The Water Planning Program was concerned with the comprehensive management of water resources in the urban watersheds of the SCAG region. These resources include the use and reuse of imported and local water, the discharge of highly-treated wastewater, the conservation of water supplies, the reclamation of water supplies and the management of stormwater and urban runoff. Of special importance in this urban setting is the collaboration of local agencies to jointly plan and implement pollution control measures that protect the environment, are cost-effective and sustainable.
The Program recognizes a connection between water supplies and water quality and between land use, water quality and water supplies:
· As water quality impairments lead to more extensive pollution controls in the region's watersheds, higher levels of water treatment will result in new, purer water for reuse.
· With the increasing use of more compact land development designs, more extensive natural areas will create new opportunities for pollutant removal from storm flows and also encourage the conservation of stormwater by providing areas for infiltration.
The Program developed a series of reports for the Caltrans Environmental Analysis Section that relate stormwater management issues to the planning and implementation of the proposed major projects in the 2004 Regional Transportation Plan.
In addition, SCAG's Regional Comprehensive Plan (RCP) was updated in 2008. The Water Chapter of the RCP focused on themes such as meeting the region's water supply needs, the relationship between land uses and water quality, the important relationship between regional water reliability and water storage facilities, the continuing need for more water conservation, and the connection between agency collaboration, best management practices and cost-effective pollution control measures.