BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND WATER
Senator Fran Pavley, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 2515 Hearing Date: June 28,
2016
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Author: |Weber | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Version: |May 27, 2016 |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Consultant:|Dennis O'Connor |
| | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Water Conservation in Landscaping Act: model
water-efficient landscaping ordinance
BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW
1.The California Building Standards Law:
Establishes the California Building Standards Commission
(CBSC) and the process for adopting, and updating every
three years, the California Building Code.
Authorizes the CBSC to adopt green building standards.
These standards are maintained in a separate chapter of the
California Building Code, known as the CalGreen Code.
1.The Water Conservation in Landscaping Act:
Required the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to
prepare a Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance
(MWELO). The Act required all local agencies to adopt a
landscape ordinance by 1993 or the model ordinance would
automatically take effect. A local agency could make
findings that an ordinance was unnecessary if certain
conditions existed.
A 2006 bill, AB 1881 (Laird), revised the act
significantly. Among other things, it required DWR to
revise the model ordinance by January 2009.
AB 2515 (Weber) Page 2
of ?
DWR adopted the revised Model Water Efficient Landscape
Ordinance on September 10, 2010.
1.On April 1, 2015, the Governor issued an executive order
regarding the ongoing drought. Among its provisions was
direction to DWR to update the model ordinance through
expedited regulation. This update was to increase water
efficiency standards for new and existing landscapes through
more efficient irrigation systems, greywater usage, onsite
storm water capture, and by limiting the portion of landscapes
that can be covered in turf.
On July 15, 2015, the California Water Commission approved
DWR's revision to the model ordinance.
AB 2515 (Weber) Page 3
of ?
PROPOSED LAW
This bill would require DWR, by January 1, 2020, and at least
every three years thereafter, to do one of the following:
Update the MWELO.
Make a finding that an update to the MWELO at that time is not
a useful or effective means to improve either the efficiency
of landscape water use or the administration of the ordinance.
The bill would further require DWR, upon updating the MWELO, to
submit the update to the Building Standards Commission for
consideration during the triennial revision process of the
CalGreen Code.
The bill also makes a number of findings regarding the
importance of the MWELO and the advantage of synchronizing the
updates with the triennial cycle for revisions of the CalGreen
Code.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT
According to the author, "With California experiencing prolonged
and serious drought conditions over the past 4 years, everyone -
including homeowners, renters, businesses, government agencies,
schools - has been asked to do everything they can to conserve
water and improve water use efficiency. With outdoor water use
consisting more than half the average household water use,
attention to improving landscape irrigation efficiency should be
an ongoing focus."
"Synchronization of the Model Water Efficient Landscape
Ordinance revision cycle with the CALGreen building code
revision cycle would allow updated Model Water Efficient
Landscape Ordinance standards to be adopted in the CALGreen
building code revisions during the same triennial cycle. A
synchronized revision cycle would also eliminate the current
practice of updating Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance
in an uncoordinated, unplanned, and ad hoc manner."
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION: None received
AB 2515 (Weber) Page 4
of ?
COMMENTS
Related Bills:
AB 1928(Campos) - would require the Energy Commission, by
January 1, 2018, to adopt landscape irrigation equipment
performance standards and labeling requirements. The sale of
landscape irrigation equipment that does not meet those
established performance standards and labeling requirements
would be banned beginning January 1, 2020.
SB 1340 (Wolk) - would add to the model water efficient
landscape ordinance a permit requirement for the installation or
replacement of specified automatic irrigation systems, or the
expansion of the same specified automatic irrigation systems to
increase the irrigated area by 25% or more, for a landscape
project on or after July 1, 2018.
SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS: None
SUPPORT
San Diego County Water Authority (sponsor)
Association of California Water Agencies
California Landscape Contractors Association
Nexus eWater Inc.
San Diego County Water Authority
Sierra Club California
Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District
OPPOSITION: None Received
-- END --