Legislation

Californians will be expected to do more with less, again. This time with water. Last week Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 1157 (Hertzberg) which lowers indoor water use standards to 47 gallons starting in 2025 and 42 gallons in 2030. “Climate change is resulting in less available water and more …

On Tuesday Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) introduced S.4231, the Support to Rehydrate the Environment, Agriculture and Municipalities Act or STREAM Act, a bill they claim would increase water supply and modernize water infrastructure in California and throughout the West. “As the past two years have …

Senators Jim Nielsen (R-Red Bluff) and Andreas Borgeas (R-Fresno) introduced Senate Bill 890 to ensure millions of acre-feet of water is stored during wet years instead of being flushed out to sea. “In 2014, California voters approved funding to build large, aboveground water storage,” said Senator Nielsen. “Because of bureaucratic …

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of the Army (the agencies) last week announced a proposed rule to re-establish the pre-2015 definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). The agencies say the action will establish a durable definition of WOTUS that protects public health, the environment, …

U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) has announced nearly $20 million in federal funding across several appropriations bills for California water infrastructure projects, ocean research, and ecological restoration programs. “As California faces the stressors of the climate crisis, it’s critical that we invest in the restoration of degraded ecosystems and modernize …

Water and wastewater agencies will now have more financial stability thanks to Governor Newsom signing Senate Bill 323 (Caballero) this week. The new law requires any lawsuits challenging fees or charges for water or sewer service to be filed within 120 days of the effective date. Water and sewer agencies …