AGENDA ITEM
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR
AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: CARLO TOMAINO
CITY MANAGER
BY: GABINO C. LUNA
PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
SUBJECT:
title
PUBLIC HEARING - RESOLUTIONS ADOPTING THE 2025 URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN AND 2025 WATER SHORTAGE CONTINGENCY PLAN
summary
Summary:
Under Assembly Bill 797, the City is mandated to assess the long-term reliability of its water sources based once it serves more than 3,000 urban connections. These plans serve as the foundational roadmaps for long-term water resource planning, regulatory compliance, and ensure the water division proactively assesses the reliability of its water sources to maintain a sustainable, resilient supply for residents and businesses under a wide range of future conditions. Staff prepared the Urban Water Management Plan and the Water Shortage Contingency Plan for the City Council’s approval and would submit these plans to the California Department of Water Resources by July 1, 2026.
Strategic Plan Goal(s):
Goal No. 1 Financial Stability: Ensure the City’s long-term financial stability and resilience.
Goal No. 4 Infrastructure: Maintain and improve the City’s physical infrastructure, water system and recreational spaces.
recommendation
Recommendation:
1. Adopt a resolution, entitled:
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL, CALIFORNIA, ADOPTING THE 2025 URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN
2. Adopt a resolution, entitled:
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL, CALIFORNIA, ADOPTING THE 2025 WATER SHORTAGE CONTINGENCY PLAN
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Fiscal Impact:
While there is no fiscal impact associated with the recommended actions, should there be a shortage event, the plan introduces contingency and mitigation measures which would induce operational expenses, staff would determine those costs based on the severity and duration of a supply shortage.
Background:
Established by Assembly Bill 797 in 1983, the Urban Water Management Planning Act requires urban water suppliers to prepare plans that support long-term resource planning and ensure adequate water supplies to meet existing and future water demands. The State requires that urban water suppliers providing water for municipal purposes, either directly or indirectly, to more than 3,000 customers annually, prepare and update an Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) at least once every five years.
The California Water Code also requires every urban water supplier to prepare and adopt a Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP) as part of its UWMP. This level of detailed planning and preparation is intended to help maintain reliable supplies and reduce the impacts of supply interruptions. The City surpassed the 3,000-customer threshold which triggered the first UWMP, adopted by the City Council at its meeting on December 10, 2019, that assessed water resources between the years 2015-2035. The City utilized the AKM Consulting Engineers (AKM), at that time to prepare the City’s UWMP and WSCP.
Analysis:
The 2025 UWMP is a technical document that analyzes water supply and demand covering the planning period of 2025-2050. The findings in the report show current and projected water supplies are sufficient to meet ongoing, planned, and projected demand under all modeled conditions, including single dry year and a five-year Drought Risk Assessment (DRA) accounting for population growth. Staff has attached the 2025 UWMP for the City Council’s information (Attachment A).
To build long-term resiliency and address potential supply shortfalls without immediately escalating potable water use restrictions, the Water Division plans to convert unused water rights into storage during fiscal years where total water use is less than the Allowed Pumping Allocation (APA) of 2,022 AF, as the budget permits. Furthermore, the City is actively engaging with the Long Beach Public Utilities Department to establish a permanent active interconnection for potable water, ensuring cost-effective redundancy. Section 4-2 of the UWMP provides further supply augmentation actions in response to progressive water shortage levels. Table 1 shows the City’s main water sources and available supply.
Table 1. Source and available supply
|
SOURCE |
ALLOCATION IN ACRE FEET (AF) |
|
Groundwater drawn from Central Basin Municipal Water District (CBMWD) (Wells 7, 9, and 10) |
2,022 AF |
|
Metropolitan Water District (MWD) |
2,300 AF* |
|
Recycled water from Long Beach Water Department |
10 AF |
|
TOTAL |
4,332 AF |
*Central Basin Municipal Water District Connection CENB-10 has a capacity of up to 3,300 gpm (4.75 mgd; 5,322 AFY). Historically, the highest amount of imported water utilized in one year was 2006, when the City used 2,286 AF of imported water.
The UWMP methodology for determining demand is based on population growth data obtained from the California Department of Finance. Table 2 shows the demand for water within the City for a multiple dry year scenario.
Table 2. Multiple Dry Years Supply and Demand Comparison
Based on the projected demand, the known supply of 4,332 AF is sufficient to cover all multiple dry year scenarios (5-consecutive year drought conditions). The multiple dry year scenarios are based on a five-year drought period with hydrologic conditions similar to the 2012-2016 dry period, with an adjustment for future demand due to population increase.
Water Use Efficiency
Senate Bill X7-7 (SB X7-7) regulations require all urban water suppliers to improve their water use efficiency and set urban water use targets. Compliance with SB X7-7 is evaluated through the UWMP, which includes the required analysis and reporting. The law established a statewide goal of reducing urban per capita water use by 20 percent by 2020. The 2020 target for the City of Signal Hill was 157 gallons per capita per day (GPCD). Through permanent conservation measures implemented by residents and businesses, the City exceeded this goal by achieving a water-use rate of 146 GPCD in 2020, approximately with Signal Hill residents and businesses met this requirement by conserving 7% below the target amount.
In addition, to ensure long-term compliance with the upcoming 2028 State Water Board Standard real water loss target of 16 gallons per service connection per day ( GPSCD), the City is currently deploying Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) through the installation of radio endpoints. This initiative will serve as a key component of the City’s demand management and water loss reduction strategy. Through this program, the Water Division will implement operational procedures to improve leak detection and response, optimize meter replacement scheduling, enhance data validation and consumption monitoring, and improve the accuracy of water loss accounting. These efforts will support more efficient system operations and help maintenance compliance with upcoming state water loss performance standards.
WSCP
The 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP) provides guidance on preparing for and responding to water supply reductions due to drought, unforeseen emergencies, or supply disruptions. Annual water supply and demand assessment procedures are described to determine when a water supply shortage occurs, and the response measures needed. Water shortage response actions are defined in six water shortage stages depending on supply reduction percentages set forth by MWD, CBMWD, or the number of drought years within the Los Angeles County Central Basin as declared by the National Weather Service. Staff has attached the WSCP for the City Council’s information as an appendix to the UWMP (Attachment B).
A key project incorporated into the 2025 WSCP is the ongoing transition to the Automated Meter Reading (AMR) system utilizing Sensus SmartPoint radios. The deployment of 3,000 endpoint radios will drastically improve the City's enforcement capabilities by enabling proactive leak detection and near real-time monitoring of customer compliance during shortage conditions.
Both the UWMP and the WSCP are consistent with Signal Hill Municipal Code Chapter 13.03 - Water Conservation Program and comply with the California Water Code.
Next steps
Staff recommends the approval of the UWMP and WSCP to maintain compliance with waterboard regulations and maintain preparedness in the event of unforeseen water shortages. The City Council’s action would be effectuated through the adoption of the attached resolutions (Attachments C and D). If approved, staff would proceed to electronically submit the plans to California Department of Water Resources by the required deadline of July 1, 2026.
Reviewed for Fiscal Impact:
_________________________
Siamlu Cox
Attachment(s):
A. 2025 Urban Water Management Plan
B. 2025 Urban Water Management Plan Appendix including WSCP
C. UWMP Resolution No. 2026-06-6942
D. WSCP Resolution No. 2026-06-6943