The Small Suppliers Water Conservation Assistance Program's purpose is to provide direct assistance and installation to small water suppliers to increase water conservation. The Program is directly helping water suppliers who cannot otherwise compete for funds.
Small Water Suppliers are defined as water suppliers with less than 3,000 connections and that serve fewer than 3,000-acre-feet of water. Under the Small Suppliers Water Conservation Assistance Program, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) will provide funding to implement technical assistance projects to selected small water suppliers.
DWR has developed a list of eligible small water suppliers who have been identified as drought vulnerable and could benefit from assistance.
Services supported under the Small Suppliers Water Conservation Program include, but are not limited to, collaboration with small water suppliers in developing customer outreach and communications to increase awareness and implementing the following:
The State of California is funding services and devices to small water suppliers and free fixtures and leak repair services to your customers. The Program is for small water systems that have been identified as among the most vulnerable to future droughts in California, so the State is offering support to increase water conservation. This is part of a broader effort to conserve more of the local water supply.
The program is by invitation only. Select water suppliers are being offered this support because the State has identified them as among the most water and drought vulnerable small water suppliers (serving 15 to 2,999 connections). This is part of the State’s effort to implement California Senate Bill (SB) 552 Drought Planning for Small Water Suppliers and Rural Communities. More information about SB 552 and state-wide water conservation efforts can be found at:
https://water.ca.gov/Programs/Water-Use-And-Efficiency/SB-552
A program representative will conduct a field assessment and formalize participation with a simple written agreement and work plan. The work plan will outline the mutually agreed upon services and approaches to be implemented. A program representative will conduct a kick-off call to finalize plans and initiate the work. Participating small water suppliers are asked to assist in coordinating the work and sharing information with their customers. If customer metering or a leak detection study is included, we may also request water system plans. There are no additional monitoring or reporting requirements for small water suppliers participating in this program.
The program is intended to increase water conservation to protect small and rural communities from catastrophic decreases to drinking water supplies. The program provides direct financial support to meet SB 552 requirements. All services provided by the program are funded through California's Go Golden initiative and provided at not cost to the supplier or their customers.
According to the Alliance for Water Efficiency, installing water meters and billing according to usage is the single most effective water conservation measure a water supplier can initiate. Water consumption can be reduced 15% to 30% when metering and rates based on water use are implemented (go to: https://www.allianceforwaterefficiency.org/resources/metering for more information). Water meters can be used to identify leaks faster by pinpointing excess water usage and approach customers with especially high water use with methods to reduce their usage, ultimately benefiting the entire community.
Systematic measurements of groundwater levels enable water suppliers to evaluate changes over time and take action to conserve water if levels drop. Water suppliers can also use these data to develop groundwater models and forecast trends, and to design, implement, and monitor the effectiveness of groundwater management and protection programs.
The Budget Act of 2021, as amended by Assembly Bill 180 (Ting, 2021), provides funding to DWR for small water supplier conservation (Section 25, Item 3860-101-3398 Conservation for Small Suppliers). Generally, the State will pay the costs of assessment, planning, equipment, installation, training, and support for small water suppliers. The program will require some time of the supplier to help us gain background information and coordination. Water suppliers are not required to contribute financial or material resources.
