Today's Law As Amended


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SB-1185 Water conservation: water use objectives.(2023-2024)



As Amends the Law Today


SECTION 1.

 Section 10608.9 is added to the Water Code, to read:

10608.9.
 (a) Notwithstanding any other law, all of the following shall apply to any water use objective adopted by the board pursuant to this part:
(1) A water use objective shall not cause a reduction of more than 20 percent when compared to the water supplier’s actual water use in 2023.
(2) The board shall not adopt a water use objective that exceeds a water use standard recommended by the department.
(3) Any amount of water may be used for a variance from a water use objective. There shall not be a required minimum amount of water for a variance.
(4) A water supplier may use estimates for the supplier’s water use objectives using the board’s supplier level estimates obtained using the board’s Water Use Objective Exploration Tool.
(b) The board shall do both of the following:
(1) Develop a self-certification process for water suppliers for purposes of validating the amount of water in a variance. The board may randomly audit a select number of variances each year to verify self-certifications.
(2) Periodically update the Water Use Objective Exploration Tool.

SEC. 2.

 Section 10609.2 of the Water Code is amended to read:

10609.2.
 (a) The board, in coordination with the department, shall adopt long-term standards for the efficient use of water pursuant to this chapter on or before June 30, 2022.
(b) Standards shall be adopted for all both  of the following:
(1) Outdoor residential water use.
(2) Outdoor irrigation of landscape areas with dedicated irrigation meters in connection with CII water use.
(3) A volume for water loss.
(c) When adopting the standards under this section, the board shall consider the policies of this chapter and the proposed efficiency standards’ effects on local wastewater management, water loss,  developed and natural parklands, and urban tree health. The standards and potential effects shall be identified by May 30, 2022. The board shall allow for public comment on potential effects identified by the board under this subdivision.
(d) The long-term standards shall be set at a level designed so that the water use objectives, together with other demands excluded from the long-term standards such as CII indoor water use and CII outdoor water use not connected to a dedicated landscape meter, would exceed the statewide conservation targets required pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 10608.16).
(e) The board, in coordination with the department, shall adopt by regulation variances recommended by the department pursuant to Section 10609.14 and guidelines and methodologies pertaining to the calculation of an urban retail water supplier’s urban water use objective recommended by the department pursuant to Section 10609.16.