BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 2515 (Weber) - Water Conservation in Landscaping Act: model
water-efficient landscaping ordinance
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|Version: May 27, 2016 |Policy Vote: N.R. & W. 8 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: August 1, 2016 |Consultant: Narisha Bonakdar |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: AB 2515 requires the Department of Water Resources (DWR), by
January 1, 2020, and at least every three years thereafter, to
update the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (Ordinance)
or make a finding that an update to the ordinance at that time
is not a useful. The bill also requires DWR, upon updating the
ordinance, to submit the update to the California Building
Standards Commission (Commission) for consideration during the
triennial revision process of the CalGreen Code.
Fiscal
Impact: Approximately $500,000 for DWR to revise the Ordinance
(General Fund) and between $15,000 and $25,000 every three years
thereafter for coordination.
Background:1)
1.The California Building Standards Law:
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Establishes the Commission and the process for adopting,
and updating every three years, the California Building
Code.
Authorizes the Commission 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 DWR to prepare the ordinance. 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.
AB 1881 (Laird, Chapter 559, Statutes of 2006), revised
the act significantly. Among other things, it required DWR
to revise the model ordinance by January 2009.
DWR adopted the revised the 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
stormwater 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.
Proposed Law:
This bill:
1)Requires DWR, by January 1, 2020, and at least every three
years thereafter, to either (1) update the Ordinance or (2)
make a finding that an update to the Ordinance at that time is
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not a useful or effective means to improve either the
efficiency of landscape water use or the administration of the
ordinance.
2)Requires DWR, upon updating the Ordinance, to submit any
updates to the Commission for consideration during the
triennial revision process of the CalGreen Code.
3)Makes a number of findings regarding the importance of the
Ordinance and the advantage of synchronizing the updates with
the triennial cycle for revisions of the CalGreen Code.
Related
Legislation:1) AB 2525 (Holden, 2016) would have required DWR to establish
the California Water Efficient Landscaping Program to promote
the efficient use of water in landscaping. The bill was held in
Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 1928 (Campos, 2016) requires the State Energy Resources
Conservation and Development Commission to adopt landscape
irrigation equipment performance standards and labeling
requirements. The bill is being heard in Senate Appropriations.
Staff
Comments: 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."
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