Existing law requires all water suppliers to increase the efficient use of water. Existing law establishes various water use objectives and restrictions, including urban water use objectives. Existing law requires the State Water Resources Control Board, in coordination with the Department of Water Resources, to adopt long-term standards for the efficient use of water, including standards for, among other things, a volume for water loss, and requires the board, when adopting the standards, to consider policies relating to urban water use objectives and proposed efficiency standards’ effects on local wastewater management, developed and natural parklands, and urban tree health.

This bill would delete the requirement that the board adopt standards, for purposes of urban water use objectives, for water loss and would instead require the board to consider the policies relating to urban water use objectives and proposed efficiency standards’ effects on water loss. The bill would also set forth standards, policies, and procedures relating to water use objectives, generally, including, among other things, a prohibition against any water use objective established by the board that causes a reduction of more than 20% when compared to a water supplier’s actual water use in 2023 or that exceeds a water use standard recommended by the department. The bill would also authorize any amount of water to be used for a variance from a water use objective and would prohibit any required minimum amount of water for a variance. The bill would impose additional duties on the board, including requiring the board to develop a self-certification process for water suppliers for purposes of validating the amount of water in a variance, as provided.