FAQ: Long-Term Conservation Framework

On May 31, 2018 Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law two new bills that will require urban water providers throughout California to set new permanent water use targets for their service areas by 2022. Senate Bill 606 (Hertzberg) and Assembly Bill 1668 (Friedman) provide a framework for setting water use targets, as well as implementing and enforcing the new water use requirements. There are no immediate impacts to customers from these new laws. While many details for implementing the new water use requirements will be determined over the next several years, the overall framework includes:

• A standard for indoor residential water use of 55 gallons per person per day—dropping incrementally to 50 gallons beginning in 2030.
• A standard for outdoor water use (to be determined) based upon and the amount of irrigable landscaped area for a residential or dedicated irrigation commercial account and the community’s climate.
• A standard for water loss due to leaks in water system pipes (to be determined).

These three standards will be calculated and added together to represent an overall water use target (in gallons) for the water provider. Although some local water providers in California base their rates on a water budget for each customer, the new state laws do not contain water use targets for individual residents or businesses.