Pasadena has enough water to serve its residents through 2050, even in a repeat of the worst drought on record. That's the conclusion of a 25-year planning document the City Council formally adopted at its June 15 meeting.

The 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and companion Water Shortage Contingency Plan, prepared by Kennedy/Jenks Consultants for Pasadena Water and Power, map out how the utility will meet demand across normal, single-dry, and multi-year drought scenarios for the next quarter century.

The plan does not raise rates or restrict water use on its own. According to PWP's staff report, the contingency plan's shortage measures kick in only if specific drought triggers are met.

What the plan says

PWP supplied about 26,400 acre-feet of water in 2025 to more than 38,600 customer accounts, serving roughly 165,500 people across 26 square miles. That service area includes Pasadena proper plus portions of Altadena, East Pasadena, and San Gabriel.

The utility draws one-third to one-half of its supply from local groundwater in the Raymond Basin and purchases the rest from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Under the plan's drought stress test, modeled on the 2014–2018 period, which PWP's staff report calls "the driest five-year sequence to date," projected supply and demand balance at about 29,566 acre-feet in 2030, declining gradually to 28,371 acre-feet by 2050.

The contingency plan establishes staged drought responses under Pasadena Municipal Code Chapter 13.10, triggered by specific supply shortfall thresholds. Those measures would apply only during declared shortage conditions.

Conservation track record

Pasadena already exceeded the state's mandate for a 20 percent cut in per-capita water use by 2020. The city hit 153 gallons per capita per day that year, 27 percent below its baseline of 211 gallons. Stricter state standards under Senate Bill 606 and Assembly Bill 1668 take effect in 2027.

Other council business

The June 15 agenda also included a public hearing on an ordinance to extend the construction window for temporary Rose Parade grandstands along the parade route, amending Title 3 and Title 17 of the Pasadena Municipal Code. The change would give grandstand operators more lead time before the annual parade.

What's next

The adopted plan must be submitted to the California Department of Water Resources by Wednesday, July 1. Residents can review the full UWMP at pwp.cityofpasadena.net/uwmp or contact PWP's planning office at 150 S. Los Robles, Suite 200.