BILL ANALYSIS �
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| SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND WATER |
| Senator Fran Pavley, Chair |
| 2013-2014 Regular Session |
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BILL NO: SB 1036 HEARING DATE: April 29, 2014
AUTHOR: Pavley URGENCY: No
VERSION: April 7, 2014 CONSULTANT: Dennis O'Connor
DUAL REFERRAL: No FISCAL: Yes
SUBJECT: Urban Water Management Plans.
BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW
Under the Urban Water Management Planning Act (Act), all urban
water suppliers are required to prepare and adopt an urban water
management plan. Updated every five years, the plans include,
among other things, a description of the service area of the
supplier, the identity and quantity of water resources, and
water use projections. Urban water management plans (UWMPs)
help inform the public about the water challenges faced by their
local water supplier, the suppliers' plans for addressing those
challenges, and are the basis for making water availability
determinations under the "show us the water" statutes (SBs 610 &
221 of 2001). Compliance with the Act is a requirement to
receive state funding.
AB 1420 (Laird/2007), among other things, required the
Department of Water Resources (DWR) to convene an independent
technical panel (ITP) to provide information and recommendations
to the department and the Legislature on new demand management
measures, technologies, and approaches. The panel was to be
convened by January 1, 2009, and is required to report to the
Legislature no later than January 1, 2010, and every five years
thereafter.
In February 2014, the ITP issued its Report to the Legislature
on Urban Water Management Plan Demand Management Measures
Reporting and Requirements. The Report made five
recommendations for improving UWMPs. The fifth recommendation
was Voluntary Inclusion of Energy Intensity in Urban Water
Management Plans. According to the ITP report:
"The intent of this recommendation is to encourage the
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voluntary reporting of information about the energy
intensity of water delivered to customers in a uniform
format and at regular intervals, e.g., every five years.
The value of reporting energy intensity by water agencies
is significant and recognized as a need at the national,
state, and local planning levels by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and California state agencies. This
recommendation will remove a major impediment that
currently inhibits the cost sharing collaboration between
the water and energy sectors, and will allow the water
industry and policymakers a better understanding of the
potential opportunities for future cost-effective joint
water/energy efficiency programs."
PROPOSED LAW
This bill would authorize, but not require, an UWMP to include
specific information regarding the amount of energy used to
divert, convey, treat, and distribute water.
DWR would be required, in its UWMP guidelines, to develop a
methodology for the voluntary reporting of energy intensity of
urban water systems.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT
According to the author, "The Urban Water Management Planning
Act requires all urban water suppliers to prepare and adopt an
urban water management plan containing, among other information,
a description of the service area of the supplier, the identity
and quantity of water resources, and water use projections."
"Unfortunately, urban water suppliers currently do not have
clear statutory authority to report energy use associated with
water extraction or diversion in the urban water management
plan. Such information could be employed to promote conservation
efforts and raise funds for urban water suppliers."
"SB 1036 resolves this problem by making it clear in statute
that urban water suppliers may include, at their discretion,
information about their energy use in their urban water
management plans."
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION: None Received
COMMENTS
Water Energy Nexus . Research performed by the Energy Commission
has found that water and energy resources are inextricably
connected, and this is known as the Water-Energy Nexus.
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Transportation and treatment of water, treatment and disposal of
wastewater, and the energy used to heat and consume water
account for nearly 20 percent of the total electricity and 30
percent of non-power plant related natural gas consumed in
California. Demand for water resources is expected to rise
primarily due to population growth and also as a result of
external factors such as climate change and more strict
regulatory rules protecting water quality.
Related Measures
AB 2067 (Weber) - would change the reporting requirements for
demand management measures in UWMPs as recommended by the ITP.
AB 2725 (Brown) - would require the description of the water
demand management measure in urban water management plans to
include a description of an urban waterway restoration
program.
SB 1420 (Wolk) - would implement changes the non-energy
related changes to the Urban Water management Planning Act
recommended by the Independent Technical Panel.
SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS: None
SUPPORT
Association of California Water Agencies
California Coastkeeper Alliance
California Municipal Utilities Association
East Bay Municipal Utility District
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Natural Resources Defense Council
Office of Ratepayer Advocates, California Public Utilities
Commission
OPPOSITION: None Received
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