Landmark Water Legislation Awaiting Governor’s Signature

I wrote previously about Senate Bill 366, a bill that would reshape California’s Water Plan and mandate the adoption of a plan to identify nine million acre-feet of new water supply by 2040 and to adopt a goal for further development by 2050.  SB 366 is authored by Senator Anna Caballero and co-sponsored by many others, including our local Senator Richard Roth and Assemblymember Bill Essayli.  The text of the bill can be found at https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB366/id/3019677

The bill requires what some have called The Three A’s:

Aspirational Goals: The Department of Water Resources is required to set a goal of nine million acre-feet of new water supply for implementation by 2040, which may be a combination of conservation and new or expanded stormwater capture, above and underground water storage, expanded use of recycled water and other water sources. By 2033, the department must identify targets for 2050.

Advisory Committee: An advisory committee representing varied interests, including agricultural, urban, environmental, Tribal, and governmental entities, will be formed and help guide the development and implementation of the goals.

Accountability: The Department must report progress to the Legislature every year. The legislation was considered necessary because California has not invested in significant new or expanded water infrastructure in over 50 years. California is not only growing, but the climate is changing. Our dry periods are getting longer, and our wet periods are fewer but more intense. In addition to water conservation efforts, there is a need to develop additional means of capturing extra water when it is available (this can have a flood protection benefit as well), means to transport that water to storage, and new and expanded storage for use in dry periods. Although our area already recycles almost 100% of the treated wastewater we produce, portions of the state do not, and this may be a viable resource in those areas. Technologies like desalination can also help address the problem. The bill purposefully did not attempt to pick between methods of meeting the goals and left that to the Department and the affected stakeholders through the Advisory Committee.

The bill is backed by over 150 agencies and organizations representing agriculture, labor, water providers, the environment, cities, counties, and chambers of commerce. It made its way through policy and fiscal committees in both the Assembly and Senate and was approved by both the Assembly and Senate without a single “No” vote. This is very rare.

SB 366 is currently on the Governor’s desk, awaiting his action. The Governor has until the end of September to sign a bill into law, veto it, or take no action. In California, any bill the Governor does not sign or veto is automatically vetoed. This is called a “pocket veto.”

I urge you or your organization to contact the Governor to share your position on SB 366. You may do so by emailing him at leg.unit@gov.ca.gov. Although the Governor has until September 30 to take action, he may do so sooner. Letting him know your views as soon as possible would be helpful. For information, the City of Riverside and Western Water support the bill.