Central to our strategy is the formation of a Drought Planning Task Force. This Task Force brings together a diverse array of community members, fostering regional collaboration and ensuring a multifaceted perspective in safeguarding our precious water resources.

The Plan will incorporate a meticulous drought monitoring program and a vulnerability assessment tailored to assess threats specifically related to drought. These assessments are not only fundamental to understanding potential impacts to Burbank's water system from a supply and reliability perspective, but also the community from a socio-economic perspective. 

We will identify, evaluate, and prioritize mitigation and response actions. These actions will form the bedrock of our strategy, addressing potential vulnerabilities and enhancing our ability to navigate drought-related challenges effectively.

In a parallel effort, BWP will be working with the community to update its Sustainable Water Use Ordinance. This ordinance is designed to implement important City policies related to reducing water demands during times of drought-induced water supply shortages or unforeseeable emergency conditions.

The culmination of our efforts will be the development of the City of Burbank Drought Contingency Plan. This document will outline actionable opportunities, incorporating modifications to policies, ordinances, recycled water usage, advanced metering infrastructure, and other innovative solutions.

Our collaborative approach involves active participation from the Task Force, our consulting engineer (HDR), BWP staff, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the community.

The table below outlines the key engagement roles for various stakeholders and public involvement to the DCP.

Together, we are proactively enhancing our long-term resiliency, ensuring that Burbank continues to thrive even in the face of challenging drought conditions.

Task Force Meeting #1 – This initial kick-off meeting welcomed the newly formed Task Force members to BWP’s Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) project and introduced all members to the provisions and goals of BWP’s plan to leverage a Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART grant to support the project.  The attached information was developed to provide background information on BWP’s water resource management, inform the group of the required elements and benefits of this proposed workplan, and introduce the Task Force members’ roles and responsibilities to support plan development.

Task Force Meeting #2 – The focus of this Task Force meeting was to update the group on plan progress and walk through a Draft Detailed Workplan, a key requirement of the WaterSMART grant program.  The status of the project and opportunity for additional input will be provided in Task Force Meeting #3.

Task Force Meeting #3 – During this meeting, the Task Force Members received a summary review of the Drought Contingency Plan project and an update on the Detailed Workplan approval status. In addition, staff presented the City’s current water supply portfolio and demand planning efforts, focusing on vulnerabilities of the water supply and likely mitigation measures to meet anticipated demands. The Task Force provided input, via live surveys, on new water supplies and water reuse opportunities, including potable reuse options.