Water Shortage Vulnerability Scoring and Tool
The update and new mapping tool to the indicators for rural communities is now available. The new tool is designed to assist counties access relevant information for their drought risk assessment, which is now required as part of their County Drought Resilience Plans.
The updated scoring and tool for small water suppliers to explore their drought and water shortage vulnerability will be available in early 2023.
Rural Communities: Water Shortage Vulnerability Scoring and Tool
Access the Results
Update 2023 of the Water Shortage Vulnerability Scoring for Rural Communities can be accessed below:
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| Explorer Tool (online web map tool) | Tutorial to the Explorer Tool | Methods to Water Shortage Vulnerability Scoring Process and Results Document (Draft) |
Data at CNRA Open Data |
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Spreadsheets and Spatial Data at CNRA Open Data Portal Data Resource Page |
To improve water conservation and water shortage planning, Assembly Bill 1668 (Friedman), passed into law in 2018, directed DWR to do the following:
- Identify small suppliers and rural communities at risk of drought and water shortage vulnerability and
- Develop recommendations for improving drought contingency planning for those areas.
For more information on the County Drought Advisory Group process, see the webpage: https://water.ca.gov/Programs/Water-Use-And-Efficiency/2018-Water-Conservation-Legislation/County-Drought-Planning or please email wue@water.ca.gov.
The Water Code Section 10609.80(a) requires DWR to take both of the following actions to support implementation of the recommendations of its County Drought Advisory Group:
(1) Maintain, in partnership with the state board and other relevant state agencies, the risk vulnerability tool developed as part of the County Drought Advisory Group process and continue to refine existing data and gather new data for the tool, including, but not limited to, data on all of the following:
(A) Small water suppliers and nontransient noncommunity water systems serving a school.
(B) State small water systems and rural communities.
(C) Domestic wells and other self-supplied residents.
(2) Update the risk vulnerability tool for small water suppliers and rural communities periodically, by doing all of the following:
(A) Revise the indicators and construction of the scoring as more data becomes readily available.
(B) Make existing and new data publicly available on the California Open Data internet web portal.
(C) In consultation with other relevant state agencies, identify deficits in data quality and availability and develop recommendations to address these gaps.