Water district moves forward
with conservation guidelines
Will consider mandatory reductions
By OW Staff
The Palmdale Water District (PWD) will adopt new and updated plans that detail water supply planning for the future and describe implementation of conservation guidelines.
Water district officials have approved the 2020 Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP), 2020 Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP) and updates to the 2015 UWMP.
The WSCP, previously part of the UWMP, is now a separate document. As an urban water supplier, PWD is required by California’s Urban Water Management Act to prepare and adopt an UWMP at least every five years.
“The UWMP is our plan for evaluating and comparing our water supply and reliability to existing and projected water demands,” said PWD Resource and Analytics director Peter Thompson Jr. “We have been working on the plans for a year. They will serve as our blueprints moving forward.”
To meet state requirements, PWD’s UWMP details water supply planning in five-year increments for the next 25 years, more than the state’s required 20 years. The plan also identifies and quantifies existing and projected water supplies and water supply opportunities, including use of recycled water, for existing and future demands.
According to the 2020 UWMP, PWD’s current water demand is about 17,200 acre-feet annually for a population of about 126,000. By 2045, population is expected to rise to about 153,000 with water demands at 26,250 acre-feet.
A big change that is expected to take place in the water supply in the next 25 years is the substantially increased use of recycled water. This will reportedly help reduce reliance on imported water, particularly in drought years.
By adopting the WSCP, the Board has a new set of water shortage stages that address the need for conservation during drought conditions. At its next meeting on June 28, the Board is expected to consider adopting Stage 2 of the WSCP, which will implement mandatory reductions of 15 percent for all customers.
