In 1983, the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 797, referred to as the Urban Water Management Planning Act requiring every urban water supplier serving more than 3,000 customers, or providing more than 3,000 acre-feet of water annually, to prepare and adopt an Urban Water Management Plan and Water Shortage Contingency Plan every five years. The Act requires urban water suppliers, including the Menlo Park Municipal Water, to describe and evaluate their water supply sources and reliability, how delivery will be prioritized in the event of a water shortage, what measures are and will be taken to improve efficient uses of water, and other relevant information over the next 20 years.
Urban Water Management Plans must:
- Assess the reliability of water sources over a 20-year planning time frame
- Describe demand management measures and water shortage contingency plans
- Discuss the use and planned use of recycled water
The information collected from these plans are useful for local, regional, and statewide water planning.
Menlo Park Municipal Water is required to update and submit its Urban Water Management Plan to the State Department of Water Resources every five years. Compliance with the Act is necessary to be eligible for State grants, loans and drought assistance.
In April 2020, the City Council approved an agreement with EKI Environment & Water, Inc. to develop the 2020 Urban Water Management Plan. On May 25, 2021, the City Council adopted the 2020 Urban Water Management Plan and Water Shortage Contingency Plan. In June 2021, the final plans were submitted to the Department of Water Resources and the California State Library.
