COMMITTEE AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Water Supply and Demand Management Committee
Government Code § 84308 Applies: Yes ☐ No ☒
(If “YES” Complete Attachment A - Gov. Code § 84308)
SUBJECT: title
Receive an Update on the Safe Clean Water Conservation Program - Project A2: Water Conservation Rebates and Programs Update and Collaboration with Retailers, and Receive Feedback.
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RECOMMENDATION: Recommendation
Receive an update on the Safe Clean Water-funded conservation programs and Valley Water’s collaboration with retailers, and receive feedback.
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SUMMARY:
This memo provides an update on the Safe Clean Water Conservation Program - Project A2: Water Conservation Rebates and Programs. It also provides an update on partnerships with retailers and interested community members and groups. These efforts support compliance with state requirements, advance local conservation goals, and promote equitable outcomes across Santa Clara County.
Safe Clean Water
Through the 2020 voter-approved Measure S, a renewal of Santa Clara Valley Water District’s (Valley Water) Safe, Clean Water and Natural Flood Protection Program (SCW), up to $1 million per year is provided for water conservation program activities, including rebates, technical assistance, and public education, within the first seven (7) years of the SCW. SCW funding not only helps Valley Water meet its countywide long-term water conservation goal of 126,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2050, but these water conservation programs also increase water supply reliability, help reduce greenhouse gases, and irrigation runoff pollution to the Bay. As presented at the October 2025 Water Supply and Demand Management (WSDM) Committee meeting, in Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25), SCW provided an opportunity to enhance and create the following programs:
• Landscape Rebate Program
• Valley Water Demonstration Garden
In FY26, SCW funding continues to support the Landscape Rebate Program, allowing for the $2 per square foot conversion rate to continue. Increasing participation in this program will help ensure Valley Water reaches its 2050 Water Conservation Goals. For the FY26 Q1-Q3 SCW reporting period, the increased funding for the Landscape Rebate Program led to the conversion of nearly 680,000 square feet of lawn, 645,000 square feet of which was eligible for SCW funding. At the current participation rate, the project is not on track to utilize all available SCW funding allocated for FY26 by the end of the fiscal year. The WSDM committee received an update on the Water Conservation Program Savings Number for Fiscal Year 2025 at the April 2026 meeting, highlighting the overall trend in program participation, and while participation tends to decline following peak rates during drought years, turf conversion numbers still remain higher than pre-drought levels. To increase participation, Valley Water is utilizing remaining FY26 SCW funding to increase marketing outreach to the commercial, institutional, and multi-family sectors.
The Demonstration Garden project continues to make progress, with the design expected to be completed in June 2026. In November 2025, Valley Water hosted a design charette to engage members of the landscape community and related partners. In April 2026, Valley Water released a Request for Information inviting landscape professionals to provide feedback on the proposed demonstration garden planting plan and plant list. Staff will utilize the feedback received in the final review of the plan.
Staff is also exploring incorporating public art into the garden in the form of tile-mosaic inlay in the proposed concrete seat walls. The WSDM committee will be updated on the progress of this element as it develops.
Upon completion of the design, Valley Water staff will develop and issue a Request for Proposal for the construction of the garden in accordance with the design specifications. FY27 and FY28 SCW funding will be used to construct the demonstration garden.
Partnerships
1. Valley Water partnerships with local water retailers play a crucial role in achieving our long-term water conservation goals. These partnerships leverage resources, coordinate funding for rebate programs, and ensure consistent messaging to the public, especially in times of drought. As presented at the October 2025 WSDM committee, Valley Water’s partnerships with retailers to promote water conservation include:
• Cost-sharing agreements: To increase participation in Valley Water’s rebate programs and to encourage water conservation through Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and Water Use Reports, Valley Water has entered into cost-sharing agreements with several cities and water retailers. In these cost-sharing agreements, retailers contribute funding to Valley Water programs to increase rebate amounts, and Valley Water provides funding for AMI and water use reports. Cost sharing partners currently include:
o City of Gilroy
o City of Milpitas
o City of Morgan Hill
o City of Mountain View
o City of Palo Alto
o City of Santa Clara
o San Jose Municipal Water System
• Outreach collaboration: Valley Water's Office of Communications works with water retailers to cross-promote our water conservation programs in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Vietnamese. Our multilingual advertising campaigns target diverse populations through digital and social media channels. Valley Water also shares a partner toolkit for our water conservation campaigns, featuring our ads, digital banners, animations, and suggested messaging for social media platforms.
• Committee engagement: To collaborate and coordinate with water retailers, Valley Water facilitates a Quarterly Water Retailer Meeting and several corresponding Subcommittees. Through the Water Conservation and Communications retailer subcommittees specifically, Valley Water staff works with retailers to promote water conservation programs, develop consistent conservation and drought messaging, discuss local and state regulations and reporting requirements, and build inter-agency relationships.
