As one of the largest watersheds in Southern California, the Santa Ana River Watershed is vital to our region’s water supply. The watershed helps ensure that safe, reliable water is available for everyone, even as our population grows and our climate changes.

The Santa Ana River and its network of rivers and streams form the watershed. It collects rain and snowmelt to create a shared water source that sustains our communities. The amount and frequency of rain and snowmelt depend heavily on the climate. The Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan (CARP) is designed to address climate risks in Southern California and develop strategies to reduce negative climate hazards impacting our water supply.

The Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA), Your SoCal Tap Water member agencies, Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians and the University of California, Riverside (UCR) are joining forces to develop the CARP. This is an essential collaborative effort that will help inform innovative infrastructure and projects to maintain our water supply. The Santa Ana River Watershed CARP is supported by the Regional Resilience Grant Program at the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI). 

Currently, CARP is in its early planning stages and is a community-based approach to identifying climate hazards, assessing vulnerabilities and developing adaptation strategies, which promotes water reliability. The plan will include community insights and perspectives to inform the plan’s recommendations.

Survey: Share Your Input!

To gather public input, we have developed a community survey. Your voice will shape local programs and multi-benefit projects that safeguard our watershed from climate impacts. Take this two minute survey to contribute to the plan and tap into a brighter future for our water.

More information about the progress of CARP and other ways for you to get involved is available here.

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