25401.8.
(a) (1) On or before January 1, 2022, the commission shall adopt regulations setting standards for the accuracy of water meters described in Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 525) of Chapter 8 of Division 1 of the Water Code. Except as provided in paragraph (2), no water meter manufactured on or after the effective date of those regulations may be sold or offered for sale in the state, or installed by a water purveyor, unless it is certified by the manufacturer to be in compliance with those standards.(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the regulations adopted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall allow both of the following:
(A) If a water purveyor, before
January 1, 2020, has entered into a contract to purchase a noncompliant water meter, fulfillment of that contract, and installation of that water meter, on or after the effective date of the regulations, regardless of the date of manufacture.
(B) Maintenance, by a water purveyor, of a noncertified or noncompliant water meter installed as of the effective date of the regulations, or pursuant to subparagraph (A), until the end of its useful service, as determined by the water purveyor.
(b) Regulations pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be adopted in accordance with the following guidelines:
(1) The commission may set separate accuracy standards for different types or classes of water meters as the commission deems appropriate.
(2) Accuracy standards shall
be cost effective over the lifetime of a more accurate water meter required by those standards. In determining cost effectiveness, the commission shall consider both of the following:
(A) The value of the additional water measured by the more accurate water meter.
(B) The life-cycle cost to a water purveyor of the more accurate water meter.
(3) The commission shall consider relevant factors including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(A) The net benefits of reduced water consumption in the state that may be attributable to more accurate water meters.
(B) Costs and benefits to water users in the state.
(C) Economic
impacts on California businesses.
(D) Alternative approaches and their associated costs.
(4) The commission may consider the most recent edition of the American Water Works Association’s Water Meters—Selection, Installation, Testing, and Maintenance, Manual M6.
(c) Paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of, and paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of, Section 25402 shall not apply to the regulations adopted under this section.