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Soledad adopts 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and Water Shortage Contingency Plan
Summary
Council adopted the city’s 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and a separate Water Shortage Contingency Plan, finding the system’s firm capacity adequate for multi‑dry‑year scenarios through 2050 and establishing staged shortage response actions required for state compliance and future grant eligibility.
The Soledad City Council adopted two required water plans on Tuesday: the 2025 Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) and the 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP). Staff said adoption is required to remain eligible for some state funding and to document long‑term reliability and shortage responses.
City water staff and consultants reviewed supply, demand and reliability across three hydrologic scenarios (normal, single‑dry, and multiple‑dry years). Staff said Soledad draws from several municipal wells, has storage tanks and booster facilities, and that the city’s firm capacity (the capacity if a primary source is lost) exceeds current demand. The UWMP concluded the city can meet demand through projected multi‑dry‑year conditions through 2050 under the current assumptions.
The separate WSCP lays out six shortage stages (roughly 10% increments) and corresponding mandatory and voluntary demand‑reduction measures. Examples include restricted irrigation days, public outreach, and potential use restrictions in severe shortage stages. Staff highlighted that the city already operates water‑conservation programs (metering, tiered rates, a water‑waste ordinance) and that recycled water deliveries planned next year should lower potable demand for parks and irrigation.
No members of the public testified on the plans. Council adopted Resolution No. 6387 (2025 UWMP) and Resolution No. 6388 (2025 WSCP), and directed staff to file the approved plans with the California Department of Water Resources by the state deadline. City staff said the filings help qualify the city for future grant funding and provide a roadmap for staged drought response.
What’s next: With the plans adopted and filed, staff will implement outreach and demand‑management steps in partnership with community engagement and continue infrastructure and recycled‑water projects to support long‑term supply reliability.
