The Safe, Clean Water Program’s (SCW Program) Watershed Planning effort is underway to enhance the delivery of benefits provided by the SCW Program. Watershed Planning includes the development of Initial Watershed Plans for each of the nine SCW Program Watershed Areas that will establish watershed-specific targets, priorities and strategies, and opportunity areas that will inform future investments and maximize progress toward achieving the goals of the SCW Program. The Initial Watershed Plans and related online Planning Tools will be available mid-2025 and will serve as a regional planning resource that will be beneficial for the development of the most impactful water quality, water supply, and community enhancing multi-benefit stormwater capture projects. This includes building upon past and in-progress efforts, meaningful stakeholder and community feedback, and an assessment of available information and best practices to create interactive, transparent, and accessible documents and tools.

Refer to the Committees weblinks at the bottom of this page for upcoming governance committee meeting dates and agendas that will include Watershed Planning updates.

The Watershed Planning Framework (Framework) is now available and can be viewed at the link to the left. The Framework describes the SCW Program Watershed Planning process, progress to date, and outlines key elements that will be included in the Initial Watershed Plans and online Planning Tools. See the link to the left for the Framework Fact Sheet for a condensed view of the key highlights of the Framework, Initial Watershed Plans, and online Planning Tools.

Additionally, in support of the ongoing Watershed Planning effort, the Community Strengths and Needs Assessment (CSNA) Survey is now live and ready to collect responses from communities served by the SCW Program. The CSNA Survey can be accessed using the link to the left; see the CSNA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document for additional details. Currently, the CSNA Survey is available in English and Spanish but will soon be available in additional languages.

For questions related to Watershed Planning, please email us at watershedplanning@pw.lacounty.gov.

This biennial SCWP Progress Report (Report) by the Regional Oversight Committee (ROC) provides an update on SCWP progress, assesses the extent to which SCWP Program Goals are being achieved, and provides findings and recommendations to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (Board) for adaptive management of the program. This is the first Biennial Report since the establishment of the SCWP.  It covers the substantial efforts of the Program’s initial five years getting a very large and complex program underway (and includes data from the first two years of reports that are now available).

Project Modification Guidelines have been created to provide more specific guidance to WASCs, applicants, recipients, and other interested stakeholders when modifications to a project, project concept, or study are proposed during the course of a typical fiscal year. The new Project Modification Request (PMR) form will help to facilitate the timely and transparent resolution of proposed modifications. 

The Metrics and Monitoring Study (MMS) was designed to develop program methods, metrics, and monitoring criteria to inform tracking, planning, reporting, and decision-making within specific areas of the Program. The study was conducted by an interdisciplinary consultant team with expertise in both the technical and socio-political elements of metrics-setting, in coordination with the Flood Control District, and informed by extensive stakeholder involvement. Recommendations from the MMS will continue to help inform watershed planning and adaptive management of the Program, potentially including updates to guidance documents, scoring criteria, monitoring, and project development. Archived material related to the Metrics and Monitoring Study can be found here.

Interim Guidance has been established to provide more specific guidance around four key areas of the Safe, Clean Water Program: strengthening community engagement and support, water supply, programming nature based solutions, and implementing disadvantaged community policies in the Regional Program.   

In response to learnings from the MMS, the Safe, Clean Water Program has implemented a pilot program that will establish an alternative scoring criteria for Water Supply Benefits for the 2024-25 call for projects. Applicants will be able to select whether their proposal should be scored per the original or pilot scoring options for Water Supply Benefits.

Experience-to-date indicated the need for flexibility to allow Watershed Area Steering Committees (WASCs) to recommend partial funding for certain Infrastructure Program Projects or Scientific Studies applications. The purpose of this guidance is to describe the process to address partial funding awards.