State Water Board Holds Workshop on Water Use Efficiency Regulation by ACWA Staff Oct 4, 2023 SACRAMENTO – The State Water Resources Control Board today held a workshop on the draft regulation for Making Conservation a California Way of Life. The regulation is expected to be adopted in summer 2024. Under the “Proposed Text of the Regulation,” urban retail water suppliers would be required to meet an agency specific urban water use objective starting in 2025, comply with annual reporting requirements and implement commercial, industrial and institutional performance measures. More information on the draft regulation is available in ACWA’s two-page fact sheet. ACWA President Pamela Tobin, ACWA staff and several member agencies provided public comments during the day-long workshop to support the development of reasonable and cost-effective statewide efficiency standards that advance water savings, long-term climate resiliency and water affordability. Public comments were still being held as of 5:30 p.m. “Public water agencies recognize water use efficiency as an important tool in our toolkit to ensuring a climate resilient water supply,” ACWA President Pamela Tobin commented during the workshop. “However, we have significant concerns that the proposed draft regulation shifts communities away from an efficient use of water to an ‘as low as possible’ approach.” ACWA staff also emphasized creating a framework that supports flexible solutions to implement locally appropriate water use efficiency programs that empower water suppliers to achieve their water use objectives and avoid burdensome requirements. “ACWA is working hard to be solution focused,” said ACWA Regulatory Relations Manager Chelsea Haines. “How do we better align (the regulation) with the local and regional successes that are already occurring rather than causing duplication or re-creating the wheel?…We welcome different partners at the table and we really want to continue to be able to engage with State Water Board staff and the board.” Agencies also highlighted their local success in advancing water use efficiency and shared specific concerns with anticipated cost impacts, additional challenges and unintended impacts including shade trees and disadvantaged communities. ACWA, its member agencies and coalition partners have been highly engaged on the state’s pre-rulemaking efforts to inform the Making Conservation a California Way of Life Regulation. ACWA will continue to advocate on behalf of its members for a framework that is reasonable, builds on local and regional successes and does not impair water agencies’ ability to make long-term investments for climate resilience. The State Water Board is accepting written comments on the draft regulation through Oct. 17 and ACWA recently distributed an Alert urging members to join ACWA’s coalition letter or submit separate comments by the deadline. The Alert, with instructions for joining ACWA’s coalition letter, is available to members online. For questions about the draft regulation, please contact ACWA Regulatory Relations Manager Chelsea Haines.
