BILL NUMBER: SB 261	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senators Dutton and Ducheny
   (Coauthor: Senator Hollingsworth)

                        FEBRUARY 24, 2009

   An act relating to water.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 261, as introduced, Dutton. Water use.
   Existing law requires the Department of Water Resources to convene
an independent technical panel to provide information to the
department and the Legislature on new demand management measures,
technologies, and approaches. "Demand management measures" means
those water conservation measures, programs, and incentives that
prevent the waste of water and promote the reasonable and efficient
use and reuse of available supplies.
   This bill would state legislative findings and declarations
relating to water use.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (a) The Governor's call for a 20 percent reduction in statewide,
urban per capita water use is an important component of a
comprehensive package of water management strategies necessary to
ensure sufficient water supplies for California's residential and
commercial uses.
   (b) The implementation of this goal should allow for flexible
implementation that provides for the option of regional-level or
local implementation.
   (c) Meeting the statewide conservation goal should be pursued in a
manner that clearly recognizes all water use efficiency efforts,
including water recycling, stormwater capture, and cooperative
efforts among agencies.
   (d) Existing, well-established water management planning
processes, including integrated water management plans, must be
utilized to provide for the most effective, cooperative, efficient,
and expedient progress toward the 20 percent statewide goal.
   (e) General statutory direction to state, regional, and local
implementing agencies should allow for implementation that reflects
the need to take into account unique local factors, including housing
density and lot sizes, climatic conditions, commercial, industrial,
and institutional uses, and year-to-year weather changes.
   (f) To date, statewide conservation data is inadequate for the
purpose of assessing past and ongoing conservation efforts.
Standardized data collection and analysis will provide the best means
for tracking progress toward the statewide conservation goal and
ensuring accountability among local and regional agencies.
   (g) Goals pertaining to commercial and industrial uses must
recognize the very different commercial and industrial uses among
regions and local agencies and should not unreasonably combine the
factors of commercial uses and population. Progress toward commercial
and industrial water conservation can best be achieved through
potential development of best management practices and local and
regional engagement with local commercial and industrial operations.
   (h) Any per capita water use goals must be utilized in a fair,
appropriate, and productive manner at the statewide and regional
level and should not be applied in a manner that does not account for
the unique factors associated with individual agency conditions.
   (i) Water conservation and water use efficiency efforts shall be
undertaken for the purpose of enhancing watershed sustainability.
   (j) Statutory revisions and administrative actions that provide
direction for implementation of the urban water use conservation goal
should not be crafted in a manner that could affect or imperil
existing water rights.