CA Legislature Greenlights McNerney’s Bill to Help Drought-Proof CA

The California Legislature has unanimously approved Senator Jerry McNerney’s SB 31, legislation that is designed to help drought-proof California by boosting the use of recycled water. SB 31 would also enhance the state’s fresh water supply by allowing businesses, homes, and agencies to expand their use of recycled water for irrigation and other uses, rather than relying on drinking water.

“Expanding the use of recycled water is exactly the type of commonsense proposal that will help solve our state’s water issues,” said Sen. McNerney, D-Pleasanton. “SB 31 is a pragmatic approach that will enhance our supplies of fresh water by expanding the use of recycled water for irrigation and commercial uses. It will also help protect the state during devastating droughts caused by climate change.”

The state Senate unanimously approved SB 31 today after the Assembly gave the unanimous greenlight on Wednesday. The bill now goes to the governor’s desk for consideration.

Water recycling, also known as water reuse or reclaimed water, is wastewater that has been treated to make it safe for instances where using potable (drinking) is unnecessary. It is commonly used in irrigation, groundwater recharge, and more.

Governor Gavin Newsom’s Water Supply Strategy identifies water recycling as a key tool for drought-proofing communities. California currently uses more than 700,000 acre feet of recycled water a year. That saves the state roughly the equivalent of enough drinking water for 1.4 million households.

To meet the goal of recycling 1.8 million acre-feet per year by 2040, recycled water use in California needs to expand. SB 31 would boost the state’s ability to meet its goal by:

• Enabling parks to expand their use of recycled water.
• Ensuring that using recycled water use in decorative bodies of water, such as a lake at a golf course, isn’t deterred by overly burdensome regulations.
• Making sure that homeowners’ associations won’t have to install expensive and cumbersome new plumbing systems to use recycled water.
• Allowing food handling and processing facilities to use recycled water for toilet or urinal flushing or outdoor irrigation as long as the recycled water doesn’t enter a room where food handling or processing occurs.

Sen. Jerry McNerney is chair of the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee and his 5th Senate District includes all of San Joaquin County and Alameda County’s Tri-Valley.