BILL ANALYSIS
AB 224
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 23, 2007
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
Loni Hancock, Chair
AB 224 (Wolk) - As Amended: April 17, 2007
SUBJECT : Climate change and water resources
SUMMARY : Requires information on the potential effects impacts
of climate change to be incorporated into existing state and
local water planning efforts and requires Department of Water
Resources (DWR) to prepare a report on peer-reviewed climate
change studies to help local governments identify potential
impacts to water supply.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Requires DWR to prepare periodic reports on the state's water
supply, groundwater, and other water resources and to provide
local assistance to water agencies on water management.
2)Requires an urban water supplier (i.e., public or private
entities serving more than 3,000 customers or supplying more
than 3,000 acre-feet of water annually) to prepare and update
an urban water management plan every five years.
3)Requires the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to
regulate water rights and water quality, including certain
permits for the use of recycled water.
4)Proposition 84 authorizes $65 million to DWR for "planning and
feasibility studies related to the existing and potential
future needs for California's water supply, conveyance and
flood control systems." Eligible projects include the
evaluation of climate change impacts on the state's water
supply.
THIS BILL :
1)Requires the DWR to include an analysis of the potential
effects of climate change, to the extent applicable, into all
reports or plans it is already required prepare including, but
not limited to, the following: biennial report on overall
delivery capability of the State Water Project, the California
Water Plan, reports related to the Sacramento-San Joaquin
AB 224
Page 2
River Delta, State Plan of Flood Control, and Bulletin 118
(regarding groundwater).
2)Prohibits DWR from approving an integrated regional water
management planning grant after January 1, 2009 under certain
conditions unless the applicant includes certain information
regarding climate change.
3)Requires DWR to identify and update available peer-reviewed
information or develop its own information on climate change
and water resources for the state's hydrologic basins, and
make such information available on its website.
4)Requires SWRCB, in cooperation with DWR, Air Resources Board,
the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the Public
Utilities Commission, to complete a study under specified
scenarios on or before January 1, 2009 that quantifies energy
savings and greenhouse gas emission reductions from water
recycling and water conservation.
5)Requires SWRCB and the regional water quality boards when
developing water quality control plans to consider a
reasonable range of hydrological, temperature and sea-level
rise scenarios resulting from climate change.
6)Directs water suppliers that are currently required prepare
urban or agricultural water management plans to identify, to
the extent practicable, the possible effects of climate change
on water supply projections, and the reliability of its water
supply and its water service to customers. If the DWR report
described above is not available, these suppliers are exempt
from this requirement.
7)Makes legislative findings and declarations regarding climate
change and water resources.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS :
1)Background
This bill represents the first step to incorporate climate
change information into state and local water resource planning
efforts. This past February, the Assembly Water, Parks, and
AB 224
Page 3
Wildlife Committee held a hearing on climate change and
considered an increasing body of evidence demonstrating how
climate change has and will affect the state's water resources.
Climate change is expected to result in more frequent dry years,
more persistent periods of drought, less stream flow in the
spring and summer, and reduced water deliveries to the state's
reservoirs. Other impacts are anticipated from sea water
intrusion into the Delta due to sea-level rise, increased
evaporation from surface storage, and increased groundwater
overdraft.
Despite these predictions, there are only a handful of places
where major actions have been taken to improve our ability to
adapt water systems to climate change. This bill addresses this
problem by increasing the capacity of state and local water
agencies to understand scientific information, translate it into
practical information, and incorporate it into long-term
planning efforts.
2)Water resources planning will rely on climate change
information developed by the state
This bill requires the potential effects of climate change to be
considered in various statutory water planning requirements.
Concerns were raised about the reliability of climate change
projections and the whether this information incorporated with
sufficient confidence into urban or agricultural water plans.
In response, the bill requires DWR to identify the climate
change information that local agencies should consider in their
planning efforts. Alternatively, a water supplier may rely on
other reliable information in its possession. If DWR does not
identify such information, then local water suppliers are exempt
from the bill's planning requirements. The author asserts that
the use of state "sanctioned" information resolves concerns as
to which information should be used. However, it's unclear
whether information on the potential effects of climate change
on specific hydrologic basins is available at this time or
whether statewide information can be applied to individual
basins.
3)Water conservation and recycling results in less greenhouse
gas emissions
This bill requires SWRCB to prepare a report that quantifies the
energy savings and greenhouse gas emission reductions due to
AB 224
Page 4
water conservation and the use of recycled water to offset the
use of potable water for non-potable uses. According to CEC,
water recycling and conservation may result in less greenhouse
gas emissions compared to traditional forms of water supply,
particularly for urban areas reliant on imported water. This is
due to the fact that as much as 19% of electric energy load is
related to the movement, treatment, and consumption of water and
39% of gas load is related to heating water. Although water use
has a direct impact on energy consumption, CEC currently has no
authority to consider water efficiency when it develops energy
efficiency standards. AB 1560 (Huffman), introduced this
session, would give the CEC this authority.
Proposed amendments
The author's office is proposing amendments that allow a local
agency the option of relying on climate change information it
develops on its own. The author intended to make these changes
to the bill, as amended on April 17, 2007.
1)On page 4, line 15 (after "Section 10103"); page 5, line 37
(after "Section 10101"); and page 6, line 3 (after "Section
10101") insert: "or other relevant information if the supplier
deems such information reasonably reliable."
2)On page 5, line 32: change "subdivision (d)" to "subdivision
(b)."
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
East Bay Municipal Utility District
Inland Empire Utilities Agency
Marin Municipal Water District
Natural Resources Defense Council (sponsor)
Nature Conservancy
Planning and Conservation League (sponsor)
Sierra Club California
Sonoma County Water Agency (sponsor)
Water Reuse Association, California Section
Opposition
AB 224
Page 5
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Dan Chia / NAT. RES. / (916) 319-2092