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Milpitas council adopts 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and introduces drought rules; turf watering ban phased starting 2027
Summary
Council adopted the city’s 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and introduced a Water Shortage Contingency Plan and ordinance implementing AB 1572, which phases a ban on irrigating nonfunctional turf with potable water for public entities starting Jan. 1, 2027, and later for commercial, HOA and other property classes.
The Milpitas City Council on June 9 adopted the city’s 2025 Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) and introduced a water‑shortage ordinance that implements the state’s permanent prohibition on irrigating nonfunctional turf with drinking water for specified property classes.
Public Works Division Manager Ariel Morales told the council Milpitas relies on three primary sources—about 60% wholesale water from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, 30% from Valley Water and roughly 10% recycled water—and that the 2025 UWMP demonstrates long‑term reliability under normal conditions but warns that successive dry years would cut imported reliability and increase demand for outdoor irrigation.
The council voted to adopt the UWMP so the city remains eligible for state drought assistance and grants; staff must file the plan with the Department of Water Resources by the July 1 deadline. In parallel, Deputy Public Works Director Elaine Marshall presented the updated Water Shortage Contingency Plan and an ordinance to make AB 1572’s nonfunctional‑turf prohibition local law.
Marshall said the turf prohibition applies to decorative grass that has no recreational or community function and will be phased in: public agencies and state entities first on Jan. 1, 2027; industrial, commercial and institutional properties (including private schools) on Jan. 1, 2029; homeowners associations on Jan. 1, 2031; and certain disadvantaged‑community provisions by 2031. Parks, single‑family lawns and areas irrigated with recycled water are exempt.
Council members and staff emphasized education and outreach: the city will send notices, publish guidance on its website and promote water‑use rebate programs and the city’s water‑use customer portal so account holders can monitor consumption and get leak alerts. Marshall said the council’s adoption of the contingency plan and ordinance will allow the city to align local rules with statewide water‑use standards and to pursue drought‑resilience grants in the future.
What’s next: Council introduced the ordinance by title and waived additional reading; staff will return with final adoption language and further public outreach to affected property owners ahead of the phased implementation.
