SEC. 2.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) The California Constitution requires that the water resources of the state be put to beneficial use to the fullest extent to which they are capable, and that waste, unreasonable use, or unreasonable methods of water use be prevented.
(b) Severe drought conditions have increased in frequency over the last decade, resulting in California’s water supplies falling to alarmingly low levels during multiple years.
(c) California’s climate is warming and becoming more variable. Rising temperatures are making droughts more intense, and dry years are occurring more frequently. Higher temperatures mean less snowpack, which is the state’s largest water reservoir. Scientists project that the average water supply from snowpack will decline to two-thirds of historical levels by 2050. Available water from the Colorado River Basin, which provides drinking water to southern California, is also projected to decline precipitously due to prolonged drought. Hotter and drier weather conditions from climate change are projected to reduce California’s overall water supply by the year 2040.
(d) California water utilities distribute more than 1.2 trillion gallons of water a year. At least 7 percent of residential water—or 84 billion gallons—is lost to known leaks. That amounts to 2,140 gallons per person (84 billion gallons/39,240,000 California residents). Malfunctioning water devices and plumbing leaks generate significant water losses throughout California, and finding leaks in multifamily properties is difficult because of the high number of toilet devices and a nearly constant flow of water, which makes flow metering at the point-of-entry unreliable for determining the presence of malfunctions and leaks.
(e) Toilets are the most significant generator of wasted water because they malfunction on a frequent basis and result in 300 gallons per day for slow leaks, to 2,016 gallons per day for stuck valves, per toilet. Data confirms that every day 3.8 percent of toilets experience a stuck valve condition and 0.8 percent of toilets experience a slow toilet leak.
(f) Plumbing leaks result in significant damage to property and frequently result in displaced occupants until the resulting water intrusion damage may be mitigated.
(g) Multifamily housing in California that is 10 units or larger account for 17.1 percent of the total residential inventory and an estimated 5,100,000 toilets.
(h) If all these toilets were monitored and property managers resolved malfunctions and leaks within nine hours of detection, the annual water savings would amount to 275,261 acre-feet of water. This saves enough water to supply all the household water needs for 1,890,000 Californians. This represents 14 percent of the potential reductions in waste of urban water.
(i) Point-of-use systems will provide significant water savings, reducing water bills and the cost of maintaining multiunit housing. This positive fiscal impact will be particularly significant in low-income housing.
(j) These point-of-use systems will also save the state energy costs associated with moving water from water sources to population centers.