Oxnard committee advances 2025 water management plan, schedules June public hearing

The Oxnard City Public Works and Transportation Committee on May 26 recommended that the City Council receive the draft 2025 Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) and the accompanying Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP), set a public hearing for June 16 and pursue formal adoption and state submittal.

Spencer Waterman of Water Systems Consulting, who said, “I'm Spencer Waterman with Water Systems Consulting,” gave the presentation and told the committee the plan responds to California Water Code requirements and DWR reporting standards. He described demand projections under the state's SBX7-7 framework and the new Urban Water Use Objective, and summarized the city's supply portfolio: locally pumped groundwater, purchases from Kayas Municipal Water District (via Metropolitan Water District and the State Water Project), and expanded recycled-water uses tied to the Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF) and indirect potable reuse (IPR).

Why it matters: the UWMP lays out scenarios to test supply reliability through 2050 and is required for certain state grants and loans. Waterman told the committee the plan shows the city meeting projected demand in average and historical dry-year scenarios while noting uncertainty from a basin adjudication and potential reductions in groundwater allocations.

On specific numbers, staff said the plan used a mid-range assumption of about a 28% reduction in groundwater allocation by 2040 unless certain projects are implemented. Public works staff described the AWPF as already constructed; the aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) well at Campus Park is drilled and remaining items include permitting and SCADA work. Staff said the AWPF could support roughly 3,000 acre-feet of delivered IPR by 2030 and a theoretical 7,000 acre-feet-per-year capacity (about 6,000 acre-feet net accounting for maintenance and downtime) in later years if recommended improvements proceed and funding is secured.

Committee members asked for context on historical gallons-per-capita-per-day (GPCD) trends and the consultants explained differences in population estimates and drought-era demand reductions. A virtual commenter asked whether agricultural crop use was captured; staff replied the city's retail system serves mostly residential and commercial customers and that agricultural water accounting is managed by regional wholesaler districts such as United Water Conservation District.

The committee moved the recommended actions — receive the UWMP/WSCP presentation, schedule the June 16 council public hearing, and recommend adoption — and the motion carried 3-0. The UWMP will proceed through the scheduled council hearing and the DWR submittal process.

Provenance: The UWMP/WSCP item was introduced at the committee meeting ("The next item on the agenda is item D2") and the committee voted to move the recommended action ("this motion carries three to zero").