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Implementation Update May 2025

The Safe, Clean Water (SCW) Program funds stormwater initiatives that improve water quality, increase our local water supply, and provide community benefits, like green spaces and parks. The program cultivates regional and community partnerships and prioritizes historically underserved communities.

This newsletter provides important updates designed to help you stay informed and engaged. For further information on regional proposals, including those that are funded and under consideration, please visit the projects webpage.

Your input and feedback are crucial to the collaborative, effective, and adaptive management of the SCW Program. Please do not hesitate to contact us.

Key Dates to Know:

How to Get Involved

Looking for ways to get involved with the Safe, Clean Water Program? Here’s a quick tip each month on how you can stay active and make a difference. 

Share the Community Strengths and Needs Assessment (CSNA) Survey

Download the promotional toolkit from our Adaptive Management page and share the Community Strength and Needs Assessment (CSNA) Survey with your networks.

As part of the Watershed Planning effort, the CSNA was launched to collect feedback from communities across the Los Angeles region. To help raise awareness of the CSNA Survey, a promotional toolkit – featuring text narratives and downloadable media – is available to anyone interested in sharing the survey. The toolkit can be found on the SCW Program website’s Adaptive Management page.

To support those impacted by the recent wildfires, specific language has been added to the survey to allow responders to voice wildfire related concerns.

Since its launch, 177 CSNA Survey responses have been collected from local communities, largely due to the outreach efforts by the SCW Program’s Watershed Coordinators, who have been promoting the survey at events. This number is expected to grow as engagement efforts continue and awareness through other means increases.   

For questions regarding the Watershed Planning effort, please email us at WatershedPlanning@pw.lacounty.gov.

Regional Oversight Committee

The ROC conducts regular meetings on the 2nd Wednesday of each month. The next ROC meeting is scheduled for May 14th. The meeting will include updates from the ROC’s Watershed Planning working groups on water quality and community investment benefits. Watershed Coordinators will also share what they’ve been hearing for consideration in the 2025 Safe, Clean Water Program Progress Report (Biennial Progress Report). Upcoming meeting details will be posted on the ROC events webpage as they become available.

Please also save the date for all remaining ROC meetings related to the 2025 Biennial Report:

  • Draft Report Meeting 1: September 10, 2025, 1:00-4:00 pm – Discuss the draft 2025 Biennial Progress Report
  • Draft Report Meeting 2: October 8, 2025, 1:00-4:00 pm – Present the draft 2025 Biennial Progress Report and initiate 30-day Public Comment Period
  • Final Report Meeting: December 10, 2025, 1:00-4:00 pm – Approve the final 2025 Biennial Progress Report to submit to the County Board of Supervisors

The ROC members are looking to host their meetings at various locations across Los Angeles County. If your agency or municipality is interested in hosting a meeting, please contact the Regional Oversight Committee Executive Clerk at SCWP_ROC_ExecClerk@pw.lacounty.gov to discuss the logistics.

Regional Program

Call for Projects

The FY26-27 Call for Projects Application Deadline is July 31, 2025. Call for Projects Info Sessions will be held:

  • May 21st (9:00 am – 11:00 am)
  • May 22nd (3:00 pm – 5:00 pm)

For more information and updated guidance, please visit the Call for Projects webpage.

Report on Leveraged Funding Opportunities

The latest Report on Leveraged Funding Opportunities has been posted.  The report includes a high-level overview of recent funding policy highlights and a funding matrix that shares currently active and upcoming funding opportunities that may be relevant to SCW Program infrastructure projects. An updated report will be available quarterly for participants in the SCW Program. You may access the funding report HERE.

Reporting Timeline

The Regional Program Reporting Timeline has transitioned from quarterly to semi-annual submittals. Project and Scientific Study Developers are required to submit Mid-Year Reports starting FY24-25.

Please note the following due dates for recent and upcoming Regional Program Reports:

  • FY24-25 Mid-Year Report (covering expenditures and progress between July 2024 and December 2024) was due on February 15, 2025. The deadline was extended to February 28, 2025.
  • FY24-25 Annual Report (covering expenditures and progress between July 2024 and June 2025) is due on August 15, 2025.

