Laserfiche WebLink
2025 URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN <br /> MAY 2026/FINAL DRAFT/CAROLLO <br /> CHAPTER9 DEMAND MANAGEMENT MEASURES <br /> Over the past several decades, water use efficiency and conservation have evolved from voluntary best <br /> practices into core regulatory requirements shaping urban water management throughout California and <br /> Orange County. In response to recurring droughts, growing urban demand, and increasing competition <br /> for limited water supplies, the California Urban Water Conservation Council (CUWCC) was formed in 1991 <br /> to promote statewide cooperation on urban water conservation. Through the development and <br /> implementation of the CUWCC Best Management Practices, water agencies established a consistent, <br /> voluntary framework for improving efficiency through locally tailored programs.This early foundation was <br /> later strengthened by legislative actions, most notably Senate Bill (SB) X7-7,the Water Conservation Act of <br /> 2009, which set enforceable urban water use reduction targets to cut per capita use by 20 percent by 2020 <br /> and required retail water suppliers to actively manage demand as part of long-term water planning. All <br /> Orange County water agencies came together to create the Orange County 20x2020 Regional Alliance <br /> and met compliance as a region. The City of Santa Ana (City) also met compliance individually. These <br /> efforts reflected a growing recognition that efficient water use is essential to ensuring reliability amid <br /> population growth, limited supplies, and increasing climate variability. <br /> Recurring drought conditions have further accelerated the pace and scale of conservation efforts in the <br /> last decade. The 2013-2014 drought prompted a statewide emergency response, culminating in an <br /> executive order mandating a 25 percent reduction in urban water use across California.All Orange County <br /> Water Agencies, including the City, met this reduction target as reported in Chapter 5 of this 2025 Urban <br /> Water Management Plan (UWMP). More recently, the 2021-2022 drought reinforced the need for <br /> sustained efficiency gains and durable demand management strategies beyond temporary emergency <br /> actions.These regulatory and hydrologic drivers ultimately led to the passing and adoption of SB 606 and <br /> Assembly Bill (AB) 1668, the "Making Conservation a California Way of Life" legislation (passed in 2018 <br /> and adopted in 2024).The legislation establishes long-term water use objectives for individual water <br /> suppliers and reinforces conservation as a permanent element of water management. Together, these <br /> milestones underscore the necessity for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MET), the <br /> Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC), and the City to implement comprehensive demand <br /> management measures and meet established urban water use reduction targets to ensure regional water <br /> supply resilience. <br /> The goal of the Demand Management Measures (DMM) chapter is to provide a comprehensive <br /> description of the water use efficiency programs that the City has implemented in the most recent five <br /> years, is currently implementing, and plans to implement to meet its urban water use reduction targets. <br /> Per the "Making California a Conservation Way of Life" Framework (Conservation Framework), each Urban <br /> Water Supplier is required to calculate and report their Urban Water Use Objective (UWUO) and to stay <br /> within their calculated annual water budget. The UWUO is an aggregate efficient water use of: <br /> ■ Indoor Residential Use (population x gallons per capita per day [gpcd] standard). <br /> ■ Outdoor Residential Use (measurements of irrigated/irrigable area, local weather data, and a <br /> landscape efficiency factor). <br /> ■ Outdoor Use with Dedicated Irrigation Meters (measurements of irrigated area, local weather data, <br /> and a landscape efficiency factor). <br /> CITY OF SANTA ANA <br />