Public Review Draft Report to the Legislature on the Results of Indoor Residential Water Use Studies
The Department of Water Resources (Department) has released a Public Review Draft Report to the Legislature on the Results of Indoor Residential Water Use Studies (Draft Report) and will hold a public meeting, in coordination with the Water Board, on May 21 to receive feedback and address questions related to the study findings and joint recommendations. The public meeting agenda will be posted to the public website and sent via the listserv soon. If needed, additional public meetings may be scheduled prior to the deadline for submitting public comments.
Assembly Bill 1668 (Friedman) contains specific requirements for developing and adopting water use efficiency standards. Water Code Section 10609.4 directs the Department as follows:
The department, in coordination with the board, shall conduct necessary studies and investigations and may jointly recommend to the Legislature a standard for indoor residential water use that more appropriately reflects best practices for indoor residential water use than the standard described in subdivision 10609.4 (a)(1).
The Department, in coordination with the Water Board, initiated the studies and established a stakeholder engagement process. The Water Use Studies Working Group was formed by the Department in July 2019 and includes water suppliers, non-governmental organizations, and State and local agency representatives. Three meetings were held with this 33-member Working Group to present and solicit stakeholder feedback on the study approach, study results, and joint recommendations. Stakeholder meetings were open to the public with attendance typically over 180 participants. Additional public outreach and engagement was accomplished through meetings requested by individual stakeholders. The indoor residential water use study team also received feedback from the 18 suppliers that participated in the study and were selected to provide data and collaborate with the Department on the study.
The Draft Report includes study methodologies, data used, analysis of the results, and recommended indoor residential water use efficiency standards. The recommended standards will only become effective if approved by the legislature and enacted into law.
The Draft Report is subject to public review for 25 calendar days, beginning on May 11, 2021 and ending on June 4, 2021 at 5pm. Following the review and consideration of public comments, DWR will submit the final report to the Legislature and will release the final report to the public by posting it to the WUE website.
Please submit comments to WUEStandards@water.ca.gov. Electronic files should be Microsoft Word compatible or PDF (preferred). Please use the Subject: IRWUS Report Comment Letter.
Lastly, please email wue@water.ca.gov if you would like to request access to the Draft Report Appendices or if you have any questions regarding this specific meeting.