Water supply planning: housing developments.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide information on potential additional costs or how existing housing projects will be affected.

Water Supply Planning for Housing Developments

The bill requires cities and counties to identify public water systems early in the housing development process and request assessments of water supply adequacy within a shorter timeframe.

What This Bill Does

• Requires cities and counties to identify public water systems when they receive an application for a housing project that meets certain conditions.
• Requests identified water systems to determine if the proposed project's water demand is included in their most recent urban water management plan, within 15 days of receiving the application.
• Shortens the time frame for submitting water supply assessments from 90 days to 45 days for specific housing projects.
• Allows cities and counties to seek legal action if a public water system does not submit the required assessment on time.

Who It Names or Affects

• Cities and counties applying for housing development projects
• Public water systems that supply water to proposed housing developments

Terms To Know

Urban Water Management Plan

A plan created by public water systems that outlines how they will manage their water resources.

Water Supply Assessment

An evaluation of whether a proposed project's water needs can be met by the available water supply.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if a public water system fails to submit an assessment on time.
• It is unclear how this will affect existing housing development projects that are already in progress.

Official Summary Text

SB 1085, as amended, Durazo.
Water supply planning: housing developments.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to be responsible for determining whether a project is exempt from CEQA and whether an environmental impact report, a negative declaration, or a mitigated negative declaration is required. Existing law requires a city or county that determines a certain type of project is subject to the requirements of CEQA to identify any public water system that may supply water for the project and to request those public water systems to prepare a specified water supply assessment, as provided.
This
bill
bill, among other things,
would instead require a city or county, upon receipt of a
preliminary application for a housing development project that meets certain conditions, or upon
deeming
a development application for certain projects
complete,
being determined as complete or deemed complete,
to make that identification of public water systems. The bill would require a city or county, within 15 days of receiving an application that meets either of the above-mentioned criteria, to request each identified public water system to determine whether the projected water demand associated with the proposed project was included in the most recently adopted urban water management plan. By imposing additional duties on a city or county, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
Existing law requires the governing body of each identified public water system to submit the requested water supply assessment not later than 90 days from the date that the request was received. Existing law requires that the assessment be approved at a regular or special meeting, as provided.
This bill would require, for certain housing development projects, a public water system to submit the requested water supply assessment to the city or county no later than 45 days from the date that the request was received. The bill would provide that those water supply assessments do not need to be approved at a public meeting. The bill would also authorize a city or county to seek a writ of mandamus to compel a public water system that fails to submit the water supply assessment to comply with the requirements relating to the submission of the water supply assessment.
The
California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF