Water Supply Advisory Committee

Process and Recommendations for Water Supply Augmentation

Santa Cruz has long faced challenges with the reliability of its water supply. Many solutions have been considered over the past four decades. In October 2013, the City Council decided to take approach this challenge by appointing a committee of residents representing diverse perspectives to look at water issues and ways to address them. The new group was called the Water Supply Advisory Committee (WSAC).

The WSAC operated independently, supported by staff, a technical support team and an independent review panel. The committee had its own charter and operated under California's open public meeting laws. Fourteen committee members representing local interests including the environment, business, education and the city's water commission met for 18 months. The group conducted a deep exploration of the city’s water system, the challenges that climate change presents to ensuring reliable water supply, and what the most feasible new supply options could be. Read an article in Western Cities Magazine that describes the full WSAC process: Santa Cruz Engages Community to Identify Water Solutions.

The public was encouraged to attend WSAC meetings, as well as committee-sponsored workshops. To see the list of meetings and accompanying materials, click here. 

In 2015, the WSAC’s recommendations were presented to the City Council where they were unanimously adopted. The recommendations included:

1. Maximizing water conservation

2. Storing excess winter water (when available) in underground aquifers, a process called aquifer storage and recovery (ASR)

3. Sharing excess winter water with other local water districts, when available, a process called water transfers

4. Exploring use of recycled water

5. Exploring use of desalinated water

To see the full report of Agreements and Recommendations, click here.