An advisory committee to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) held its first meeting in mid-May to begin work on the next update to the California Water Plan, the state’s long-range strategy for managing water resources across all sectors.
The plan is updated every five years and guides statewide water policy, planning and investment priorities.
The meeting came months after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed Senate Bill (SB) 72 in October, launching a multiyear effort to modernize California’s water planning framework in response to intensifying droughts, floods and long-term water reliability challenges tied to climate change.
SB 72 established an interim statewide planning target of 9 million acre-feet of additional water supply by 2040. The target is expected to play a central role in the development of the state’s 2028 and 2033 water plans.
A focus of the recent meeting—held in Sacramento over two days—was to establish the committee’s purpose and build a shared understanding of the challenges ahead.
DWR Director Karla Nemeth presented a “state of the state” overview examining California’s water history and evolving challenges, while DWR State Climatologist Mike Anderson discussed how effects of climate change are expected to impact the state’s future water supply.
Another focus of the meeting was groundwater recharge. SB 659, signed in 2023, requires DWR to include actionable recommendations and best practices in the 2028 water plan and future updates to expand groundwater recharge efforts statewide. The legislation directs the department to estimate recharge potential and identify the legal, regulatory and financial tools needed to advance recharge projects.
The meeting also examined the policy drivers shaping future planning efforts.
Throughout the meeting, speakers emphasized the need for collaboration across regions, sectors and communities as California faces mounting water pressures.
Officials said the advisory committee will play a key role in helping the state integrate regional priorities, technical expertise and multibenefit water strategies into the planning process.
Alexandra Biering, a policy advocacy director for the California Farm Bureau, is one of several agricultural water-use representatives on the committee. The others include Anja Raudabaugh of Western United Dairies, Cannon Michael of Bowles Farming Co., Ngodoo Atume of the University of California Small Farmers Program, and representatives from multiple irrigation districts and water agencies that serve agricultural water users.
Because of the scale and significance of the effort, the water plan is expected to receive close scrutiny from water agencies, agricultural interests, environmental organizations, Tribal governments and the public. — California Farm Bureau Federation
