TRANSPORTATION, WATER & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE
Meeting Date: March 18, 2026
Subject: RECEIVE presentation on progress of drought resilience planning for state small water systems and domestic well communities as required under Senate Bill 552 and DIRECT staff as appropriate
Submitted For: TRANSPORTATION, WATER & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE
Department: DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION & DEVELOPMENT
Referral No: 1, 5, 6
Referral Name: Review legislative matters on transportation, water, and infrastructure; Review projects, plans and legislative matters that may affect the health of the San Francisco Bay and Delta, including but not limited to conveyance, flood control, dredging, climate change, habitat conservation, governance, water storage, drought resilience planning, development of an ordinance regarding polystyrene foam food containers, monitor waste diversion initiatives, and water quality, supply and reliability, consistent with the Board of Supervisors adopted Delta Water Platform; Review and monitor the establishment of 1) Groundwater Sustainability Agencies and Groundwater Sustainability Plans for the three medium priority groundwater basins within Contra Costa County as required by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, and 2) a standing county drought and water shortage task force (Task Force) and Drought and Water Shortage Risk Mitigation Plan (Drought Resilience Plan) as required by Senate Bill (SB) 552.
Presenter: Ryan Hernandez || Assistant Deputy Director - Water & Transportation | DCD
Contact: Ryan Hernandez | (925) 655-2919
Referral History:
Senate Bill (SB) 552 was signed by the Governor in September 2021. The law includes new responsibilities and requirements for local agencies, counties, and state agencies to address gaps in local and state water management for drought resiliency and water shortage preparedness.
Under SB 552, counties are required to establish a standing county drought and water shortage task force (Task Force) and develop a Drought and Water Shortage Risk Mitigation Plan (Drought Resilience Plan). The Drought Resilience Plan must include potential drought and water shortage risks, as well as proposed interim and long-term solutions. Mitigation strategies in the plan must consider consolidation for existing water systems and domestic wells, drinking water mitigation programs, provision of emergency and interim drinking water solutions, implementation steps, and implementation funding sources. There is no mandated timeline for the Drought Resilience Plan. County responsibilities under SB 552 are required to cover state small water systems (state smalls), which serve five to fourteen service connections, and domestic wells, which have no more than four service connections. Contra Costa County’s Drought Resilience Plan also covers local small systems, which serve two to four connections.
TWIC received presentations on March 11, 2024, and October 14, 2024, as an internal working group of County staff from the departments of Conservation and Development, Agriculture, Health, Public Works, and the Office of Emergency Services began the drought resilience planning process as required under SB 552 and applied for direct technical assistance under the County Drought Resilience Planning Assistance Program, administered by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR). Through this program, the County received $125,000 in staff time from Stantec, DWR’s technical assistance provider, to provide logistic support for the Task Force and support developing the Drought Resilience Plan.
Referral Update:
The Task Force is made up of County departments, groundwater sustainability agencies, water suppliers and irrigation districts, and state agencies. To develop the public draft Drought Resilience Plan, the Task Force provided feedback on the draft Drought Resilience Plan and met three times:
• September 2024: Kickoff Meeting;
• February 2025: Review Risk Assessment Results; and
• February 2026: Review Draft Drought Resilience Plan, focused on Short-Term Response Actions and Long-Term Mitigation Strategies and Actions.
The technical assistance services provided by Stantec conclude at the end of March 2026. For next steps, County staff will have focused coordination and communication with communities with state small water systems, local small systems, and domestic wells regarding the public draft of the Drought Resilience Plan. The Drought Resilience Plan is expected to be brought to the Board of Supervisors for adoption by the end of 2026. The Task Force will continue to meet at least annually, and more often during water shortage events, to evaluate water supply health related to state small water systems, local small systems, and domestic well communities.
Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):
RECEIVE presentation on progress of drought resilience planning for state small water systems and domestic well communities as required under Senate Bill 552 and DIRECT staff as appropriate
Fiscal Impact (if any):
No fiscal impact to receiving the technical assistance to develop the public draft of the Drought Resilience Plan. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) offered direct technical assistance - $125,000 of Stantec staff time, DWR’s technical service provider - to help counties in their efforts to comply with Senate Bill 552 requirements. The technical assistance services conclude at the end of March 2026. The Drought Resilience Plan identifies the short-term response actions and long-term mitigation strategies and actions that will need additional resources, such as staff time and funding, to implement.