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 1420                   HEARING DATE: April 29, 2014
          AUTHOR: Wolk                       URGENCY: No
          VERSION: April 21, 2014            CONSULTANT: Dennis O'Connor
          DUAL REFERRAL: No                  FISCAL: Yes
          SUBJECT: Water management: 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.  

          #1:Amend the Urban Water Management Planning Act to Simplify and  
             Update the Demand Management Measure Reporting Requirements.
          #2:Require Distribution System Water Loss Reporting in Urban  
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             Water Management Plans.
          #3:Authorize the Department of Water Resources to Require  
             Electronic Filing of Urban Water Management Plans, Including  
             Standardized Forms.
          #4:Voluntary Reporting on Projected Water Savings from Codes,  
             Standards, Ordinances and Transportation and Land Use Plans  
             Affecting an Urban Water Supplier's Service Area.
          #5:Voluntary Inclusion of Energy Intensity in Urban Water  
             Management Plans.

          PROPOSED LAW
          This bill would, 
           Require distribution system water loss reporting in UWMPs.
           Authorize DWR to require electronic filing of UWMPs.
           Explicitly authorize voluntary reporting on projected water  
            savings from codes, standards, ordinances, or transportation  
            and land use plans affecting an urban water supplier's service  
            area.
          ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT
          According to East Bay Municipal Utility District, SB 1420 "is  
          intended to enact three recommendations made by the Department  
          of Water Resources Independent Technical Panel on Demand  
          management Measures ? By requiring urban water suppliers to  
          report on distribution system water loss, providing for  
          electronic submission of UWMPs, and ensuring water suppliers  
          have the ability to capture and report on water savings from  
          compliance with codes, SB 1420 would improve the process for  
          filing UWMPs and update the information they contain to reflect  
          changing approaches to managing water supply reliability."

          ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION: None

          COMMENTS 
           
          Related Measures
            SB 1036 (Pavley) - would explicitly authorize the voluntary  
            energy reporting changes to the Urban Water Management  
            Planning Act recommended by the ITP.

           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.

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          SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS: None 

          SUPPORT
          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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