Redlands adopts six-stage water shortage plan, can restrict ornamental fountains in a drought

Redlands Community News: State lawmakers revised Urban Water Management Plan rules in 2018 to require suppliers to draft these contingency plans. Redlands built its version alongside its 2025 Urban Water Management Plan but keeps it as a separate document it can amend on its own as conditions and regulations shift.

Municipal Utilities and Engineering Director Monica Heredia, who brought the item, said the city expects to meet long-term demand but faces short-term shortage risk from drought, power outages, water-quality changes and catastrophic events like earthquakes. Each of the six stages carries response actions meant to close the gap between supply and demand.

The plan also sets annual supply-and-demand assessments, communication protocols, enforcement measures, and the legal authority to declare shortage levels. Among its provisions: water for decorative features like ornamental fountains and ponds can be restricted in a shortage unless it's needed to keep aquatic life alive. City officials noted statewide drought emergencies can trigger mandatory delivery cuts, as happened in 2014.