto’s water system to identify critical assets and processes that may be vulnerable to human and natural hazards, and to identify measures that can be taken to reduce risk and enhance resilience from service disruption for the benefit of customers. The RRA identifies and characterizes both infrastructure-specific and system-wide vulnerabilities and threats and quantifies the consequences of disruption. The RRA also identifies various options (and constraints) in addressing and mitigating risk. The RRA, in conjunction with the ERP, charts a course for water system resilience. The RRA also provided various recommendations to increase reliability of Rialto’s system. Since critical pieces of infrastructure and specific vulnerabilities are detailed in the RRA and ERP, the contents of the document are confidential and for use by Rialto’s staff only. However, Rialto can confirm that these plans meet the requirements set forth by AWIA and evaluate seismic risks and mitigation actions to Rialto’s infrastructure.
In the event of a water shortage emergency resulting from equipment failure, power outage, or other catastrophe, Rialto is prepared to purchase emergency water supplies from nearby agencies while repairs or other remedial actions are underway. Rialto may also implement its four-stage plan for conservation, as described above, with either voluntary or mandatory reductions depending on the severity of the shortage. For severe disasters (Stage 4), mandatory water use reductions are specified.
4.5 Seismic Risk Assessment and Mitigation Plan
Disasters, such as earthquakes, can and will occur without notice. As a part of the AWIA RRA and ERP, Rialto has assessed the seismic risk and mitigation for water facilities.
The seismic hazards evaluated include fault rupture, liquefaction, and seismic shaking, and the City has assessed the threat to critical facilities, including the water system. Rialto has identified a set of hazard mitigation actions that are intended to reduce the impact of hazard, including:
City of Rialto
Water Shortage Contingency Plan DRAFT 15
• Conduct a seismic analysis of all City‐owned key facilities and retrofit vulnerable facilities.
• Consider locating wells outside of seismic hazard zones.
4.6 Shortage Response Action Effectiveness
Rialto has estimated the effectiveness of shortage response actions in Table 3 and Table 4 when data pertaining to such actions is available. It is expected that response actions effectiveness is also a result of successful communication and outreach efforts.
5.0 Communication Protocols
Rialto prioritizes effective communication, especially in times of a water shortage emergency.
Rialto has a protocol in place to communicate with the public, government agencies, and other interested parties about water shortages and any anticipated or triggered shortage response actions. Communication methods may include email, bill inserts, handouts, informative flyers, direct mail pieces to newspapers, bus shelter advertisements, news releases, social media outreach, and website content. Rialto provides reminders about shortage stages as they develop, and Rialto encourages conservation at all times.
6.0 Compliance and Enforcement
In the implementation of the water shortage contingency plan, the following penalties shall apply for any violation of the Rialto’s Ordinance, Number 1560 Sections 12.20.022, 12.20.023,
12.20.024, and 12.20.040: Water Conservation Requirements.
First Violation: Notice of Non-Compliance
A written warning shall be issued for the first offense.
Second Violation: Warning of Penalties
A written warning notice of the future imposition of penalties that could be placed on the customer's water bill shall be issued for the second offense.
Third Violation: Surcharge
A surcharge of one hundred dollars shall be added to that billing for the third offense occurring within a one-year period.
Fourth Violation: Surcharge
A surcharge of three hundred dollars, and installation of a flow-restricting device in the meter for a minimum of ninety-six hours (at customer's expense) shall be imposed for the fourth offense occurring within a one-year period. Said restricted flow shall meet minimum county health City of Rialto
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department's standards, if any have been established. If said ninety-six-hour period ends on a weekend or holiday, full service will be restored during the next business day.
Fifth Violation: Surcharge
A surcharge of five hundred dollars, and termination of water service at customer's expense for a two-day period shall be imposed for the fifth offense occurring within a one-year period. Prior to the termination of water service, the customer may request an administrative hearing pursuant to Section 1.10.050 of Ordinance No.1560.
