The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency board of directors adopted a sustainability plan on Tuesday containing a comprehensive assessment of SCV Water’s current sustainability initiatives, a baseline for measuring progress and a roadmap to improve operational sustainability.
The sustainability plan is set to begin this year and go through 2045. Updates are anticipated on a five-year schedule.
The preparation began in 2021, including a public workshop in July 2022 and a 30-day public review process from April until May this year to solicit input on priorities and ideas.
The plan and its associated actions complement SCV Water’s long- and short-range planning efforts, as well as existing sustainability strategies and ongoing water conservation program. These include the following: Urban water management plan, groundwater sustainability plan, water supply resiliency plan, water shortage contingency plan and water use efficiency strategic plan.
“The sustainability plan is the culmination of work that builds upon SCV Water’s green team’s efforts to coordinate sustainability activities across the agency,” Matt Dickens, SCV Water sustainability manager, said in a news release. “It leverages the state of California’s sustainability initiatives with SCV Water’s long-term planning objectives.”
Sustainability goals, greenhouse gas emissions targets and specific steps to achieve the targets are all included in the plan. It also aligns with the agency’s strategic planning efforts that include adopting environmentally sustainable business practices, actively managing natural resource use, assessing SCV Water’s carbon footprint and development and implementation of appropriate emissions reductions.
“Implementation of the plan will help SCV Water align with state initiatives and better position the agency for funding,” Dickens said in the release. “It also identifies pathways for SCV Water to increase its energy use efficiency and to become carbon-neutral in its operations over time while simultaneously mitigating its impacts to climate change. Successfully accomplishing these goals aligns with the agency’s core mission of providing responsible water stewardship to the Santa Clarita Valley.”
The release said the plan reinforces SCV Water’s four core operational pillars: Reliable and resilient operations, high-quality water and resource sustainability, cost-effective and efficient, and transparency and accountability.
