California Water Plan Advisory Committee Gets to Work at First Meeting

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) hosted the inaugural meeting of the Advisory Committee for California Water Plan 2028 on May 13 and 14 in Sacramento, marking an important milestone in the implementation of Senate Bill 72 (SB 72) and a new era of statewide water planning in California.

In the 2028 Water Plan, DWR will establish, for the first time, an interim target of 9-million-acre feet of additional water supply, storage capacity, or conservation.

The Committee was appointed by DWR Director Karla Nemeth in early 2026 and is comprised of 38 members representing a broad range of perspectives including water management, agriculture, environmental, equity, energy, business, along with regional, state, and federal governments.

The Committee used its first meeting to get to know each other, hear Director Nemeth’s vision for a new era of water planning in California, and get to work on the 2028 Water Plan development.

Video Link: Day 1 & 2 of the Inaugural Advisory Committee Meeting

The Committee was briefed on a series of key issues that will be discussed at future Advisory Committee meetings. Members will tackle the difficult issue of setting baseline assumptions for DWR’s statewide modeling efforts, which will rely on the Water Evaluation and Adaptation Planning Model (WEAP). Those baseline assumptions will be developed by DWR and informed by input and feedback from the Advisory Committee.  The assumptions will guide DWR’s future analyses of water supplies and demands across the state and inform the Water Plan’s investment and policy recommendations.

The Committee also discussed project selection criteria, which will be a central topic at the next meeting. There are thousands of water supply projects in various state and local plans across California. DWR will use project selection criteria to identify which of these projects DWR will model in WEAP.

The next in-person Committee meeting will be held in late August in Southern California.

The Advisory Committee applauded DWR’s plan to launch a series of regional forums, which will be held across California in late 2026 and early 2027. These meetings will be open to the public, and DWR encourages participation from Tribes, environmental organizations, local water agencies, and community members.

Committee members and DWR agree that the modernized California Water Plan cannot succeed without engagement from local water managers who are directly experiencing how a changing climate and new policies impact water supply for their communities. DWR has prepared a robust engagement strategy to ensure all voices are heard.

Stay up to date at californiawaterplan.com.