What is Folsom Water Vision?
Folsom Water Vision is a proactive initiative led by the City of Folsom to guide its water planning and management over the next 50 years. Investing in this planning process promotes a more reliable, resilient, and sustainable water future for the Folsom community. In 2024, the city completed a rigorous technical and stakeholder engagement process to evaluate our existing water system and supplies and to recommend system improvements and a supply portfolio for improving water system reliability and resiliency through an adaptable implementation plan.
Like a financial portfolio, a water supply portfolio provides an accounting of where water comes from (one or more sources), who uses it, and to what degree it is used. This is a key tool in helping utilities or cities manage their water resources.
Why is this initiative needed?
The city currently relies on Folsom Reservoir for 100 percent of its drinking water supply. Groundwater is not readily available because the city sits mostly on granite (rock). While the Folsom Reservoir and the city’s historic water rights have provided a high degree of water reliability, warmer winters, more intense droughts, and evolving environmental regulations, amongst other factors, are driving the city to evaluate its water supplies and supply infrastructure.
There is no immediate risk to our drinking water supply, as the city has sufficient water rights to supply water into the future, but Folsom’s leaders are being proactive by starting this long-term planning effort now.
Who participated in this planning process?
The city is committed to using a transparent stakeholder engagement process to reflect the community’s needs and values in the city’s future water supply plan. Here’s an overview of our approach to engage the community:
CITIZEN STAKEHOLDER WORKING GROUP (CSGW). This was a group of city-selected individuals from across sectors who reflect varied interests. This group included members representing the environmental, parks & recreation, business, education, and water resources fields, in addition to those from the Folsom Utility and Planning Commissions. Their engagement was key in representing community values and needs to the city which informed the technical process of this Project. Six CSWG meetings, open to the public, were held during 2024 through approval.
UTILITY COMMISSION: An advisory group that is part of the Citizen Stakeholder Group and recommends policy decisions to City Council.
GENERAL PUBLIC. This group was invited to CSWG meetings. They were kept apprised of project progress and milestones through city communications channels such as digital and print city newsletter, social media, and the city website.
CITY COUNCIL. The City Council sets water policy for the community—their key role in this project is to approve the recommended water portfolio. The city will engage the City Council at key milestones to provide education and solicit their input on the project.
How Does this Process Work?
Below are the foundational steps for each phase of Folsom Water Vision, which will ultimately yield an adaptable and implementable plan for a resilient water supply portfolio for the city. Each step builds on the last, and several opportunities for stakeholder input are incorporated along the way.
STEP 1. Shared Goals & Values. Seek stakeholder feedback on water values and goals for water resources management in the city. Develop clear objectives for water supply portfolios and system improvements.
STEP 2. Evaluate Existing Portfolio. Review existing water system and supplies and discuss system risks, vulnerabilities, and uncertainties. Evaluate the existing system in light of the values and goals shared in STEP 1.
STEP 3. Screen Potential New Supplies. Confirm which other water supplies are available for consideration within the context of the city’s needs/goals. Screen out supplies and projects that do not meet minimum requirements.
STEP 4. Develop Future Water Supply Portfolios. Determine which of the available supplies should be used in a proposed future portfolio. Develop a suite of potential water supply portfolios to meet reliability and resiliency objectives.
STEP 5. Evaluate Future Water Supply Portfolios. Determine how each proposed portfolio compares to one another. Evaluate and rank portfolio alternatives.
STEP 6. Define Recommended Supply Portfolio. Make a preliminary recommendation for a supply portfolio that best meets the goals, values, and needs of the city.
STEP 7. Implementation Plan & Approval. Create an actionable and adaptable plan for implementation. Gain City Council final approval.
How Do I Get Involved?
The city is committed to using an inclusive, transparent stakeholder engagement process to identify the community’s needs and values in the city’s future water supply plan. While Folsom Water Vision workshops have concluded, here’s how you can keep informed:
- CHECK THE CITY’S WEBSITE. Keep updated about Folsom Water Vision’s progress by checking this webpage regularly.
- OTHER OUTREACH. The city will keep customers updated about Folsom Water Vision through social media, newsletters, and other channels of communication. Visit the city’s website for the latest updates.
How does Folsom currently determine its water needs?
Folsom conducts analysis on multiple factors to determine the city’s needs. One key planning tool for local water suppliers and, by extension the city, is an Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP), which is developed every five years. These plans support the suppliers’ long-term water resource planning to ensure that adequate water supplies are available to meet existing and future needs. Within a UWMP, the state requires that water suppliers:
- Describe demand management measures and water shortage contingency plans
- Assess the reliability of water sources over a 20-year planning time frame
- Report progress toward meeting a targeted 20 percent reduction in per-capita (per-person) urban water consumption by the year 2020
- Discuss the use and planned use of recycled water, if applicable
Once adopted by the water supplier governing body (and after public input), the UWMP is submitted to the state for compliance review.
Regarding development, the city carefully plans and approves land uses within their boundaries through a general plan. Specific projects are approved (or rejected) based on many factors, including whether sufficient water is available to support a certain project.
Is there an immediate need for concern about our water supply?
There is no short-term risk to Folsom’s drinking water supply. However, the past 10-years of Folsom Reservoir’s water levels have included some of the lowest on record. Changes to climate, precipitation patterns, and droughts, along with aging infrastructure, have the potential to impact our water reliability. Additionally, if water supply projects are identified, the timeline for implementation can be more than 10 years. These realities are reasons to be proactive in planning for our water future.
With this said, the City of Folsom has water rights dating back to 1851— among the most senior in the state, and the city is committed to protecting those rights for the benefit of our current and future residents. The city has long ago secured water supply contracts for 34,000 acre-feet of water from Folsom Lake, and currently uses less than two percent of the water that passes through Folsom Dam each year. Even at build-out, expected by 2045, water use in Folsom annually is expected to be well below the amount of water the city has rights to for public use. The Folsom Water Vision initiative is a proactive step to promote water reliability and resiliency not only for today, but for generations.
Is the development of the Folsom Plan Area, south of Highway 50, a driver for this initiative?
New development is not a driver for the Folsom Water Vision initiative. This new housing development was subject to a years-long process of careful planning, review, analysis, and approval. That process revealed the city has enough water to support that housing development without compromising existing customers. This remains unchanged.
Even when Folsom reaches build-out, expected by 2045, city customers, including industrial customers, will be using less than the amount of water the city has rights to claim and obtain for public use. Further, existing water customers north of Highway 50 are not funding any new infrastructure for development south of Highway 50.
Will the Folsom Water Vision initiative impact my rates?
This planning effort will not impact water rates. However, a high-level analysis of potential rate impacts associated with various water supply portfolios will be a part of the Folsom Water Vision planning effort.
