BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1834
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 13, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WATER, PARKS AND WILDLIFE
Jared William Huffman, Chair
AB 1834 (Solorio) - As Introduced: March 25, 2010
SUBJECT : Rainwater capture
SUMMARY : Allows a landowner to install a rainwater recapture
system to irrigate landscaping or recharge groundwater.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Establishes the Rainwater Capture Act of 2010 recognizing
rainwater captured from impervious surfaces could contribute
to local water supplies.
2)Allows landowners to install, maintain, and operate systems to
capture rainwater from impervious surfaces on their own
property.
3)Requires landowners to comply with a local agency's program to
promote rainwater or stormwater capture, if such a program
exists.
4)Allows property owners to finance a rainwater recapture system
through a voluntary contractual assessment on their own
property.
5)Initiates a stakeholder process, led by the State Water
Resources Control Board, to develop guidelines to address
legal and policy issues arising out of stormwater and
rainwater recapture.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Allows property owners to enter into contractual agreements to
pay an assessment on their property in order to finance
permanently affixed energy and water efficiency improvements.
2)Requires the state to achieve a 20% reduction in per capita
water use by 2020.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown.
COMMENTS : By some estimates, one inch of rain on a 2,000
AB 1834
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square foot roof generates more than 1,000 gallons of water.
Since outdoor water use can account for up to 50 to 70% of a
household's total usage, rainwater harvesting for landscape
irrigation could help alleviate some of the pressure on
California's limited potable water supplies. In addition,
rainwater running off of impervious surfaces such as parking
lots, streets, and sidewalks picks up oil, chemicals, sediment,
bacteria and other pollutants in its journey to the local
waterway. Capturing and saving rainwater or directing it to
groundwater recharge could help bolster local water supplies and
circumvent some of the problems associated with stormwater
runoff.
In Australia, which is undergoing one of the worst droughts in
1,000 years of its history, rebates are offered to homeowners
who choose to install water tanks. Likewise, the Water
Conservation Division of Austin, Texas, offers a rainwater
harvesting incentive program that encourages the use of
rainwater as a supplement to municipal water for irrigation use.
Some stakeholders have raised concerns over allowing homeowners
to install rainwater recapture systems in advance of SWRCB-led
guidelines being developed. In particular, there is a concern
that rainwater recapture systems should be consistent with
building codes, including plumbing codes. The author's office
has convened a stakeholder group with the goal of addressing
those concerns through further amendments.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
California Landscape Contractors Association
TreePeople
Opposition
California State Pipe Trades Council (Unless Amended)
Analysis Prepared by : Tina Leahy / W., P. & W. / (916)
319-2096