Special Edition
A New Era for the California Water Plan Begins with Launch of California Water Plan 2028
Modernizing statewide water planning
DWR today announced the formal launch of California Water Plan 2028 (Water Plan 2028), marking the start of a multi-year effort to modernize statewide water planning in response to climate-driven extremes and long-term water reliability challenges. California is entering a defining moment for water. Climate-driven extremes, long-term supply uncertainty, and aging infrastructure are testing a system built for a different era. Water Plan 2028 is the State’s opportunity to respond with a clearer, more actionable, and more durable approach to statewide water planning.
“Climate change is reshaping life in California through historic droughts and record storms that threaten the farms that feed the nation, communities that depend on reliable water, and the environment we all share. The 2028 Water Plan is a commitment to every Californian that we will capture, store, and conserve the water our state — the fourth largest economy in the world — needs to thrive, no matter what climate change throws at us,” Governor Newsom said in a press release today.
Work on Water Plan 2028 will focus around three main workstreams, including:
- Data for Water Use and Supply Balances: collecting statewide, watershed-scale datasets, leveraging new data and advanced technologies, and bringing in statewide planning models.
- Targets for Long-Term Water Supply: creating credible, localized, urban, agriculture, Tribal and environmental targets; expanding coverage of hydrologic regions, and aligning with Governor Newsom’s 2022 Water Supply Strategy and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
- Actions for Adaptation and Implementation: creating place-specific strategies, including nature-based solutions, to close supply-demand gaps; creating cost-benefit analyses; and tracking progress and integration across State, federal, and local planning.
The California Water Plan 2028 factsheet provides a comprehensive overview of the action-oriented approach to responsible, future management of California’s water.
Senate Bill 72 sets a clear expectation
The launch of Water Plan 2028 initiates the first phase of work under Senate Bill (SB) 72, which mandates modernization of the California Water Plan by improving data and setting measurable targets. SB 72 also creates a more coordinated, transparent planning framework that aligns State, regional, and local actions, which includes close collaboration with the California Water Commission. SB 72 sets a clear expectation: move statewide water planning from description to direction.
Under SB 72, the California Water Plan is being modernized to:
- Better reflect climate change and long-term water supply risk.
- Improve consistency and transparency in statewide and watershed-scale data.
- Identify effective water management strategies, informed by economic considerations.
- Establish clear planning targets that help align State, regional, and local actions.
California Water Plan Update Advisory Committee
SB 72 makes clear that a stronger California Water Plan requires meaningful engagement from across the state. To fulfill this mandate, DWR is convening an Advisory Committee that will shape the workplan for both the 2028 and 2033 Water Plans and provide input about approaches to effectively engage regional communities throughout development of Water Plan 2028 and future water plans. The Advisory Committee will include representation from urban and agricultural water suppliers, local government, business and labor, environmental and environmental justice interests, Tribes, and other interested parties.
The role of public engagement
Water Plan 2028 is being developed through an open, transparent process designed to reflect California’s diversity of regions, water systems, and perspectives. All Advisory Committee meetings will be held in a public setting open to community engagement. The Advisory Committee will hold its inaugural meeting in spring 2026. The meeting is open to public participation and will be governed by State open-meeting requirements. More information will be available soon.
DWR will also host public forums and caucuses, a Tribal Advisory Committee, and a technical workgroup to broaden participation and ground statewide planning in real-world conditions. This engagement is not a formality. Input from communities, practitioners, and leaders across California will directly inform data development, planning assumptions, targets, and strategies.
Subscribe to California Water Plan eNews to receive future updates on meetings and other public engagement opportunities.
New California Water Plan website
To support transparency and public access, DWR has launched a new project website at CaliforniaWaterPlan.com to serve as the central hub for information on all future water plans, advisory committee participation, meeting materials, timelines, and opportunities for engagement.
As part of its coverage of Water Plan 2028, the California Water Plan eNews will include a section featuring elements of Water Plan 2028. This section, California Water Plan Splash, will include links to various sections of Water Plan 2028 and its supplemental documents. Sign up to receive updates.
To subscribe to California Water Plan eNews, visit the DWR email subscription page and select the “California Water Plan eNews” option.
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