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Environmental Management Department recommending the Board designate the El Dorado Water Agency (EDWA) Water Resources Development and Management Plan’s Plenary/Advisory Group to serve as the Alternative Process to formulating a Drought Task Force as required by Senate Bill 552.
FUNDING: EDWA.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
Senate Bill (SB) 552, Drought planning: small water suppliers: nontransient noncommunity water systems, which was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 23, 2021, has new drought planning requirements affecting the approximately 130 small water suppliers throughout El Dorado County (County). SB 552 is the result of implementing SB 606 and Assembly Bill 1668, Water Management Planning, of 2018, which are jointly designed to overhaul California’s approach to conserving water by improving statewide water conservation and drought planning. Together, these bills require the State Water Resources Control Board, in coordination with the Department of Water Resources, to establish long-term urban water use efficiency standards by June 30, 2022. Those standards will include components for indoor residential use, outdoor residential use, water losses and other uses. Additionally, the bills require local water suppliers to calculate water use objectives and report actual water uses.
SB 552 recognizes that small water suppliers are currently not covered by established water shortage requirements.
SB 552, which added a new Section 10609.70 to the Water Code, requires the County to establish a standing drought and water shortage task force (Task Force) to facilitate drought and water shortage preparedness for small water systems and domestic wells within the county's jurisdiction. In lieu of the Task Force, SB552 allows the County to establish an Alternative Process to the Task Force. The alternative process is required to facilitate drought and water shortage preparedness, and provide opportunities for coordinating and commun...
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