California recycled water rules to be loosened under new state Senate bill

The drought may have ended in 2017, but now, even when it's raining, California's water supply has remained a topic of debate. And while there have been calls for more water storage, some believe the problem could be solved if we stopped viewing water as a single-use product.

Much of Northern and Central California's freshwater flows toward the Delta. But with so much being siphoned off by so many different interests, it's become a huge battleground in state Sen. Jerry McNerney's district.

"We're right in the middle of water controversy," he said. "Basically, what I want to do is make sure that water is available through recycling, through storage, through a little bit of de-salt, so we don't have to fight so much over the water that's in the Delta."

On Tuesday, McNerney introduced SB 31 to ease some regulations on the use of recycled water. The treated wastewater can already be legally used to irrigate most landscaping and lawns. But if, for example, a golf course or park uses it to fill a lake and it should leak or heavy rains cause it to overflow, large fines could be levied as if it were a toxic spill. SB 31 would correct that.

"They'll be more likely to want to use it because they'll be facing less liability for spills or other incidents where water gets out," said McNerney.

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