City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: June 23, 2026
Agenda Item: 12.C
1 of 6
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Christopher Dishlip, Director of Public Works, Water Resources Division Subject: Public Hearing and Adoption of 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and Water Shortage Contingency Plan
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of statutory exemption of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per California Water Code Section 10652 (Applicability of California Environmental Quality Act);
2. Hold a public hearing and receive public comment for the proposed 2025 Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) and Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP); and
3. Approve the attached resolution adopting the 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and the Water Shortage Contingency Plan.
2 of 6
Summary
The California Urban Water Management Planning Act requires certain urban water suppliers to prepare an Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP). The UWMP is updated every five years and must be submitted to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) on or before July 1, 2026. The Draft 2025 Urban Water Management Plan is included in Attachment A. The California Water Code also requires the City to update its Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP). The WSCP serves as the City’s action plan for actual or anticipated water shortage conditions (Attachment B). The UWMP and WSCP must be adopted by the City Council prior to submittal to DWR.
Background
UWMPs are prepared by California urban water suppliers to support long-term water resource planning and to ensure adequate water supplies are available to meet existing and future water demands. The Urban Water Management Planning Act requires every urban water supplier that provides more than 3,000 acre-feet of water annually or serves 3,000 or more service connections to prepare a UWMP every five years. While the UWMP is prepared to satisfy state regulatory requirements, the City has also developed several local planning documents to support strategic water management goals and long-term system reliability. These efforts include the 2014 and 2018 Sustainable Water Master Plans, the 2024 Water Conservation Master Plan, and the 2024 Water and Sewer Master Plans, which help guide City efforts to reduce reliance on imported water supplies and improve infrastructure reliability.
The Urban Water Management Planning Act has been amended several times since its initial passage in 1983. Significant amendments were made for the 2020 UWMP, which included a reliability assessment, a Drought Risk Assessment (DRA), and a Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP), and coordination with the local Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA). The 2025 UWMP requirements largely carry forward the 2020 framework, with no major new mandates, but include clearer reporting guidance.
The 2025 UWMP includes a description of the service area and system, an assessment of historical and projected water demands, and a detailed inventory of water supply 3 of 6
sources. It further evaluates supply reliability under normal, dry, and multiple dry-year conditions, and incorporates the Water Shortage Contingency Plan outlining staged drought response actions. Additional required components include demand management measures, a drought risk assessment, climate change considerations, and reporting on recycled water, groundwater conditions, and water system losses. The City has completed all required elements to ensure compliance with state law and support sustainable, long-term water resource planning.
Discussion
Report Content
The City’s 2025 Urban Water Management Plan can be found in Attachment A. The UWMP is organized in the following sections:
Section 1 - Introduction
Section 1 describes the UWMP Act and updates since 2020. It also provides an overview of the City’s 2025 UWMP, including a summary of the factors considered in the development of the UWMP and reliability assessments.
Section 2 – Plan Preparation
Section 2 describes the process used to prepare the UWMP. Plan development included coordination and outreach to local and regional stakeholders, notifications to the public regarding plan preparation, and a City Council meeting and hearing to solicit comments from the public.
Section 3 – System Description
This section provides a description of the City’s service area and other characteristics that influence the water system including climate and population.
Section 4 – Water Use Characterization
4 of 6
Section 4 describes past, current, and projected future water use within the City’s service area. Water use trends in the City are analyzed, and factors considered to project future water use are discussed.
Section 5 – SBX7-7 Baseline and Targets
This section addresses requirements of the Water Conservation Act of 2009 (referred to as SBx7-7). In particular, information in this section demonstrates the City’s compliance with the Water Conservation Act of 2009, which required a 20 percent reduction in urban per capita water use by 2020.
Section 6 – Water Supply Characterization
Section 6 describes the City’s past, current, and projected future water supply. This section also discusses water supply challenges and actions the City is taking to enhance supply reliability and resiliency.
Section 7 – Water Service Reliability and Drought Risk Assessment This section presents an assessment of the reliability of the City’s water supplies by performing two assessments: a Water Service Reliability assessment and a Drought Risk Assessment (DRA). The Water Service Reliability assessment compares projected future water demands from Section 4 with expected water supplies from Section 6 under three different hydrologic conditions: a normal year; a single dry year; and multiple dry years.
The DRA evaluates the City’s water supply reliability under drought conditions for the years 2026 to 2030. Findings from the assessment conclude that if projected imported and local supplies are developed or maintained as anticipated, no water shortages are expected in the City’s service area during the planning period.
Section 8 – Water Shortage Contingency Plan
Section 8 provides an overview of the City’s Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP).
The WSCP serves as the City’s action plan for actual or anticipated water shortage 5 of 6
conditions. The WSCP is a standalone document, included as an appendix to the UWMP.
Section 9 – Demand Management Measures
This section describes the City’s current and future conservation efforts to reduce water demand.
Commission Action and Public Outreach
Staff presented findings to the Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice, and the Environment on May 18, 2026. Public notice for the 2025 UWMP hearing has been posted in the Santa Monica Daily Press and posted again two (2) weeks prior to the hearing. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the City of Culver City, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the City of Beverly Hills, and the County of Los Angeles were notified of plan preparation on April 1, 2026.
Past Council Actions
Meeting Date
6/8/2021 Public Hearing and Adoption of the City of Santa Monica’s 2020 Urban Water Management Plan and Water Shortage Contingency Plan.
Environmental Review
The preparation and adoption of an Urban Water Management Plan and Water Shortage Contingency Plan is statutorily exempt from CEQA under California Water Code Section 10652 (Applicability of California Environmental Quality Act). CEQA does not apply to the preparation and adoption of urban water management plans, or the implementation of specific actions pursuant to such plans.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
There is no immediate financial impact or budget action necessary as a result of the 6 of 6
recommended action. Staff will return to Council if specific budget actions are required in the future.
Prepared By: Dinaz Kureishy, Civil Engineering Assistant Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. June 8, 2021 Staff Report (web link)
B. 2025 DRAFT UWMP
C. 2025 UWMP Resolution 2026.06.23
D. PowerPoint Presentation