Urban water use targets: indoor residential water use: standards: studies and investigations: reports.

(1) Existing law requires the state to achieve a 20% reduction in urban per capita water use in California by December 31, 2020. Existing law requires each urban retail water supplier to develop urban water use targets and an interim urban water use target, as specified, and states the intent of the Legislature that the urban water use targets cumulatively result in a 20% reduction from the baseline daily per capita water use by December 31, 2020. Existing law requires an urban retail water supplier to adopt one of specified methods for determining its urban water use target, including estimating the per capita daily water use using the sum of 55 gallons per capita daily for indoor residential water use and a specified water efficiency standard for landscape irrigation use. This bill would revise that method of estimating the per capita daily water use to require an urban retail water supplier to use, instead of 55 gallons per capita daily for indoor residential water use, a standard that complies with the urban retail water supplier's own criteria for indoor residential water use. (2) Existing law requires the State Water Resources Control Board, in coordination with the Department of Water Resources, to adopt, on or before June 30, 2022, long-term standards for the efficient use of water to achieve the state's water use reduction goals, as prescribed. Existing law provides that until January 1, 2025, the standard for indoor residential water use shall be 55 gallons per capita daily, and that beginning January 1, 2025, and until January 1, 2030, the standard shall be the greater of 52.5 gallons per capita daily or a standard for indoor residential water use that more appropriately reflects best practices, which is jointly recommended by the department and board based on studies and investigations by the department, as prescribed. Existing law requires a report to the Legislature by January 1, 2021, on the results of the studies and investigations with information necessary to support the standard recommended by the department and board, if there is one. Existing law provides that, beginning January 1, 2030, the standard for indoor residential water use shall be the greater of 50 gallons per capita daily or a standard the department and the board have jointly recommended to the Legislature. This bill would eliminate the prescribed per capita use standards for indoor residential water use during the specified time periods, but would still require the department and board to conduct studies and investigations and provide a recommendation and a report to the Legislature regarding a standard for indoor residential water use that more appropriately reflects best practices for indoor residential water use. The bill would require the department and board, when making their recommendation, to allow individual urban water suppliers the flexibility to consider existing local hydrologic conditions on an annual basis. The bill would extend the date the report is due to January 1, 2022.