• Reporting: Valley Water works closely with retailers to provide them with water conservation program participation data and to receive data needed for demand forecast modeling. To assist retailers with their various reporting needs, including retailers in our county who are required to do year-end reporting to Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA), Valley Water provides detailed water conservation program participation data to all retailers in the county.
2. Valley Water entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with BAWSCA to host a series of workshops to support regional water retailers’ understanding of and compliance with water efficiency-related state regulations, including the various components of the Conservation Framework and the state’s ban on the use of potable water for irrigating non-functional turf at CII properties. This workshop series is a continuation of a partnership between Valley Water and BAWSCA to provide regulatory compliance support to regional water retailers. As of May 2026, 10 Water Use Efficiency Workshops have been successfully hosted, with attendance from approximately 25 different agencies. Retailers have expressed a need from the state for clearer implementation guidance, more regional collaboration, and practical compliance tools. This workshop series provides targeted reporting support, in-depth exploration of regulatory requirements, and expanded opportunities for in-person and virtual collaboration. By proactively supporting our retailers, Valley Water is advancing regulatory compliance, regional resilience, and long-term water savings for Santa Clara County.
3. Valley Water continues to engage in and collaborate with California Water Efficiency Partnership (CalWEP) to develop regulatory compliance tools and resources to benefit water retailers throughout the state. Recent collaborations include:
• AB 1572 Non-functional Turf Toolkit: Valley Water is a funding partner for the development of the AB 1572 non-functional turf toolkit intended to equip water retailers and agencies with resources that promote consistent approaches, guidelines, and outreach messaging for the various interested community groups and members. Through this effort, nonfunctionalturfca.org was launched. The website offers sector-specific guidance and resources to help navigate the upcoming ban. Valley Water is incorporating resources created from this effort into an upcoming commercial, institutional, and homeowners association-targeted outreach campaign.
• Leak Detection and Repair Certification Training: On November 4, 2025, Valley Water hosted one of California's first in-person Leak Repair Elite trainings for plumbing professionals, marking the completion of Phase 3 of a multi-phase effort developed in collaboration with BAWSCA, CalWEP, and the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO). The training consisted of a single 8.5-hour session delivered by IAPMO. Thanks to Valley Water's leadership in water conservation, the Leak Repair Elite pilot is part of a broader regional collaboration to expand the customer-side leak detection and repair workforce. Participating partners include BAWSCA, East Bay Municipal Utility District, Moulton Niguel Water District, and Irvine Ranch Water District. Over 30 professional plumbers in the Bay Area are trained to help the public find and repair leaks on their properties.
• CII Water-Use Efficiency Audit Training for Water Agency Staff: In partnership with the CalWEP and Maddaus Water Management, Valley Water sponsored a two-day Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional (CII) Water-Use Efficiency Audit Training on September 3-4, 2025, in Sunnyvale. This was the first training of its kind held in Northern California. It was designed to support compliance with state water-use efficiency regulations while strengthening conservation outcomes in the CII sector. A total of 23 participants attended, including Valley Water staff and staff from Valley Water retailers.
• Wholesaler Landscape Area Measurements Explorer: Valley Water has entered into an agreement with CalWEP for Valley Water’s participation as a Founding Partner in the Wholesaler LAM Explorer (the “Project”). The Project, developed by CalWEP in partnership with Eagle Aerial, will deliver a wholesaler-focused Landscape Area Measurement (LAM) Explorer platform that is specifically optimized to support wholesale agencies in providing coordinated, district-wide landscape analytics, retailer compliance monitoring, and regional water-use planning. To be developed by CalWEP (a California 501(c) nonprofit) in partnership with Eagle Aerial, the Project is an evolution of an existing tool utilized by over 70 retail water agencies throughout California. This tool will provide Valley Water seamless access to datasets and analytics retailers use to comply with the Making Conservation a California Way of Life regulatory framework (Assembly Bill 1668/Senate Bill 606), while improving our ability to target water conservation program participation in support of Valley Water’s long-term water conservation goals for 2030, 2040, and 2050.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IMPACT:
Environmental justice on local communities are expected/likely to result from implementation of the water conservation program toward meeting the long-term water conservation goals. Water conservation offers a range of environmental justice benefits by promoting equitable access to clean water, reducing pollution, protecting ecosystems, mitigating climate change, saving costs for vulnerable communities, enhancing drought resilience, and empowering residents with knowledge and skills for sustainable water use. Valley Water provides such water conservation information in multiple languages and via various outreach techniques to reach all members of our community. Valley Water acknowledges that during drought, disadvantaged communities may be disproportionately impacted. To address these impacts, Valley Water promotes access to equitable and affordable water supplies (Water Supply Goal 2.6).
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: PowerPoint
UNCLASSIFIED MANAGER:
Manager
Kirsten Struve, 408-630-3138