Dale Brown

The California Water Plan Update 2028 addresses the increasing pressures on the state's water system due to climate change and aging infrastructure. It incorporates modernization efforts under Senate Bill 72, establishing a statewide water supply target of 9 million acre-feet by 2040. The plan shifts from an inventory-based approach to an action-oriented roadmap, focusing on building data-driven foundations, setting watershed-based targets, and identifying practical, cost-effective, and resilient strategies. Through broad engagement with partners and an advisory committee, the initiative aims to develop a durable roadmap for communities, farms, and ecosystems to adapt to current and future weather extremes.

The California Water Plan 2028 is a modernized statewide water planning document developed by the Department of Water Resources to address climate-driven weather extremes, long-term water supply uncertainty, and aging infrastructure. Guided by Senate Bill 72, its strategic direction focuses on identifying and evaluating effective water management strategies, quantifying beneficial water uses, expanding public engagement, and establishing clear water supply targets. The plan is structured around three core building blocks: robust data for water use and supply balances, setting targets for long-term water supply, and defining actions for adaptation and implementation. It aims to provide a clear understanding of water supply and demand gaps, establish an interim statewide planning goal of 9 million acre-feet of additional water supply by 2040, and lay the groundwork for measurable, watershed-level targets to guide California's future water resource decisions.

The event, titled the Fall 2025 GSA Forum, focused on discussions surrounding Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) implementation after ten years of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Key components included discussions on GSA onboarding for new staff and board members, project and management actions, and periodic evaluations and annual reports. The presentation on onboarding highlighted DWR's efforts to develop customizable assistance materials, such as a GSA handbook template and a checklist, in response to identified challenges like staff turnover. The discussion on Project and Management Actions included updates on the PMA module and experiences from the Merced County GSA. The final segment covered guidance on periodic evaluations and annual reports, with subsequent Q&A sessions planned for each component.

The meeting of the DRIP Collaborative focused on drought and water shortage-related issues. Discussions included early warning systems, sector-specific drought outlook briefings, and efforts to modernize drought early warning. The collaborative aims to support proactive drought responses, incorporate new information, and improve outlooks in real-time, with a user-centric approach to help users make decisions and navigate drought progression.

The California Department of Water Resources held a virtual public hearing for the Delta Conveyance Project Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The hearing included a brief overview of the project, which aims to modernize the state's aging water infrastructure in the Delta to restore and protect the reliability of water supplies. The project considers alternatives to address sea-level rise and climate change, minimize water supply disruption due to seismic risk, protect water supply reliability, and provide operational flexibility to improve aquatic conditions. The hearing also included a facilitative comment session to gather verbal comments on the draft EIR.