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 including a task-force charter, outreach records, a risk-assessment summary with maps, and draft and final plans. He said Department of Water Resources (DWR) technical tools and assistance are available and that the county may combine this plan with existing county plans or develop a standalone document; Mariposa appears to be pursuing a standalone plan.

The county has a $125,000 DWR grant for the work, Zaninovich said, and Blackwater is subconsulting to Mark Thomas to prepare the plan. When asked about the contract status, Zaninovich said the agreement has been executed and is in effect. County staff confirmed $15,000 of the grant is reserved for county staff work on the project.

Board members pressed for specifics and local data. Keisha Blue, District 4, said, “I was hoping that those [questions] would get relayed to the contractor,” and later warned, “we're starting all over again 2 years later,” noting planning work and community lists compiled in earlier meetings. Several members urged consultants to use existing county records, environmental-health institutional knowledge and prior plans rather than repeat work already done.

Concerns raised about well testing: Zaninovich said the DWR materials reference offering “well test kits” as an incentive for participation but that plan documents do not define what a kit would include. He warned that broad laboratory testing could consume the budget and create legal or disclosure problems because test results can become public records. He recommended limiting any sampling to simple, non-sensitive parameters if the county elects to offer kits.

Local infrastructure and contingency measures: County staff reported that three 250,000-gallon FEMA-funded tanks — at Red Cloud Park (Greeley Hill), Woodland Park and Hornitos — have been completed and can support disaster response and, with upgrades, provide potable water in shortages. Staff also said a second well has been drilled in Coulterville and will be tested to see if it can serve as a redundant supply.

Schedule and next steps: Zaninovich said a kickoff meeting with county staff can be scheduled as soon as Mark Thomas finalizes the agreement; he offered availability as early as the next one to two weeks. County staff and several board members asked that the kickoff include a clear agenda and a list of the data consultants will use so task-force members can confirm whether consultants have already received local datasets. Agency staff said they will aim to present a status update and at least portions of draft work at the board’s September meeting (scheduled for Sept. 18). One board member noted the grant project must meet an April deadline.

Community engagement and task force role: Zaninovich said the county drought and water-shortage task force should lead outreach and identify vulnerable communities — by geography, language and socioeconomic factors — and that the consultants will rely on the task force for local engagement and verification of data. Several board members urged using local organizations — including a previously discussed conservancy — to carry out outreach rather than duplicating work.

Outstanding items and prior work: Board members said the county already has substantial local documentation, hazard-mitigation plans and institutional knowledge that should shorten consultant work; several members said they do not expect widespread voluntary private-well testing. Staff also noted that a legal memorandum prepared for the board remains with county counsel and has not yet been released for discussion.

Other business: At a prior meeting the board accepted a Blackwater report on a separate issue involving a possible utilization of roughly 88,000 acre-feet from a settlement agreement; board members agreed to add that report to the September agenda for discussion about whether to circulate or act on parts of it.

A long-serving advisory board member announced their resignation during the meeting, citing frustration with perceived delays in moving projects forward. The resignation was not processed as a formal personnel action during this session.

The board and consultants agreed to provide a kickoff agenda in advance and asked members to send specific questions and locally held data references to county staff so the kickoff can focus on the tasks needed to comply with SB 552 rather than repeating prior county work.

Sources: Presentation by Nick Zaninovich (Blackwater Engineering) to the Mariposa County Water Advisory Agency; statements by county staff and advisory board members during the agency meeting.