The City of Folsom has water rights dating back to 1851— among the most senior in the state, and the city is committed to protecting those rights for the benefit of our current and future residents.

The city has long ago secured water supply contracts for 34,000 acre-feet of water from Folsom Lake, and currently uses less than two percent of the water that passes through Folsom Dam each year.  Water customers in the city, on average, use about 19,400 acre-feet of water annually.

At build-out, expected by 2045, water use in Folsom is expected to reach about 25,500 acre-feet annually— well below the amount of water the city has rights to claim and obtain for public use.

The City of Folsom currently uses less than 2/3 of its water supply. Every year, the rest of the water flows out of Folsom Lake to supply neighboring cities, or downstream for other uses in areas as far away as the Bay Area or Southern California. Currently, water use by customers in the Folsom Plan Area accounts for only three percent of the total water use in the entire city in 2020.

Even with new housing developments, the city is seeing declining water use overall from state mandates and more efficient plumbing and landscaping standards. In the Sacramento region, for example, water use has remained steady over the past 20 years, even as the population increased 37 percent from 1.5 million to 2.1 million people. (Source: Regional Water Authority).

Since the early 2000s, Folsom has achieved a per capita water use reduction of more than 40 percent

Homebuilding in California is important, not only to address a lack of affordable housing, but also for the state’s growing economy. 
 
New housing development projects are subject to a years-long process of careful planning, review, analysis, and approval. New housing must identify water supply sources, hence when planning for future growth, the city considers the long-term water supply outlook. The city has consistently maintained ample water to serve existing communities and future developments, helped by declining water use overall from state mandates and more efficient plumbing and landscaping standards.

Cities and counties plan and approve land uses within their boundaries through their general plans. Through a public review process, local governments set long-range development policies, prepare environmental documents, and approve individual projects. Local governments approve or disapprove specific projects based on many factors, including the water supply assessment.
 
Water suppliers provide water supply assessments for land-use agencies’ decision-making process. They also do water supply planning through their Urban Water Management Plans (UWMP), which are updated every five years and are required to utilize a 20-year planning horizon. The UWMP includes a detailed water supply reliability analysis and important water shortage contingency plans. Once adopted by the water supplier governing body after public input, the UWMP is submitted to the state for compliance review.

New homes are built to maximize water efficiency by including the most efficient measures possible, including high-efficiency fixtures and low water-use landscaping. New homes are typically more efficient than existing housing stock. The new development is more water-efficient, both indoor and outdoor, including reduced turf, smart irrigation timers, high-efficiency interior fixtures, and hot water recirculation systems.

The City of Folsom has adopted the California Green Building Standards Code, which requires that all new development adheres to the conservation guidelines outlined in CALGreen to ensure that new development is a model for water conservation and efficiency. Folsom’s Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance requires water-efficient and drought-tolerant landscaping in new developments. Due to these new requirements, new homes and buildings built today are far more water-efficient than they were in previous decades.

No. Through water connection fees and development impact fees, new development pays its way to connect to city water, and if necessary, pay for all necessary infrastructure to convey and deliver water to the new development community. This means existing water customers north of Highway 50 are not funding new infrastructure for development south of Highway 50. 

Folsom has and will continue to have the water infrastructure and supply, as well as long-standing water rights and contracts, to serve our current population and future residents and businesses, even in the driest years.