June 2, 2026
City Council
Claire Nordlie
Senior Water Resources Planner
Santa Rosa Water
2025 Urban Water Management Plan and
2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan
CA Urban Water Management Planning Act
2 Who: Urban water retailers (at least 3,000 connections or 3,000 acre-feet per year)
What: Assess long-term water supply adequacy
and reliability
Why: Ensure water supply reliability
Comply with State law
Maintain eligibility for grants
When: Signed in 1983, update plan every five years
Next due July 1, 2026
UWMP
Chapter 1 – Introduction
Chapter 2 – Plan Preparation
Chapter 3 – System Description
Chapter 4 – Water Use Characterization
Chapter 5 – Compliance with Conservation Target
Chapter 6 – Water Supplies
Chapter 7 – Water Service Reliability
Chapter 8 – Water Shortage & Contingency Planning
Chapter 9 – Demand Management Measures
Chapter 10 – Plan Adoption, Submittal
3 How is Water Demand Projected?
• Baseline potable water demand
• Growth projections (climate, economy, population, employment) • Past water use
• New planned developments
• Water loss
• Unbilled authorized use, real water loss, apparent loss • Urban recycled water demand
• Passive water conservation savings (subtracted from demand) • Plumbing standards
• Natural replacement of fixtures over time
4 5
18,796 19,614 19,921 20,313 20,765 21,263
31,540 31,540 32,340
33,340 33,340 33,340
-
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050
Acre Feet
Water Supply Compared to Demand
2025 - 2050
Demand Supply
2026 – 2030: Drought
Risk Assessment
Year Supply (AFY) Demand (AFY)
2026 17,801 17,801
2027 18,289 18,289
2028 18,777 18,777
2029 19,266 19,266
2030 19,754 19,754
6 Water Shortage Contingency Plan
• How City will respond to water shortage scenariosDocuments • Demand reduction strategies
• Fees – water shortage charge, excess use penaltyDirects • Protocols for triggering water shortagesEstablishes
7 Water Shortage Stages
Shortage
Stage
Percent
Reduction
Notes
1 Up to 10 percent Voluntary.
2 11 – 15 percent Mandatory.
3 16 – 20 percent Mandatory.
4 21 – 25 percent Mandatory.
5 26 – 30 percent Mandatory. Water allocations.
6 31 – 40 percent Mandatory. Water allocations.
7 41 – 50 percent Mandatory. Water allocations.
8 Over 50 percent Mandatory. Water allocations.
8 No changes
from 2020
adopted
UWMP.
Water Shortage Penalty Options
Water Shortage Charge
• Fee to support utility financial
health
• Uniform fee amount across all
customer sectors
• Alternatives: delaying capital
improvements, using reserve
funds
Excess Use Penalty
• Penalty to encourage
conservation
• Preventable, based on a
customer’s ability to meet
water allocation
• Based on exceeding the
water allocation
9 Both penalties require Council’s express approval prior to adoption Water Shortage Charge (WSC)
Stage Reduction
Target Water Shortage Charge
1 10% no WSC
2 15% 5% of customer use rate
3 20% 7.5% of customer use rate
4 25% 10% of customer use rate
5 30% 15% of customer use rate
6 40% 25% of customer use rate
7 50% 35% of customer use rate
8 >50% 45% of customer use rate
10 Excess Use Penalty
• Penalty associated with excess use above allocation
• Entirely avoidable by all customers
• Includes 1,999 gallon “buffer” prior to penalty
• Appeals process available
11 Compliance &
Enforcement
Progressive approach
- Alert customer to violation
- Offer technical assistance
- If needed, issue warning(s)
- If needed, apply penalty
12 Outreach During Water Shortages
• Bill inserts, and envelope messaging
• Letters and postcards
• Social media
• Media releases
• Updated website content
• City Connections e-newsletter
• Ad buys: radio, print, digital, social media
• Presentations to governing bodies and policy makers, local community groups
• Attendance at local events, fairs, festivals etc
• Partnering with community groups such as chambers of commerce, Latino Service Providers etc
• Direct outreach to reach target markets, such as high water using customers, property managers, mobile home parks, landscape professionals, restaurants etc
13 UWMP and WSCP Public Participation
Water
Conserv.
Subcom.
February
11 Public
Outreach &
Notices
March
Public
Review
April thru
June
BPU
May 21
City
Council
June 2
srcity.org/UWMP
14 Recommendation
Santa Rosa Water recommends that the Council
• Hold a public hearing to receive comments on the draft plan • Provide direction on the draft 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and the 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan and
• Adoption of these documents will be considered at the June 16, 2026 City Council meeting
QUESTIONS?
16 OPEN PUBLIC
HEARING
17