BILL ANALYSIS 1
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| SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND WATER |
| Senator Darrell Steinberg, Chair |
| 2007-2008 Regular Session |
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BILL NO: AB 2270 HEARING DATE: 6/24/08
AUTHOR: Laird URGENCY: No
VERSION: 6/12/08 CONSULTANT: Dennis O'Connor
DUAL REFERRAL: No FISCAL: Yes
SUBJECT: Recycled water: water quality.
BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW
The Water Recycling Act of 1991 established a statewide goal to
recycle a total of 700,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2000,
and one million acre-feet of water by 2010.
Under the Urban Water Management Planning Act, urban water
suppliers are to develop urban water management plans every five
years. Among other things, the plans are required to include,
to the extent available, information on recycled water and its
potential for use as a water source in the service area.
Under current law, the California Water Plan "is accepted as the
master plan which guides the orderly and control, protection,
conservation, development, management and efficient utilization
of the water resources of the state." (Water Code 10005 (a))
Updated every five years, it is to include, among other things,
current and projected supplies of water provided by water
recycling and reuse.
The Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act establishes state
policy for water quality and establishes responsibilities and
duties to achieve those water quality policies.
PROPOSED LAW
This bill would revise water-planning requirements regarding
recycled water and allow local agencies control residential
salinity inputs, under certain circumstances.
Specifically, this bill would:
Require DWR to update the statewide water-recycling target
every five years, based on consideration of all relevant
information.
Require DWR, beginning in 2013, to include the revised targets
in the California Water Plan.
Require urban water suppliers to include in their urban water
management plans information on recycled water and its
potential for use as a water source in the service area of the
urban water supplier
Make findings regarding the benefits of water recycling to
helping meet the state's water supply needs.
The bill would also:
Require persons that supply or distribute recycled water to
report annually report to the appropriate regional board the
amount of recycled water supplied or distributed in the
previous year.
Allow any local agency that maintains a community sewer system
in an area affected by the finding may by ordinance take
action to control residential salinity inputs, including those
from water softeners, under specified conditions.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT
According to the author, "Growing population, local and regional
water shortages, the recent federal court decision to limit
freshwater exports from the Delta, climate change, and the need
to protect California's fish and wildlife make it imperative
that the State manage its water resources as efficiently as
possible. Recycled water provides additional water supplies that
are a cost-effective and drought proof method of helping meet
California's water needs."
"[AB 2270] expands DWR's leadership role in promoting recycled
water by directing the department to set and update numeric
targets for recycled water, and to incorporate the targets in
the California Water Plan. The bill also would improve tracking
of the recycled water supply in the state and the progress in
meeting the targets by requiring recycled water producers and
urban water suppliers to more accurately report their recycled
water use to the regional boards and the DWR."
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION
Opponents argue that it is unnecessary or improper to allow
local agencies to ban water softeners pursuant to the provisions
of this bill.
COMMENTS
No Opposition To Issues Within Our Jurisdiction. While this
committee received numerous letters expressing opposition to
this bill, none of the letters raised concerns about the water
planning aspects of the bill.
Salts & Softeners. One of the barriers to using recycled water
is if there is a high salt content in the recycled water. Water
softeners are often identified as a significant source of salt
in wastewater that could be recycled. While this bill proposes
changes in law to address this issue, those issues are outside
of the jurisdiction of this committee. However, they were the
subject of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee hearing on
6/16/08, which passed the bill out on a 5-2 vote.
SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS: None
SUPPORT
Inland Empire Utilities Agency (Co-Sponsor)
WaterReuse Association (Co-Sponsor)
Association of California Water Agencies
California Alliance for Golf
California Association of Sanitation Agencies
California Coastkeeper Alliance
California Farm Bureau Federation
California League of Fruit Processors
California Municipal Utilities Association
Calleguas Creek Watershed Steering Committee
Calleguas Municipal Water District
Central Valley Clean Water Association
City of Corona
City of Davis
City of Dixon
City of Fillmore
City of Lathrop
City of Livermore
City of Lompoc
City of Los Angeles
City of Ontario
City of Riverside
City of Roseville
City of San Diego
City of San Jose
City of Santa Barbara
City of Thousand Oaks
Coachella Valley Water District
County of Los Angeles
County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County
East Bay Municipal Utility District
Eastern Municipal Water District
Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District
Farm Bureau of Ventura County
Groundwater Resources Association of California
Irvine Ranch Water District
Kern County Taxpayers Association
Laguna County Sanitation District
Las Virgenes Municipal Water District
League of California Cities
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Monte Vista Water District
Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency
Napa-Solano Central Labor Council
Olivenhain Municipal Water District
Orange County Sanitation District
Orange County water District
Planning and Conservation League
Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District
Salida Sanitary District
San Diego County Water Authority
San Elijo Joint Powers Authority
Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority
Santa Clara Valley Water District
Solano County Taxpayers Association
Sonoma County Water Agency
Southern California Alliance of Publicly Owned Treatment Works
Southern California Water Committee
Three Valleys Municipal Water District
Union Sanitary District
United Water Conservation District
Valencia Water Company
Vallecitos Water District
Ventura County Agricultural Association
Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority
Water Replenishment District of Southern California
Western Municipal Water District
OPPOSITION
AAA Water Systems, Inc.
Agua Limpia Water Treatment Systems
American Home Solutions
AmeriTek Industries
Aqua Blue
Aqua Kleen
AquaTerra
Augie's Water Systems
B & D Quality Water, Inc.
California Groundwater Association
California Retailers Association
Challenger Water International, Inc.
Clear Water Corporation
County of Napa
Culligan Water Solutions
CUNCO Inc.
DuPure International
EcoWater of Los Angeles
EcoWater Systems
EcoWater Systems of San Diego
Environmental Aqua, Inc.
Evans Plumbing, Inc.
GE Water and Process Technologies
Good Water Warehouse, Inc.
Howlett Consulting
Investment On Financial Capital, Inc.
Kevin Shaw Plumbing Inc.
Kinetico Inc.
Kinetico Quality Water
Lambert Water Conditioning Inc.
Life Ionizers
Liquid Solutions Inc.
McCowin Enterprises
Morton Salt
Neftech Inc.
Pacific Water Quality Association
Pat's Water Inc.
Pentair Water
Performance Water Products Inc.
Plumbing Concepts Inc.
Precision Installation Products, Inc.
Puronics Inc.
QMP, Inc.
Randazzo's Water Conditioning
Rayne Water Conditioning
South Bay Salt Works
Technipure Water Treatmetn
Topway Global Inc.
Water Conditioning & Purification Magazine
Water Quality Association
Water Resources International, Inc.
Water Techniques
Water Warehouse
Weeks Drilling & Pump Co.
Private Citizens (1)