The Division of Water Resources presented a progress update on the State Water Plan and a schedule for review and public comment. Stephanie, a Division staff member leading the plan, said the document is structured around chapters on water security, collaboration, stewardship and basin-level needs and will include a chapter devoted to healthy watersheds and ecosystems.

"We are barreling down the path to when statute calls for this plan to be finalized," Stephanie said, noting the team expects a complete first draft by mid‑March and aims to circulate a review copy to watershed councils in mid‑ to late April. The division plans to produce a public-comment draft by early July and hold a 30–45 day comment period.

Stephanie described the outreach that informed the draft: a series of basin-level public meetings called "water talks," plus engagement with about 25–30 staff across sister agencies and input from watershed councils. She said the public meetings drew roughly 250 attendees across basins and produced basin-specific concerns the plan will address.

Council members asked how the division would incorporate review feedback. Stephanie said the plan will undergo an internal sister-agency review, then be circulated to watershed councils for chapter‑by‑chapter input; targeted outreach to water conservancy districts will follow. She added the plan will include targeted recommendations at the end of individual chapters as well as higher-level recommendations in the final chapter.

Topics identified for continued emphasis in the draft include: water supply reliability and uncertainty; the connection between groundwater and surface water; protecting watersheds to mitigate wildfire risk and improve downstream water quality; invasive species control; supporting agriculture; and funding for aging infrastructure. The presenter also said the plan will include basin-level summaries and successes, not just a statewide 10,000‑foot view.

The council suggested dedicating a future meeting to a detailed, chapter-by-chapter review once the draft is circulated. Stephanie said the division welcomes that and will provide materials and time for watershed councils to comment during the April–July review window.

The Division of Water Resources will share the draft with watershed councils and sister agencies when internal review is complete; the council will decide whether to allocate extended agenda time for detailed review at an upcoming meeting. The council set its next meeting for April 9.