SB1218:v97#DOCUMENTBill Start
Amended
IN
Assembly
June 18, 2024
|
Amended
IN
Senate
May 16, 2024
|
|
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 1218
Introduced by Senator Newman
|
February 15, 2024 |
An act to add Section 106.6 to the Water Code, relating to water.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1218, as amended, Newman.
Water: emergency water supplies.
Existing law, the Urban Water Management Planning Act, requires every public and private urban water supplier that directly or indirectly provides water for municipal purposes to prepare and adopt an urban water management plan. The act requires an urban water management plan to include a water shortage contingency plan, as provided.
This bill would declare that it is the established policy of the state to encourage, but not mandate, the development of emergency water supplies, and to support their use during times of water shortage. drought or unplanned service or supply disruption, as provided.
Digest Key
Vote:
MAJORITY
Appropriation:
NO
Fiscal Committee:
YES
Local Program:
NO
Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following:(a) California has a climate that cycles between periods of large amounts of precipitation and times of drought.
(b) California’s weather cycles are already affecting water resources throughout the state, which in turn negatively impact ecosystems, economies, and communities.
(c) In addition to enhancing water efficiency, California can and should take action to build water resilience into its water resource management and planning that accounts for these
changes, allowing the state to better adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change on water supplies and watersheds.
(d) With climate change likely bringing more frequent and intense droughts to California, the state needs to evaluate how it will ensure sufficient water supplies during times of shortage.
(e) An emergency water supply is one way the state can ensure sufficient water supplies during times of drought, and the development of emergency water supplies can aid the state in mitigating the impacts of more frequent droughts.
(f) Despite this, few water suppliers have made an investment in emergency water supplies.
(g) Establishing as state policy a
role for emergency water supplies can help encourage and incentivize greater investment and development of those supplies across the state.
SEC. 2.
Section 106.6 is added to the Water Code, to read:106.6.
(a) It is hereby declared to be the established policy of this state to encourage, but not mandate, the development of emergency water supplies, and to support their use during times of water shortage. drought or unplanned service or supply disruption.(b) For purposes of this section, “emergency water supplies” means water supplies identified in a water shortage contingency plan or drought plan that has
have been developed to increase a water supplier’s water supply reliability during times of shortage, including, but not limited to, during a drought or unplanned service disruption, or supply disruption and that are in addition to the baseline water supplies the water supplier draws on during nonshortage times to meet water demands within its service area.
(c) This section does not require a water supplier to add or modify any operation or demand management plan, or to interfere with any water right or
contractual right related to water exchange, conveyance, or storage.