The Santa Cruz Capital Improvement Program for 2013-2015 gives an idea of the work being done to keep Santa Cruz functioning for the next few years. Mostly consisting of repairs and upgrades to the city’s infrastructure, the CIP is responsible for making sure that everything works properly and that the city adapts quickly to changing.
conditions. Some projects in the budget for next year include the planning stages of the
proposed Desal plant, a total overhaul of the Arana Gulch area, and the replacement of
incandescent bulbs in street and stop lights with LEDs.

The Santa Cruz City Council has approved the continuation of a contract with an environmental impact desalination consultant. Desalination may serve as a feasible source of water for Santa Cruz, which just experienced its second driest December in history.

The City Council Chambers served as a forum open to all locals updating them on the integrated water plan. The benefits and risks of a desalinization plant in Santa Cruz were widely examined.

Santa Cruz Water District and Santa Cruz community members weigh in on the possible implications of bringing a desalination plant to Santa Cruz as a supplemental source of water during periods of drought.

Water levels in local streams have proven to be a threat to endangered fish species; the city has proposed a plan to provide an optimal habitat, but it also includes the installation of a controversial desalination plant.