BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1774
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 14, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 1774 (Saldana) - As Amended: March 24, 2010
Policy Committee: Water, Parks and
Wildlife Vote: 12-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill authorizes government agencies to require a state
agency to use recycled water for irrigation, provided certain
conditions exist. Specifically, this bill:
1)Declares that use of potable domestic water for irrigation of
landscaping is a waste or an unreasonable use of water if
recycled water is available. (Current law declares only the
use of such water for domestic irrigation of landscaping a
waste or an unreasonable use of water if recycled water is
available.)
2)Authorizes a government agency to require a state agency
operating within the jurisdiction of the government agency to
use recycled water for irrigation of landscaping.
3)Limits the governmental authority described above to the
following conditions: (a) Recycled water is available and is
of adequate quality for the proposed use; (b) Use of recycled
water does not cause any loss or diminution of any existing
water right; (c) The irrigation system is up to code; and (d)
recycled water can be furnished to the state agency user at a
reasonable cost, as determined by the government agency
according to specified considerations.
FISCAL EFFECT
Potential annual costs, possibly in the hundreds of thousands of
dollars, principally to Caltrans and other state agencies with
irrigation projects. (Caltrans staff, while unable to quantify
the range of potential costs resulting from this bill, expresses
AB 1774
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concern that the bill might result in local and state agencies
requiring Caltrans to use more costly or less-readily available
recycled water.)
COMMENTS
1)The author notes that, in many areas, state agencies, such as
Caltrans, are large water users. In San Diego County for
example, Caltrans uses great amounts of water-mainly potable
domestic water-to irrigate thousands of acres of landscaping
along state roads and highways. The author contends providing
government agencies, such as city and county government, the
authority to require state agencies to use recycled water for
irrigation of landscaping may help the state to achieve its
legally established goal of increasing the use of recycled
water.
2)Background . In 1991, the Legislature established the goal of
annually recycling 1 million acre feet of water by 2010.
According to a report published in 2003 by the Department of
Water Resources (DWR), California has the ability to recycle
up to 1.5 million acre feet of water per year, yielding about
1.2 million acre feet of new water. The state, despite this
potential, has failed to meet its 2010 goal.
Water legislation passed last year (Chapter 4, SBX7-7,
Steinberg) requires each state agency to reduce its potable
water use 20% by 2020.
3)Supporters , including several local water agencies and utility
districts, claim this bill provides local agencies the
authority to require state agencies, such as Caltrans, to
implement a relatively inexpensive means of conserving potable
water and furthering the state's recycled water use goal.
4)There is no formal opposition to this bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081