Mariposa County moves to restart SB 552 drought-resiliency planning; kickoff pending

Mariposa County officials said the county will use a $125,000 Department of Water Resources grant to prepare a drought-resiliency plan required under California legislation SB 552, and that a contract with Mark Thomas and Associates — with Blackwater Engineering subconsulting — has been executed and will trigger a consultant kickoff meeting in coming weeks.

The plan must address vulnerabilities for state small water systems and domestic wells under SB 552, “so basically SB 552 was signed into law in 2021 to improve drought preparedness ... the goal of SB 552 is no one should go without running water during a drought,” said Nick Zaninovich of Blackwater Engineering during the Water Advisory Agency meeting. Zaninovich said the grant includes roughly 10% for administration and the remainder for preparing the plan.

Why it matters: SB 552 requires counties to identify drought and water shortage risks for very small systems and domestic wells and to propose interim and long-term mitigation. For Mariposa County — a largely rural jurisdiction with many residents served by private wells and very small community systems — the statute focuses attention on populations that often fall outside urban water planning efforts.

What the county and consultant described: Zaninovich outlined three required planning pillars under SB 552 — proactive resilience measures (monitoring and backup supplies), response planning for shortages, and coordination among local, state and regional entities — and listed expected deliverables…