REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF BOARD GOVERNED COUNTY SERVICE AREAS
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 23, 2026
FROM
NOEL CASTILLO, Director, Department of Public Works - Special Districts
SUBJECT
Title
Public Hearing Regarding the County Service Area 70 Zone J Oak Hills Component of the 2025 Mojave Regional Urban Water Management Plan
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of County Service Area 70 Zone J Oak Hills:
1. Conduct a public hearing to consider the 2025 Mojave Regional Urban Water Management Plan as it applies to the County Service Area 70 Zone J Oak Hills service area, including the applicable regional chapters, its respective retailer-specific chapter, its Water Shortage Contingency Plan, and all applicable appendices.
2. Adopt the 2025 Mojave Regional Urban Water Management Plan as it applies to the County Service Area 70 Zone J Oak Hills service area, including the applicable regional chapters, its respective retailer-specific chapter, its Water Storage Contingency Plan, and all applicable appendices on file with the Department of Public Works - Special Districts.
3. Authorize the Mojave Water Agency to submit the 2025 Mojave Regional Urban Water Management Plan as it applies to the County Service Area 70 Zone J Oak Hills service area, including the applicable regional chapters, its respective retailer-specific chapter, its Water Storage Contingency Plan and all applicable appendices, on behalf of County Service Area 70 Zone J Oak Hills, to the California Department of Water Resources.
(Presenter: Noel Castillo, Director, 387-7906)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Foster Sustainable Development Through Strategic Partnerships.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Enhance Readiness for Major Emergency Responses.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost) as this item is non-financial in nature.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Department of Public Works - Special Districts (Department), through its Water and Sanitation Division, is the water retailer for County Service Area 70 Zone J Oak Hills (CSA 70 J). The California Water Code, Division 6, Part 2.6, contains the Urban Water Management Planning Act, which requires water retailers to develop an Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) for any water service area having 3,000 or more water service connections. CSA 70 J’s water service area has approximately 3,491 water service connections. Updated UWMPs are required every five years. The 2021 UWMP was brought to the Board of Supervisors (Board) for adoption on June 22, 2021 (Item No. 130).
The Department collaborated with the Mojave Water Agency (MWA) and its consultant in the preparation of the 2025 Mojave Regional Urban Water Management Plan (2025 RUWMP). The 2025 RUWMP is a regional planning document that includes the following participating water agencies: Hesperia Water District, Hi-Desert Water District, Joshua Basin Water District, Golden State Water Company, Liberty Utilities, County Service Area 64 Spring Valley Lake, County Service Area 70 J - Oak Hills, Phelan-Piñon Hills Community Services District, City of Adelanto, Victorville Water District, and MWA. Participating agencies provided data and supporting information to MWA’s consultant for the development of the 2025 RUWMP, including agency-specific sections tailored to each participating entity.
The 2025 RUWMP includes:
• Regional chapters addressing Region-wide water supplies, water demands, and water service reliability;
• A chapter addressing MWA’s role as the Region’s wholesale water supplier, including its water supply and management responsibilities; and
• Retailer-specific chapters for each participating urban water supplier.
Each retailer-specific chapter addresses conditions within the respective agency’s service area, including water service and system description, population and land use, water supply and infrastructure, water use characterization, water conservation and shortage response, and water system reliability. Each participating agency’s water shortage contingency plan (WSCP) describes the actions that may be implemented to respond to water shortage conditions and maintain water service reliability within its service area. Each participating agency will hold its own public hearing to consider adoption of the 2025 RUWMP as it applies to its service area, including the applicable regional chapters, its respective retailer-specific chapter, its WSCP and all applicable appendices. MWA will separately consider adoption of the entirety of the 2025 RUWMP and its WSCP.
The focus of the 2025 RUWMP is to identify water supply needs over a 20-year projection period. This requires determining water demand characteristics and how demand will be met in various hydrologic year types (normal, multiple dry, critical dry), describing all water supply sources and their supply outlooks, projecting water quality problems, and developing and implementing Best Management Practice measures for water conservation as well as preparing a contingency plan in case of water shortages. The 2025 RUWMP must conform to the requirements of the Urban Water Management Guidebook including details of all sanitary sewer overflows that may occur in an agency’s wastewater collection system according to the Urban Water Management Planning Act and all subsequent legislation.
CSA 70 J currently operates under Ordinance No. SD-15-04 which establishes water conservation measures that support the water shortage contingency element of the 2025 RUWMP.
The Board is being requested to adopt the 2025 RUWMP as it applies to the CSA 70 J service area, including the applicable regional chapters, its respective retailer-specific chapter, its WSCP and all applicable appendices. The requirement for a public meeting and the availability of a draft copy of the 2025 RUWMP were properly posted and the required 60-day notice was sent to stakeholders on August 27, 2025. The UWMP public hearing meeting notice was published in the Daily Press on May 13, 2026, May 20, 2026, and May 27, 2026. This item also seeks the Board’s authorization for MWA to submit the 2025 RUWMP as it applies to the CSA 70 J, including the applicable regional chapters, its respective retailer-specific chapter, its WSCP and all applicable appendices, on behalf of CSA 70 J, to the California Department of Water Resources by July 1, 2026.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Sophie Curtis, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 27, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Matthew Dalton, Administrative Analyst, 387-5005) on June 5, 2026.