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 1049 HEARING DATE: April 22, 2014
AUTHOR: Pavley URGENCY: No
VERSION: April 9, 2014 CONSULTANT: Dennis O'Connor
DUAL REFERRAL: No FISCAL: Yes
SUBJECT: Integrated regional water management plans.
BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW
Under the Integrated Regional Water Management Planning Act of
2002, a regional water management group is authorized, but not
required, to prepare and adopt an integrated regional water
management plan (IRWMP).
The Act defined a "regional water management group" as three or
more local agencies, at least two of which have statutory
authority over water supply or water management, plus those
other persons who may be necessary to develop and implement an
IRWMP. Much, but not all, of the state is covered by one or
more IRWMPs
IRWMPs can include regional projects or programs that accomplish
any of the following:
Reduce water demand through agricultural and urban water use
efficiency.
Increase water supplies through, groundwater storage and
conjunctive water management, desalination, precipitation
enhancement, water recycling, regional and local surface
storage, water-use efficiency, and stormwater management.
Improve operational efficiency and water supply reliability,
through conveyance facilities, system reoperation, and water
transfers.
Improve water quality, through improved drinking water
treatment and distribution, groundwater and aquifer
remediation, matching water quality to water use, wastewater
treatment, water pollution prevention, and management of urban
and agricultural runoff.
Improve resource stewardship, through agricultural lands
stewardship, ecosystem restoration, flood plain management,
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recharge area protection, urban land use management,
groundwater management, water-dependent recreation, fishery
restoration, including fish passage improvement, and watershed
management.
Improve flood management through structural and nonstructural
means, or by any other means.
Propositions 50 and 84, the 2009 water bond, and most current
bond proposals require that projects and programs be included in
an IRWMP in order to be fundable from the bonds' Integrated
Regional Water Management programs.
PROPOSED LAW
1.This bill would add the following to the list of programs and
projects eligible to be included in an IRWMP programs and
projects that:
Reduce energy used to acquire, transport, treat, or
distribute water.
Develop and support decision support tools to model
regional management strategies to account for climate
change, energy use, and other factors relevant to regional
demand and supply projections.
1.This bill would also require a regional water management
group, to the extent possible, to include all of the water
suppliers within one of the following geographic areas:
The watershed area.
The area over a groundwater basin or subbasin.
The area within a county's boundaries.
The bill further stipulates that nothing requires a water
supplier to participate in a regional water management group,
should a water supplier choose not to participate.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT
According to the author, "The Energy Commission has found that
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."
"IRWMP projects that reduce energy use in the management of
water can help manage our energy demands, potentially reduce
green-house gas emissions, and potentially reduce pressure to
raise water rates. By making such projects eligible to be
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included in an IRWMP, this bill will encourage water agencies to
further consider the energy needs of different approaches to
water management."
"Similarly, including the development and use of computer models
and other analytics to model regional management strategies to
account for climate change, energy use, and other factors
relevant to regional demand and supply projections should help
ensure IRWMPs address the full suite of issues facing a region."
"Finally, we have a number of IRWMPs that are not as inclusive
as they should - there is a small cluster of cities in LA Co.
(aka the "gateway" cities) that have their own IRWMP, the IRWMP
covering the west side of the San Joaquin Valley does not
address drinking water issues in Mendota etc. ? This bill would
address this by requiring a regional water management group, to
the extent possible, to include all of the water suppliers
within one of the following geographic areas: watershed, ground
water basin, or county."
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.
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.
Regional Water Planning Models . The language in the bill
regarding "Develop and support decision support tools to model
regional management strategies ?" is awkward at best. (See
Amendment 1)
Related Measures. Most of the various bond proposals provide
funding for IRWMPs. Additionally:
AB 2725 (Brown) - would add urban waterway restoration
projects, as defined, to the list of programs and projects
eligible to be included in an IRWMP.
AB 1731 (Perea) - would require at least 10% of the funding in
each IRWM region be used to facilitate and support the
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participation of disadvantaged communities IRWM planning and
for projects that address the critical water supply or water
quality needs of those communities.
AB 1249 (Salas) - would require an IRWMP to include an
explanation of how, or why not, the plan addresses nitrate
contamination for those areas within the boundaries of the
identified as a nitrate high-risk area by the State Water
Resources Control Board.
AB 1874 (Gonzalez) - would require DWR to develop, by October
1, 2015, a streamlined application process for the funding of
regional projects and programs for regional water management
groups that met specified criteria.
SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS
AMENDMENT 1: On line 2, line 33, delete "support decision
support" and insert "maintain computer models and other
analytic"
SUPPORT
Office of Ratepayer Advocates, California Public Utilities
Commission
San Diego County Water Agency (If amended)
OPPOSITION: None Received
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