Senate Bill 552: Drought Planning for Small Water Supplies & Rural Communities

Senate Bill 552 (SB 552) was passed by the California Legislature in September 2021, placing more responsibilities on both local and State governments for preparing and acting in the event of a water shortage in rural communities. The bill calls for proactive drought preparedness for the most vulnerable communities by improving their management during future droughts, ultimately preventing catastrophic impacts on drinking water supplies.
 

County Progress:

As per SB 552, each county is presented with two main requirements to facilitate drought planning for water systems with fewer than 14 connections, including individual wells: the first is to establish and hold a standing drought task force, and the other is to develop a drought and water shortage resilience plan. A county may establish alternative processes to meet these requirements.

The standing county drought task force is held to a similar standard as the DRIP Collaborative for the state, which is to provide opportunities for coordinating and communicating with the state and other local governments, community-based organizations, local water suppliers, and local residents on a regular basis. The County of San Luis Obispo is meeting this requirement by including a standing agenda item to report on drought planning during public meetings of the Water Resources Advisory Committee.

Drought and water shortage resilience plans serve three purposes:

  • presenting potential drought and water shortage risk for rural communities,
  • proposing interim and long-term drinking water solutions to said risk, and
  • identifying available funding sources and necessary plan implementation steps

The County is completing the drought and water shortage resilience plan requirement by elaborating on the above information in the Drought sections of the Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP). All information will be current after the 2025 MJHMP Update.

Furthermore, County SB552 efforts align with two other current major regional water planning efforts - the 2026 Master Water Report & Data and Information Management System and the DESAL Plan. These efforts altogether strive to maintain existing water sources, create new water sources, and allow for easy data transparency to the public.


Desal Chart


Outreach:    

If you have any comments or questions you would like to bring up in a public setting, please participate in a Water Resources Advisory Committee (WRAC) meeting. These meetings are the first Wednesday afternoon of every month at the San Luis Obispo Library Community Room (995 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo) and online through Zoom.


Project Contacts

For additional information, please contact Joshua Porter via email: [email protected] or phone: (805) 781-1953.
 

FAQs

SB552 was signed into law in 2021 to provide drought preparedness planning requirements specific to the state’s rural communities and their water systems (state small water systems and domestic wells). These requirements are shared between the State and local governments, placing the responsibility of not only preparing for but also acting in times of water shortage on both governments.
Rural communities dependent on one water source via either domestic well or state small water system began experiencing water shortages after the 2012-2016 drought. SB552 provides much needed focus specifically for rural communities to assist them with their drought planning.

Overall, the main goals of the bill are to:
  • Reduce the risk of water shortage for small water suppliers, state small water systems, and individual (domestic) wells
  • Improve access to financial and technical resources
  • Promote proactive planning, coordination, and collaboration
  • Delegate responsibilities to counties and local agencies
It depends on the number of connections the well has. Domestic Wells are single source water systems consisting of only 1-4 connections. State Small Water Systems are single source water systems consisting of 5-14 connections.
No, neither the County nor State have the authority to force consolidation on any wells not serviced by either, regardless of location. SB552 plans only provide recommendations and suggestions for consolidation depending on factors like location and identified water shortage risk.
 
So far, five counties have completed both requirements. The five counties are listed below along with their drought resilience plan or alternative process. All other counties have at least established their drought task forces but all are working towards completing their drought resilience plan or equivalent alternative process.
County Drought Resilience Plan or alternative process
Madera Standalone plan
Napa Standalone plan
San Diego Incorporated into San Diego County MJHMP
Santa Cruz Standalone plan
Tulare Standalone plan
Alternative processes are being completed for both requirements.

The standing drought task force is led by the Public Works Department and consists of an internal working group of staff from multiple County departments and agencies. Also, Water Resources Advisory Committee (WRAC) is being utilized as the public committee serving the task force.

The drought resilience plan is being integrated into the San Luis Obispo County its Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP) through the 2025 update, with additional documents being produced by County Public Works Department and State consultant staff through direct technical assistance.
The State has established and maintained multiple resources for counties and small water suppliers to use for SB552 efforts. These resources include the Drought Resilience Interagency and Partners (DRIP) Collaborative, DWR Water Shortage Vulnerability Tool and Data, and the DWR County Drought Resilience Planning Assistance Program. Each resource provides a unique service:
  1. The DRIP Collaborative is the state equivalent to a county drought task force.
  2. The DWR Water Shortage Vulnerability Tool provides the latest data regarding drought and water shortage vulnerabilities and associated risks for counties and small water suppliers to use for SB552 efforts. DWR regularly updates the data.
  3. The DWR County Drought Resilience Planning Assistance Program is a hub for counties to seek essential resources for assistance with SB552 efforts. These resources range from guidance and technical assistance to financial assistance.
Water systems covering urban areas oversee their own drought resilience plans separate from the County. Please look to your water system specifically for their efforts.