Municipal Water District of Orange County Making Conservation a California Way of Life Technical Assistance Program

In California, water conservation is a way of life. Retail water agencies (RWAs) seeking to comply with the state's new SB 606/AB 1668 requirements, also known as “the Framework,” face unique challenges and opportunities on their journey to compliance. The Municipal Water District of Orange County’s (MWDOC) Making Conservation a California Way of Life (CCWL) Technical Assistance Program (TAP) recognizes that each RWA has unique needs on their pathway to achieve compliance, and provides each with a custom approach and tailored support to help them achieve regulatory compliance.  

Environmental Incentives is pleased to lead implementation of the MWDOC CCWL TAP, along with our partners at Maureen Erbeznik and Associates, to meet each MWDOC RWA where they are and offer targeted, measurable tools to achieve compliance.  

Meeting RWAs Where They Are 

Busy RWA staff may not have the time or resources to fully assess the extent of their compliance opportunities and challenges, so EI offers flexible services to match each RWA’s unique context. We support RWAs across the compliance lifecycle by developing planning scopes that match their compliance targets, staff knowledge, and budget.  

Our service offerings include  

• Readiness Assessments and Onboarding. We conduct comprehensive reviews of RWA readiness and share user-friendly tools to communicate status with a wide audience of stakeholders and plan for action. 

• Framework Compliance Plan Development. Our team organizes implementation tasks, develops water savings strategies, establishes progress tracking systems, and outlines customized recommendations for additional support. 

• Annual Report Compilation and Data Management. We support RWAs with regular reporting functions, data collection and verification, and stakeholder engagement. 

• Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional (CII) Account Classification. We offer an efficient system enabling RWAs to classify their commercial customers and make swift updates to new accounts to remain compliant through changes. 

• Dedicated Irrigation Meter (DIM) management and CII Best Management Practice (BMP) Implementation support. We help RWA’s rapidly begin planning for mixed use meters and CII BMP implementation and reporting.  

• Stakeholder Engagement and Funding Identification Support. We collaborate with RWAs to build internal staff support and to identify and source additional funding opportunities as needed. 

Learning Network Facilitation for Continuous Improvement 

Moving from policy and broad best practices to locally relevant action is complex. Learning Networks can connect professionals facing similar challenges, allowing them to swap lessons learned in real time, troubleshoot issues, and surface innovative approaches before they’re widely known.  

Through MWDOC’s Technical Assistance Program, our team facilitates regular meetings across agencies and collaborators to identify common challenges and solutions and explore collaborative or co-funded implementation opportunities. In regular gatherings supported by a knowledge management system, EI and our partners equip RWAs with the tools, knowledge, and support necessary to achieve compliance with the Framework, ultimately contributing to water sustainability and climate resilience across California.