Final Long-Term Conservation Framework:
"Making Water Conservation a California
Way of Life" and Proposed Budget Trailer Bill
Elizabeth Lovsted, P.E.
April 19, 2017
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California’s Emergency Drought Declaration Is Lifted
April 7, 2017
• Governor Brown Lifts Drought
Emergency
– Water supplier drought restrictions
rescinded
– End user and reporting requirements
remain
• Making Water Conservation a
California Way of Life
– Executive Order Implementation
Framework released
– Implementing Trailer Bill posted
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U.S. Drought Monitor
California
April 11, 2017
Intent of the Long-Term Conservation Framework
• Facilitate a fundamental shift of conservation implementation to a more
durable, equitable, and consistent framework for the State;
• Provide greater statewide consistency in preparing Urban Water
Management Plans, Water Shortage Contingency Plans, and Agricultural
Water Management Plans; and continue to work with counties to improve
drought planning in small communities and rural areas;
• Enable water suppliers to customize their water management strategies and
plan implementation to regional and local conditions;
• Empower water supplier to take a place‐based response to water shortages
caused by drought or other water emergencies; and
• Incentivize use of new technologies and set standards to reduce leaks.
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Implementation Framework Elements
• Use Water More Wisely
– Emergency Conservation Regulations
– New Water Use Targets
– Permanent Monthly Reporting
• Eliminate Water Waste
– Water Use Prohibitions
– Minimizing Water Loss
• Strengthen Local Drought Resilience
– Water Shortage Contingency Plans
– Drought Planning for Small Water
Suppliers and Rural Communities
• Improve Agricultural Water Use
Efficiency and Drought Planning
– Strengthen Agricultural Water
Management Plan Requirements
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Emergency Conservation Regulations
• Framework
– Water Board will rescind “stress test” requirement
– Reporting and end-user restrictions continue
• Trailer Bill Language - Leg Counsel Bill 810
– Applies penalties ($10,000 +$500/day) to short and
long term conservation regulations
– Extend emergency regulation duration to one year (from current nine months)
– Interim conservation standards can be adopted prior to 2020 as “Emergency
Regulation”
• Water Supplier Bills - AB 968 (Rubio) and AB 1654 (Rubio)
– No interim targets (relies on SB x7-7, 20 x 2020)
– Suppliers cannot be required to reduce beyond actions listed in the Water
Shortage Contingency Plan
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New Water Use Targets
• Framework
– Single methodology for setting targets
• Budget based for residential and landscape
• Best practices for CII
– Detail on implementation and assumptions
• Trailer Bill Language
– Requires the Water Board to adopt long term standards by May 20, 2021 with
targets set through Rulemaking process
– No detail on methodology or assumptions. Only requires standards for:
• Indoor residential use
• Outdoor irrigation water use
• Commercial, industrial and institutional water use
– Applies conservation regulation (“waste and unreasonable use” provisions) to
water right decisions
• Water Supplier Bills
– Provides three methodologies for setting targets with detail on implementation
and compliance
– Does not alter Water Board authority to review water rights
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Water Shortage Contingency Plans
• Framework
– Annual reporting of supply and demand (current + 1 or more dry years)
– Prescriptive water shortage contingency plan (WSCP) stages and requirements
– Requires a 5-year drought analysis
• Trailer Bill Language
– WSCP becomes stand alone document
– Annual reporting of supply and demand (current + 1 or more dry years)
• DWR to report to Water Board need for enforcement
– Prescriptive WSCP stages and requirements
– Requires agencies to declare emergency at WSCP stage four
– Adds climate change and energy evaluation of supplies to Urban Water
Management Plan
– Requires a 5-year drought analysis
• Water Supplier Bills
– Annual reporting of supply and demand (current year)
– Similar WSCP requirements
– Requires a 5-year drought analysis
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Next Steps
• Oppose Trailer Bill
– Not the appropriate process - Trailer Bills not
subject to policy committee hearings
– Conservation target setting should be a
legislative process, not rulemaking
– Water rights should be protected and not linked
to conservation targets
– Mandatory conservation standards should be
tied to an individual agency's supply conditions
and WSCPs
• Support Assembly Bills 968 and 1654
– EMWD has officially registered support
positions for both bills
– EMWD Sacramento advocate fully engaged on
bills
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Contact Information
Elizabeth Lovsted, P.E.
Director of Water Supply Planning
(951) 928-3777 Ext. 4307
Email: [email protected]
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