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State Water Board reviews 2025 progress and next steps for Racial Equity Action Plan
Summary
Board staff reported progress on the 2023–25 Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP): 38 of 53 actions are listed complete, the Equity Data Handbook and tribal data tools were rolled out, and staff outlined REAP 2.0 and public workshops as the next steps; board members and public commenters urged stronger SAFER integration and sustained resourcing.
The State Water Resources Control Board received an informational update May 19 on implementation of the board's 2023–2025 Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP). Staff said the plan's three-year term concluded with 38 of 53 actions marked complete, broader regional progress, and several cross-divisional deliverables now in use.
Amy Croncin, assistant director for the Office of Public Engagement, Equity, and Tribal Affairs, summarized the plan's structure and purpose. Staff highlighted four flagship products from 2025: the Equity Data Handbook (a living resource for staff to apply an equity lens to data work), a racial equity data subcommittee of the Environmental Justice Roundtable (growing to 60+ members), a rebranded tribal data mapping tool developed with tribal input, and a tribally centered freshwater harmful algal bloom (FHAB) training series that has reached more than 50 participants from 27 tribal organizations.
Divisions reported program-level accomplishments: the Division of Water Quality added demographic indicators to the integrated report to identify disproportionate impairments; the Division of Drinking Water integrated equity analyses into parts of the 2025 drinking water needs assessment; Division of Financial Assistance committed over $25 million in interim/emergency assistance and nearly $150 million in technical assistance for disadvantaged communities; and the state launched a $5 million cleanup-and-abatement pilot for projects benefiting disadvantaged environmental-justice or tribal communities.
Staff also described longer-term initiatives, including a wastewater needs assessment conducted with UCLA to identify system priorities affecting disadvantaged communities and an ongoing effort to integrate equity into the Bay-Delta and groundwater planning processes. Anna Holder of OIMA noted that the Equity Data Handbook is already in roll-out demonstrations and will be iteratively updated.
Several board members praised the work but emphasized limited staffing and funding. Veronica Farwell, the workforce equity and inclusion advisor, gave a personal account of program constraints and urged sustainable staffing: "We don't have the program that we need to move it forward," she said, urging continued institutional support. Public commenters urged that the SAFER drinking-water program be better aligned with REAP and recommended that engagement and technical assistance be treated as core program outcomes rather than optional activities.
Staff outlined a phased public workshop schedule for REAP 2.0 (summer 2026 outreach, draft updates, final adoption anticipated early 2027) and urged continued cross-divisional and regional collaboration. No board action was requested or taken; the item was presented for information, comment, and follow-up direction.
Board members asked staff to ensure REAP 2.0 translates pilot work into routine program practice, sustain gains where possible, and provide clearer resourcing plans for workforce equity and community-engagement capacity.