The new Metrics & Measures section is available as a new tile in the Regional Program Reporting Module. The Metrics & Measures section collects data for metrics specific to Projects in planning, design, construction, and post-construction phases to align with and inform the Watershed Planning efforts and Program-wide progress assessments. Project Developers with Projects in the planning phase should provide data that predicts Project performance, while those in design, construction, or post-construction should provide data that reflects their Project’s design or implementation.

Adaptive Management

Watershed Planning

The Watershed Planning Team has begun the third phase of engagements with the Watershed Area Steering Committees (WASCs). The Initial Watershed Plans are in development and will be available for a 30-day public review period in late summer 2025. The revised Initial Watershed Plans will be published, and the Watershed Planning Tool will launch in early 2026.

Municipal Program

Renewal of Municipal Transfer Agreements

The SCW Program recently updated the Reporting Module to streamline the renewal process for Municipal Transfer Agreements (TAs).

Fifth (FY24-25) Municipal Disbursement

The first FY24-25 Annual disbursements (local return for year 5) were completed in December 2024 and February 2025 for municipalities that met all eligibility requirements (52 cities have collectively received just over $70M in local return).

Annual Municipal Program local return disbursements are being processed once the municipality has met all eligibility requirements.

Please note the following due dates for recent and upcoming Regional Program Reports:

  • FY24-25 Mid-Year Report (covering expenditures and progress between July 2024 and December 2024) was due on February 15, 2025. The deadline was extended to February 28, 2025.
  • FY24-25 Annual Report (covering expenditures and progress between July 2024 and June 2025) is due on August 15, 2025.

Annual Plans

The SCW Program Municipal Program FY25-26 Annual Plans were due April 1, 2025. Municipalities can use the Reporting Module Municipal Program tile to submit their corresponding Annual Plans as soon as possible.

Metrics & Measures

A Metrics & Measures section is now available as a new tile in the Municipal Program Reporting Module. This Metrics & Measures section collects data for performance metrics specific to Municipal Program projects to align with and inform the Watershed Planning efforts and Program-wide progress assessments. A workshop on Metrics & Measures will be held on May 15, 2025, from 10:00 am – 11:00 am. Municipalities have received an email with instructions and a link to the workshop event webpage.

District Program

Public Education and Community Engagement Grants Program – APPLICATION PERIOD CLOSED

The LA County Flood Control District is continuing to partner with the Water Foundation to administer the SCW Public Education and Community Engagement Grants Program to support impactful education and engagement efforts on stormwater and urban runoff capture throughout the region.

The Grants Program has received overwhelming interest and a high volume of strong applications. In Round 1, 15 approved grant proposals were awarded approximately $3.1M. Subsequent rounds have also seen impressive engagement and are currently being reviewed and awarded grant funds. We look forward to announcing funded Round 2 and Round 3 proposals and are excited to see the positive impact of the funded projects in communities across LA County.

You can view funded Round 1 Grants on the Water Foundation’s website. Thank you to all applicants for making this program a success!

Credit Trading Program

The Credit Trading Program will allow eligible parcels to generate/sell or purchase credits to be used towards the purchasing parcel’s Safe Clean Water assessment. The Procedures and Guidelines document has been approved and can be viewed HERE. The Safe, Clean Water Program is continuing implementation of the Credit Trading Program and anticipates beginning to accept applications to generate/sell credits in Summer 2025.

For more information on the Credit Trading Program and the Stakeholder Workshop that took place last year, please refer to:Tax Information, Forms & Tools.

Credit Program

The SCW Program is accepting Credit applications and recertifications for eligible parcels that have stormwater improvements that at minimum, provide water quality benefits. The Credit Program Procedures and Guidelines can be viewed HERE. Applications must be submitted online HERE by December 31, 2025.

For more information on the Credit Program, please refer to:Tax Information, Forms & Tools.