Drought Resilience Plan
Please visit our Drought Portal for other resources related to drought and water shortages.
The Mendocino County Drought Resilience Plan was adopted by the Board of Supervisors on May 20, 2025. The final plan is available for review here:
About SB 552
In September 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 552 (Hertzberg), which requires state and local governments to share responsibility in planning and responding to water shortage events, particularly for state small water systems and rural communities supplied by domestic wells. Through SB 552, the California State Legislature identifies counties as the best-suited government entity to provide the needed leadership to improve water resilience for state small water systems and domestic wells.
Under SB 552, all counties in California are required to prepare a County Drought Resilience Plan (County DRP) to achieve meaningful and long-term improvements in water resilience for their residents. In addition to the development of a County DRP, SB 552 directs counties to establish a long-standing County Drought and Water Shortage Task Force (Task Force) to cultivate the continued practices of drought planning and improving long-term water resilience.
County Compliance
The County and its Water Agency (MCWA) have been effectively complying with SB 552 since 2021 and throughout the recent historic drought period by holding frequent Task Force meetings, currently held under the General Government Standing Committee (GGSC). In May 2024, the County was awarded a grant from the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to facilitate the development of its County DRP, which began in June 2024 under the management and administration of the MCWA. MCWA hired a consultant that specializes in water resources planning, EKI Environment and Water, Inc. (EKI), to lead the technical development of the County DRP. MCWA and EKI are closely collaborating with relevant County Departments, University of California Cooperative Extension-Mendocino County (UCCE), stakeholders, and decision-makers to develop a comprehensive plan that complies with the requirements of SB-552 through a transparent public process.
DRP Development
The DRP development workflow consists of four main steps: data collection, vulnerability/risk assessment, development of short-term response actions and long-term mitigation strategies, and plan implementation. These steps were conducted with effective public education and engagement, in collaboration with water suppliers and managers throughout the County.
The public engagement process included two public workshops in the third quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025 to discuss the DRP development process and its results. Each step of the plan was discussed at a GGSC meeting. The DRP was discussed at GGSC meetings in September 2024, as well as February, March, and May 2025.
Additional Resources:
Thank you to those of you who have participated in our previous DRP meetings. Your input is appreciated and valuable to the DRP process! Below you can find the Powerpoint presentations from the community workshops and CDTF meetings.
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(PDF, 2MB)