SB X7-7
The Water Conservation Act of 2009 (Senate Bill X7-7) was enacted in November 2009 and requires that all water suppliers increase their water use efficiency. There are 18 actions in this bill that DWR is responsible for. These are called “projects” and information on each can be found in the tabs below for projects that affect urban water suppliers, agricultural water suppliers, or both. There are also a few projects that are DWR’s reporting responsibilities.
Completing some of these projects requires a public process, some require rulemaking, some require another process. Even for the projects that were only considered reporting, DWR often chose to work with interested parties to make sure that affected suppliers and other community members were well represented.
Five basic groups were formed and consulted to complete these projects:
- Agency Team – a team of other state and federal agencies’ representatives
- Commercial, Institutional, and Industrial Task Force (CII Task Force) – a team of different types of commercial, institutional, and industrial representatives, along with representatives from concerned non-profits and technical experts.
- Urban Stakeholder Committee (USC) – a team representing urban water suppliers, concerned non-profits, and technical experts
- Agricultural Stakeholder Committee (ASC)- a team representing agricultural water suppliers, concerned non-profits, and technical experts
Select a tab for information on the different projects associated with implementation of SBX 7-7.
Each summary lists the Project Number, Project Name; Summary of Governing Legislation; Process; and, Guiding Legislation.
For public process comments and records, committee/task force reports, and other information on any of these projects, please email us at WUE@water.ca.gov or visit our Urban Water Use Efficiency webpage.
CII Task Force; DWR shall, in conjunction with the CUWCC, convene a task force consisting of academic experts, urban retail water suppliers, environmental organizations, commercial, industrial and institutional water users to develop alternative best management practices for the CII water sector; Task Force; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10608.43.
Demand Management Measures; Per AB1420 of 2007 DWR shall convene an Independent Technical Panel consisting of retail water suppliers, environmental organizations, the business community, wholesale water suppliers, and academia to update Demand Management Methods and report to the Legislature; Independent Technical Panel; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10631.7.
Urban Technical Methodologies; DWR through a public process and in consultation with CUWCC shall develop and post on its website technical methodologies and criteria for baseline daily per capita use, baseline commercial, industrial and institutional water use, compliance daily per capita water use, gross water use, service area population, indoor residential water use, landscaped area water use and others as needed; Public Process; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10608.20(h)(1) and (h)(2).
Fourth Target Method; DWR shall develop a method for calculating urban water use targets that identify per capita use targets that cumulatively result in a statewide 20 percent reduction; Public Process; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10608.20(b)(4).
Process Water Regulations; DWR shall adopt regulations for implementation of the SB X7-7 provisions related to process water; Rule making; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10608.20(i)(1).
Legislative Reports on Progress toward 20x2020; DWR shall review 2015 UWMPs and report to the Legislature on the progress toward achieving a 20 percent reduction in urban water use; Reporting; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10608.42.
Update UWMP Guidebook; Update the UWMP Guidebook to address legislative and procedural changes to the urban water management planning process that have occurred since 2005; Reporting; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10608.50(a)(1).
Revise Urban Funding Criteria; DWR will revise grant/loan criteria to make urban water suppliers ineligible for state funding unless they comply with the specific provisions of 10608.56; Public Process; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10608.56(a).
Each summary lists the Project Number, Project Name; Summary of Governing Legislation; Process; and, Guiding Legislation.
For public process comments and records, committee/task force reports, and other information on any of these projects, please contact us at agWUE@water.ca.gov or visit our Agricultural Water Use Efficiency webpage.
Quantification of Efficiency of Agricultural Water Use; DWR - in consultation with the AWMC, stakeholders, and academics - shall develop and report to the Legislature on a proposed methodology for quantifying the efficiency of agricultural water use. The report is to include an implementation plan, estimated implementation costs and types of data to support the methodology. Alternatives shall include determination of efficiency levels based on crop type or irrigation system distribution uniformity; Public Process; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10608.64.
Agricultural Water Measurement Regulation; DWR will adopt a regulation providing a range of options for water measurements that agricultural water suppliers may use to measure volume of water delivered to customers with sufficient accuracy to comply with the farm-gate delivery measurement requirement (531.10) and to implement pricing structure; Rule Making; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10608.48(i)(1).
Update Agricultural Efficient Water Management Practices (EWMP); DWR may update the EWMPs in consultation with AWMC, the Reclamation and SWRCB. EWMPs shall be adopted or revised after public hearings; Public Process; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10608.48(h).
Agricultural EWMP Report to Legislature; DWR in consultation with the Water Board shall submit a report to the Legislature on agricultural EWMPs that have been and are planned to be implemented and an assessment of the manner in which the implementation of EWMP has affected and will affect agricultural operations, including estimated water use efficiency improvements, if any. Subsequent reports will be prepared in 2016 and 2021; Reporting; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10608.48(g).
Agricultural Water Management Plan (AWMP) Report to Legislature; DWR shall prepare and submit to the Legislature a report summarizing the status of the submitted plans, their outstanding elements, effectiveness of promoting efficient ag practices, and recommendations relating to proposed EWMP changes, as appropriate. The report will subsequently be submitted in years ending in six and one; Reporting; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10845(a) through (c).
AWMP Guidebook; DWR, in consultation with the SWRCB, may revise the requirements for AWMPs. An AWMP Guidebook will be developed to address legislative and procedural issues for submittal of AWMP to DWR; Reporting; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10608.50(a)(1).
Revise Agricultural Funding Criteria; DWR will develop grant/loan criteria to make agricultural water suppliers ineligible for state funding unless they comply with the specific provisions of 10608.56; Public Process; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10608.56(b).
Aggregated Farm-gate Delivery Report; AB 1404 requires certain ag water suppliers to submit water delivery reports to DWR on an annual basis; Public Process; Water Code Section 531.10 (a).
Each summary lists the Project Number, Project Name; Summary of Governing Legislation; Process; and, Guiding Legislation.
For public process comments and records, committee/task force reports, and other information on any of these projects, please contact us at WUE@water.ca.gov or visit our Water Use and Efficiency webpage.
Standardized Water Use Reporting; DWR, in consultation with California Bay Delta Authority, California Department of Health, California Public Utilities Commission, and SWRCB, shall develop a single standardized water use reporting form to meet the water use information needs of each agency. The form will be used by urban water suppliers to report on their progress in meeting their targets (10608.40) on an individual or regional basis at a minimum and by agricultural water suppliers to report compliance with implementation of EWMPs; Agency Coordination and Interested Parties Input; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10608.52(a) and (b).
Promote Regional Water Management; DWR, in consultation with the board, shall promote implementation of regional water resources management practices through increased incentives and removal of barriers; Public Process; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10608.50(a).
Statewide Targets for Regional Practices; DWR shall propose new statewide targets or review and update existing statewide targets for regional water resources management practices including but not limited to recycled water, brackish groundwater desalination and infiltration and direct use of urban stormwater runoff. Updated targets should be included in the California Water Plan; Water Plan Update Process; Water Conservation Act, Water Code Section 10608.50(b).