RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - Nearly two months after the Rancho Murieta Community Services District Board directed resident Jim Farrell to meet with water consultant Lisa Maddaus to review differences between the district’s draft Integrated Water Master Plan and the IWMP Working Group’s findings, Farrell reported that the effort is underway but remains a work in progress.

Farrell, author of a 2025 report reviewing the draft IWMP, delivered his update at the June 10 Improvements Committee meeting.

The committee is chaired by Director Bill Gere and includes Director Randy Jenco, Interim General Manager Amelia Wilder, Interim Operations Manager Travis Bohannon and other staff. The committee reviews infrastructure, engineering and water-related issues before forwarding recommendations to the board.

The draft Integrated Water Master Plan is a long-range planning document that projects Rancho Murieta’s water supplies and demands over the next 20 years and evaluates how the community would fare under various development and drought scenarios. Delivered in October 2024, the draft plan concluded the community would have sufficient water under most circumstances but would face shortages during an extreme drought. The working group and others questioned some of the assumptions that led to the conclusion.

First Public Update

Although the working group delivered its IWMP report in August 2025, the board didn’t formally follow up on it until April 15. The discussion followed an April 7 Improvements Committee meeting, in which Jenco said that consultant Lisa Maddaus should complete the IWMP, but Gere said he wanted to bring her back to answer outstanding questions.

At the April 15 board meeting, President John Merchant said he could support having Maddaus meet with Farrell to help reconcile differences between the consultant’s draft and the findings of the IWMP work group. Following some discussion, the board voted 3-2 to begin the discussions.

Speaking at the June Improvements Committee, Farell reported that he and Maddaus have met twice and exchanged numerous emails and text messages since the board assigned him the task. The first meeting focused on defining the assignment and determining how to produce something useful for the district. A second meeting on May 20 examined concerns raised by the Working Group.

“The way this is framed is that we want her opinion,” he said. “She’s the expert. She is the engineer. She’s the one who has 30 years of experience.”

Farrell said they focused primarily on the water-balance section of the 317-page draft IWMP, the portion prepared by Maddaus. However, she told him she would have to check with Adkins to get answers to some of his questions

Farrell said Maddaus developed a “very impressive” and “very elaborate” water-balance model, which generates charts showing how different assumptions and different scenarios affect projected water supplies.

Farrell said the model should be updated with new information, including approximately 300 entitled units, the removal of 136 lots from the proposed Rancho North project, and an updated assessment of Lake Clementia’s capacity.

“She needs to build that into it so we have some good numbers,” he said. “... ‘How short are we?’ Give us a number."

Farrell cautioned that progress has been slower than expected because Maddaus and her firm are currently assisting multiple agencies with Urban Water Management Plans and other water-planning projects. He also said the district may need to authorize more than $5,000 to compensate Maddaus for the time required to answer his questions.

During audience comments, Rancho Murieta Properties Project Manager Jeff Pearson asked what the final deliverable would be once Farrell completed his work.

“Are we still going to end up with a draft IWMP?” Pearson asked. “Where does this get us?”

Pearson, who also serves on the Water Vision Working Group, and Jenco both expressed support for using the information to complete the IWMP.

“We need an engineer to stand behind us,” Jenco said. “Otherwise, we open ourselves to all kinds of legal problems.”

Jenco added that the district also needs an engineering analysis, stamped by a licensed engineer, identifying how much water is needed before proceeding with production wells.

Farrell said the district does not currently need an IWMP. However, state law will require an Urban Water Management Plan once the district reaches 3,000 water connections.

Farrell said that if agreement can be reached on the data and underlying assumptions, he could envision Maddaus using the updated information to “edit the draft into a final form.”

Ultimately, however, Farrell said that decision rests with the board.

Wilder ended the discussion by asking for direction. Gere told her to bring Farrell back for another update at the July 1 Improvements Committee meeting.

Background

The current effort stems from a dispute over the IWMP that has remained unresolved for more than a  year.

The district received a 317-page draft IWMP prepared by Maddaus Water Management and Adkins Engineering in October 2024. The study concluded Rancho Murieta would have sufficient water under most circumstances, but it would face shortages during an extreme drought.

Progress on the plan stalled in January 2025, when then-Operations Director Eric Houston advised the district not to finalize the IWMP and instead to focus on preparing an Urban Water Management Plan.

At the board’s March 19, 2025, meeting, Merchant made the motion to create a working group consisting of himself as the chair, Farrell, longtime community advocate Janis Eckard and Houston to review the draft IWMP. Farrell authored the group’s report, which was presented to the board on Aug. 20, 2025.

While the working group generally accepted the draft plan’s demand projections, it challenged assumptions involving Lake Clementia, recycled water and other future water supplies. The report concluded the district needed additional water sources and recommended further analysis before relying on the draft IWMP for long-term planning.

The following day, Aug. 21, 2025, Houston signed a cancellation of the district’s contract with Maddaus Water Management and Adkins Engineering. The action later became a point of controversy when some directors questioned whether the cancellation should have been brought before the board.

During the following months, the board debated whether to complete the draft IWMP, leave it unfinished or shift its focus to an Urban Water Management Plan. Funding for an Urban Water Management Plan was later included in the 2026-27 Capital Improvement Project list as a placeholder should the board decide to move forward.

Then, on April 15, directors voted 3-2 to direct Farrell to meet with Maddaus and report back on areas of agreement and disagreement related to the draft IWMP.