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W A T E R E N E R G Y L I F E RIVERSIDE PUBLIC UTILITIES • ' Board Memorandum P U B L I C U T I L I T I E S BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES DATE: FEBRUARY 10, 2020 ITEM NO: 8 SUBJECT: UPDATE ON CALIFORNIA WATER EFFICIENCY LEGISLATION ISSUE: Receive an update on California's long-term water efficiency laws, Assembly Bill 1668 and Senate Bill 606. RECOMMENDATION: That the Board of Public Utilities receive an update on California's long-term water efficiency laws, Assembly Bill 1668 and Senate Bill 606. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: From 2012 to 2017, California faced its worst drought on record. In 2014, Governor Brown made an emergency declaration and soon after, signed an Executive Order imposing statewide cutbacks on urban water use and mandatory reporting requirements on urban water suppliers. Riverside, at that time, was required to cut water use by 28%. The drought emergency declaration and water reduction mandates were rescinded in 2017. Lessons learned from this drought pushed the State to move beyond temporary emergency drought measures and adopt permanent changes to use water more efficiently and prepare for California's cyclical droughts. On May 31, 2018, Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1668 and Senate Bill (SB) 606, also known as the "long-term water conservation laws". These laws establish new individualized water efficiency targets and strengthen planning requirements for water suppliers, as well as, set provisions for agricultural water management and drought planning for small systems. Moving beyond emergency water cutbacks, AB 1668 and SB 606 provide flexibility to water agencies on how to meet the efficiency objectives and defer implementation of drought emergency protocols on a local basis. BACKGROUND: The overall goal of AB 1668 and SB 606 is to make water conservation a way of life in California in light of the state's frequent cycles of drought. Many details for implementing the new laws are still being determined by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and will be set by 2022. There are no immediate impacts to customers. The laws provide a framework for water agencies to set new, permanent, water use targets that include standards for the amount of water used indoors, the amount of water used outdoors (based on local climate) and for water lost to leaks in water systems.