Policy and Legislation
There is also pressure from within state and federal agencies to better manage California water supply and use. SB 7, part of the Comprehensive Water Package passed by the Legislature in November, 2009, creates multiple paths towards reducing urban water use 20% by the year 2020. Urban in this context means all human uses other than agricultural. A major criticism of SB 7 is that it only superficially touches upon agricultural water use monitoring and efficiency. In addition, the pushes towards efficiency are suggested rather than mandatory. This legislation is one result of the State Water Resources Control Board’s multi-year planning process for implementing the “20x2020” goal first proposed by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2008.
With only the suggestion of efficiency rather than its requirement, the California Water Plan exemplifies a lack on the part of the State of California to sufficiently engage water efficiency as a first tier strategy for water supply security. We encourage the State of California to add teeth to the efficiency requirements.
To reduce polluted stormwater runoff, the federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) forces cities to confront the quality and quantity of their stormwater runoff. Additionally, a new statewide Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance came into law in January 2010.
With the emergence of climate change concerns, the water/energy nexus is also driving legislation. Therefore California-related climate change emissions legislation, AB32 is applicable to water insomuch that reductions in water use result in reductions in energy use. [Internal Link to Water Efficiency Landing Page Energy/Water Nexus sections] Codes and regulations will continue to evolve in the coming decade in response to these forces.
