BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1482
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Date of Hearing: May 13, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Kevin De Leon, Chair
AB 1482 (Anderson) - As Amended: April 20, 2009
Policy Committee: WPW Vote:12-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Department of Water Resources (DWR), in
consultation with the Pacific Quality Water Association, to
study whether the Legislature should establish a rating system
to measure the efficiency levels of self-regenerating water
softener systems. The bill further requires DWR to report the
results of its study to the Legislature by January 1, 2012. The
bill allows DWR to fund the study from private sources.
FISCAL EFFECT
One-time cost of several hundred thousand dollars during 2010-11
and 2011-12 to DWR to complete the study required by this bill
and to prepare the report to the Legislature. (General Fund)
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . The author contends the study required by this
bill is needed to evaluate the economic and performance
advantages of "high-efficiency" water softeners before, or
possibly instead of, moving to regulate the use of water
softeners.
2)Background . AB 673 (Cortese, Chapter 187, Statutes of 1991)
established a statewide goal to recycle a total of 700,000 and
one million acre-feet of water per year for 2000 and 2010,
respectively. The 2000 goal was not met (current recycled
water use stands at 600,000 to 700,000 acre-feet per year),
and it is likely the 2010 goal will not be met. Several
factors have contributed to the slow rate of progress toward
recycled water goals, including lack of consistent water
quality regulation from region to region, lack of consistent
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data, and lack of fiscal resources to build the infrastructure
necessary to process and deliver recycled water to consumers.
After the state did not meet the 2000 target of 700,000
acre-feet of recycled water use, the Legislature created a
task force to examine, among other things, state and local
regulations that limit the use of recycled water. The 2003
Recycled Water Task Force report recommended that local
agencies be allowed to regulate the discharge of residential
water softeners.
3)Water Softener Devices . Heavy salt loads in local sewer
systems hinder water recycling and prevent local agencies from
meeting state wastewater standards. Salt is a byproduct of
self-regenerating water softener devices installed in many
homes in areas that depend on water supplies with high
concentrations of salts. A water softener device of this type
"softens water" by filtering salts suspended in a home's water
supply. These removed salts are designed to be released into
the local sewer system, thus adding substantially to the salt
load in some communities.
4)Pacific Water Quality Association. The Pacific Water Quality
Association is a non-profit organization representing the
water quality improvement industry. Members include
retailers, assemblers, manufacturers and suppliers, as well as
auxiliary member companies.
5)Related Legislation .
a) AB 1366 (Feuer) authorizes local agencies in areas
threatened by excess salinity to regulate the use of
self-regenerating water softener systems. AB 1366 is
pending in this committee.
b) AB 2270 (Laird, 2008) contained provisions similar to,
but more expansive than those included in AB 1366. AB 2270
passed the Assembly 53-19 but was vetoed.
c) SB 475 (Runner, Chapter 393, Statutes of 2006) allowed
the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District to require the
removal of all self-regenerating water softener devices
that discharge into the community sewer system.
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Analysis Prepared by : Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081