Under Senate Bill 552 (SB 552), passed and signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2021, State and local governments will share the responsibility in preparing and acting in the case of a water shortage event. These new requirements are expected to improve the ability of Californians to manage future droughts and help prevent catastrophic impacts on drinking water for communities vulnerable to impacts of climate change. The bill outlines the new requirements for small water suppliers, county governments, DWR, and the State Water Board to implement more proactive drought planning and be better prepared for future water shortage events or dry years.
SB 552 requires small water suppliers - defined as those with fewer than 3,000 connections and serve fewer than 3,000 acre feet - to have an abridged water shortage contingency plan, annually report their water supply conditions and use by month, and upgrade their infrastructure to drought resilient standards, if needed. DWR and the State Water Board worked together to develop templates for the abridged water shortage contingency plan by December 2022. One template was created for small water suppliers and a second template is specific for schools that are a water system.
Templates for the abridged Water Shortage Contingency Plans have been released and are available here:
Small Water Supplier 1,000 to 2,999 connections
Nontransient Noncommunity (NTNC) Schools
Water Shortage Contingency Plans are required to be completed by July 1, 2023, posted on the water supplier’s website, and available to the State Water Board and public upon request. The Plans must be updated every 5 years.
For more information, please refer the State Water Board’s site: https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/clearinghouse_drought_conservation_reporting.html
Small water suppliers (or small water suppliers integrated into larger water suppliers) that voluntarily choose to instead comply with specified existing law relating to urban water management plans would be exempt from these provisions. See the Primer of SB 552 for a full summary of SB 552 requirements.
Please see the SharePoint site for slides from the webinars and additional materials.
Each county, per SB 552, is required to have a standing drought task force to facilitate drought and water shortage preparedness for state small water systems (serving 5 to 14 connections), domestic wells, and other privately supplied homes within the county’s jurisdiction. Each county must also develop a plan demonstrating the potential drought and water shortage risk and proposed interim and long-term solutions for state small water systems and domestic wells within the county. Both of these requirements may be implemented as part of other existing committees and/or planning processes.
Guidance: The County Drought Resilience Planning Guidebook (2023) is available for download here.
Data and Updated Tool: Water Shortage Vulnerability Explorer Tool is now available, designed to assist counties as they conduct the newly required drought risk assessments for domestic wells and state small water systems (SB 552). Access the Water Shortage Vulnerability Explorer Tool.
Planning Assistance: DWR offers two options for counties to apply for a grant or receive direct technical assistance to help counties develop their plans and with logistical support for their drought task force. For information about these options, which counties are enrolled, and the statues of county SB 552 planning, see the DWR’s County Drought Resilience Planning Assistance Program page.
To help small suppliers and counties access information about drought and water shortage vulnerabilities and risks, DWR will maintain and update the Water Shortage Vulnerability Tool as new data is available, in coordination with the State Water Board and other state agencies. The assessment and tool were developed as part of the Countywide Drought Advisory Group and will regularly be updated and maintained.
DWR is coordinating with other state agencies to establish a standing Drought Resilience Interagency and Partners (DRIP) Collaborative for California, as mandated in SB 552. The purpose and scope of this task force is to facilitate proactive state planning and coordination, both for predrought planning and post-drought emergency response; develop strategies to enhance collaboration between various fields; and do so in a way that considers all types of water users. Initiated by Senate Bill 552, the DRIP Collaborative will foster partnerships between local governments, experts, community representatives and state agencies to address drought planning, emergency response, and ongoing management.
The press release announcing the launch for the DRIP Collaborative is here. For more information about call for membership interest and details about the task force establishment and meetings are located here: water.ca.gov/drip
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Email: WUE@water.ca.gov
The Drought Resilience Interagency and Partners (DRIP) Collaborative, established to enhance California’s resilience to droughts and water shortages, has released its 2024 progress report which highlights the activities, discussions, meetings, and collaborative recommendation process that was undertaken during the DRIP Collaborative’s second year.
Even though California’s April Snow Survey marked a second consecutive year of above average snowpack and precipitation, the State is continuing to take proactive steps to plan for future dry conditions as shifts between abundant wet years and extreme drought become more frequent.
No matter what weather California is experiencing, the State is taking action to prepare for the possibility of more extreme storms while increasing our climate resilience for the next drought.
Notice is hereby given that the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), as the Lead Agency of the Drought Resilience Interagency & Partners (DRIP) Collaborative, will host a meeting for the Cross-Cutting Themes Workgroup.
Notice is hereby given that the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), as the Lead Agency of the Drought Resilience Interagency & Partners (DRIP) Collaborative, will host a meeting for the Water Infrastructure and Planning Workgroup.
Notice is hereby given that the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), as the Lead Agency of the Drought Resilience Interagency & Partners (DRIP) Collaborative, will host a meeting for the Reducing Ecosystem Impacts of Drought Workgroup.