AB 8

Bill Subjects

Abstract

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. (1) This bill would require the state to achieve a 20% reduction in urban per capita water use in California by December 31, 2020. The state would be required to make incremental progress towards this goal by reducing per capita water use by at least 10% on or before December 31, 2015. The bill would require each urban retail water supplier to develop urban water use targets and an interim urban water use target, in accordance with specified requirements. The bill would require agricultural water suppliers to implement efficient water management practices. The bill would require the department, in consultation with other state agencies, to develop a single standardized water use reporting form. The bill, with certain exceptions, would provide that urban retail water suppliers, on and after July 1, 2016, and agricultural water suppliers, on and after July 1, 2013, are not eligible for state water grants or loans unless they comply with the water conservation requirements established by the bill. The bill would repeal, on July 1, 2016, an existing requirement that conditions eligibility for certain water management grants or loans to an urban water supplier on the implementation of certain water demand management measures. (2) Existing law, until January 1, 1993, and thereafter only as specified, requires certain agricultural water suppliers to prepare and adopt water management plans. This bill would revise existing law relating to agricultural water management planning to require agricultural water suppliers to prepare and adopt agricultural water management plans with specified components on or before December 31, 2012, and update those plans on or before December 31, 2015, and on or before December 31 every 5 years thereafter. An agricultural water supplier that becomes an agricultural water supplier after December 31, 2012, would be required to prepare and adopt an agricultural water management plan within one year after becoming an agricultural water supplier. The agricultural water supplier would be required to notify each city or county within which the supplier provides water supplies with regard to the preparation or review of the plan. The bill would require the agricultural water supplier to submit copies of the plan to the department and other specified entities. The bill would provide that an agricultural water supplier is not eligible for state water grants or loans unless the supplier complies with the water management planning requirements established by the bill.