Like many of you, our wish is to ring in the New Year with energy and optimism. Unfortunately, last January began with the destructive Hurst and Hughes fires surrounding Santa Clarita, shortly after the Eaton and Palisades fires caused so much tragedy.
The year continued with more tales of volatility and upheaval. In times like these, having something you can trust is especially important. We at the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency hope we’re a trustworthy presence in your life. One of our core values is integrity, and with integrity comes transparency.
Our staff work around the clock to make sure you have safe, clean and reliable water. This requires not only water from many different sources, but also water monitoring and treatment, building and maintaining infrastructure like pipes, tanks and pumps, and extensive planning and budgeting. A lot goes on behind the scenes to make sure that when you turn on the faucet, water will come out. We want it to stay that way for decades to come!
In this regard, our Urban Water Management Plan is instrumental in the operations of SCV Water and plays a key role in making our water supply plans clear to the public. Updated every five years, the UWMP is a document that details how we will meet future water demands, prepare for droughts and climate change, use water efficiently, and build our valley’s infrastructure. You can view the current plan on our website.
The UWMP is a welcome chance for us to collaborate with you. We’re proud to be a part of the Santa Clarita Valley and truly value community input as we strategize about our collective water future. If you’re curious about what we have planned or want to share your thoughts, we will have public workshops and hearings on the UWMP update through early 2026. Please join us! If you can’t make it, you will be able to view presentations online.
It’s not just the UWMP that is getting updated in 2026. We’ve been implementing the Groundwater Sustainability Plan since 2022, and it too is up for a scheduled refresh. Groundwater makes up half of our total water supply, and state mandates require a separate plan to assess whether we are operating wisely so that we can count on our groundwater long term. Our current GSP was done with wonderful community input. Subsequent data shows our groundwater is being managed sustainably. We’d love your participation and ideas as we update the GSP this year.
The SCV Groundwater Sustainability Agency oversees implementation of the GSP. In addition to SCV Water, the city of Santa Clarita, L.A. County Waterworks District No. 36 and the L.A. County Regional Planning Department all take part.
Throughout 2026, there will be opportunities for the public to provide feedback on the state-required GSP Periodic Evaluation. All public workshops and hearings will be available to view online at scvgsa.org.
SCV Water is committed to integrity and transparency. Part of that is asking you to partner with us on these important plan updates. We firmly believe that when people can see how and why decisions are made, and have a voice in the process, trust grows. Heading into 2026, our goal at SCV Water is to make sure you can trust that your water supply will be there when you need it.
Maria Gutzeit is the president of the SCV Water Agency board of directors.