7.0 Legal Authority
To offset the prolonged effects of a drought period or other emergency, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 1130 in December 1990. The ordinance provides water conservation measures to minimize the effect of a water shortage on the citizens of the community. The ordinance includes provisions that will significantly reduce the waste and inefficient use of water, thereby extending the available water resources required for the domestic and fire protection needs of the City and general public. Rialto adopted Ordinance No. 1560 in May 2015, to update the sections regarding the four stages that make up the water conservation requirements. Ordinance No. 1560 is included in Attachment 1.
7.1 Declaration of Water Shortage
In accordance with CWC Section Division 1, Section 350, Rialto shall declare a water shortage emergency condition to prevail within the area served by such distributor whenever it finds and determines that the ordinary demands and requirements of water consumers cannot be satisfied without depleting the water supply of the distributor to the extent that there would be insufficient water for human consumption, sanitation, and fire protection.
7.2 Proclamation of Local Emergency
If a water shortage is approaching, Rialto shall coordinate with any of the cities and counties in its service area for the possible proclamation of a local emergency.
8.0 Financial Consequences of WSCP
Implementation
To ensure Rialto customers comply with Ordinance No. 1560 and CWC Chapter 3.3 (Excessive Residential Water Use During Drought), additional costs may be incurred to monitor and enforce City of Rialto
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response actions. The incurred cost may vary depending on the shortage stage and duration of the water shortage emergency. Additionally, Rialto may experience a reduction in revenue as a result of the enforcement actions. Rialto will mitigate these financial impacts through the use of available operating reserves and prudent financial management practices, including expenditure controls and prioritization of critical system operations and regulatory compliance.
9.0 Monitoring and Reporting
The water savings from implementation of the WSCP will be determined based on monthly production reports which are reviewed and compared to production reports and pumping statistics from prior months and the same period of the prior year. Under shortage conditions, these production reports could be prepared as often as daily. First, the cumulative consumption for the various sectors (e.g., residential, commercial, etc.) will be evaluated for reaching the target level. Then if needed, individual accounts will be monitored. Weather and other possible influences may be accounted for in the evaluation.
10.0 WSCP Refinement Procedures
The WSCP is best prepared and implemented as an adaptive management plan. Rialto will use results obtained from their monitoring and reporting program to evaluate any needs for revisions. Potential changes to the WSCP that would warrant an update include, but are not limited to, any changes to trigger conditions, changes to the shortage stage structure, and/or changes to customer reduction actions.
Any prospective changes to the WSCP would need to be presented to Rialto’s Board for discretionary approval. Once discretionary approval has been granted, Rialto will hold a public hearing, obtain any comments, and adopt the updated WSCP. Notices for refinement and the public hearing date will be published in the local newspaper in advance of any public meetings.
11.0 Plan Adoption, Submittal, and
Availability
Rialto adopted this WSCP with the 2025 RUWMP. The 2025 RUWMP and WSCP were made available for public review in May 2026, and a public hearing was held on May 26, 2026, to receive public input on the draft 2025 RUWMP and the WSCP.
City of Rialto
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The Rialto City Council adopted the 2025 RUWMP and the WSCP at a public meeting on May 26, 2026. The resolution of adoption is included as Attachment 2.
This WSCP was submitted to DWR through the WUEData portal before the deadline of July 1, 2026.
This WSCP will be available to the public on the City of Rialto website.
If Rialto identifies the need to amend this WSCP, it will follow the same procedures for notification to cities, counties, and the public as used for the 2025 RUWMP and for initial adoption of the WSCP.
City of Rialto References
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References
California Department of Water Resources. (2026). 2025 Urban Water Management Plan Guidebook. Sacramento: California Department of Water Resources.
Texas Living Waters Project. (2018). Water Conservation by the Yard: A Statewide Analysis of Outdoor Water Savings Potential. Austin: Texas Living Waters Project, Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation. Retrieved from Texas Living Waters Project.
United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water. (2002). Cases in Water Conservation: How Efficiency Programs Help Water Utilities Save Water and Avoid Costs. United States Environmental Protection Agency.
City o f Rialto Attachment 1
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Attachment 1
Rialto Ordinance No. 1560
1 City o f Rialto Attachment 2
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Attachment 2
Adoption Resolution
2