In 2020 a California law imposes some real restrictions on your residential indoor water use





SACRAMENTO (KUSI) – The 2018 law will make it tougher to shower and do laundry on the same day due to restrictions that limit water use. The law signed by Governor Jerry Brown will limit use now to 55 gallons a day. And by 2025, it drops to 52.5 gallons.

This law may have made good sense to some in a drought year, but at least for the beginning of 2020, snow levels and water in reservoirs are not near any drought levels.

Gov. Brown signing AB 1668 sponsored by Assemblywoman Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) and SB 606 sponsored by Senator Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), will implement strict water use limits by January 1, 2020; long-term water use efficiency standards by June 30, 2022; and manage their assigned water rationing goals beginning in 2027.

AB 1668 impacts every person in California. This bill puts a limit on Californians indoor water usage that decreases more and more over the next 12 years.

The wording SB 606 of establishes a “governing body” to oversee all water suppliers, both private and public and will require extensive paperwork from those utility companies.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, Governor Brown commented on the law saying, “In preparation for the next drought and our changing environment, we must use our precious resources wisely. We have efficiency goals for energy and cars – and now we have them for water.”

The three main factors used in the new law are, “an allowance of 55 gallons per person per day for indoor water use – dropping to 50 gallons by 2030; a yet-to-be determined amount for residential outdoor use that will vary depending on regional climates; and a standard for water loss due to leak rates in water system pipes.”

The Organic Prepper, analyzed Governor Brown’s new legislation and compared it to common everyday activities such as showering, doing laundry, and washing dishes.

Here is what they came up with:

Now, if you’re wondering where I get my assertion that you can’t shower and do laundry on the same day, here’s some math: An 8-minute shower uses about 17 gallons of water

A load of laundry uses about 40 gallons of water

A bathtub holds 80 to 100 gallons of water

A dishwasher uses 6 gallons of water There are also standards to be established for outdoor use such as landscaping, caring for livestock, and gardening, but those numbers don’t seem to be available at this time. Maybe Californians just get to wait in suspense to see if their chickens are allowed to have water on the same day as their vegetables.

If your daily water use exceeds the 55 gallon limit, there will be a fine for each violation day. The bill states:

(1) If the violation occurs in a critically dry year immediately preceded by two or more consecutive below normal, dry, or critically dry years or during a period for which the Governor has issued a proclamation of a state of emergency under the California Emergency Services Act (Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 8550) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code) based on drought conditions, ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each day in which the violation occurs.

(2) For all violations other than those described in paragraph (1), one thousand dollars ($1,000) for each day in which the violation occurs.

We want to hear Your Voice. What do you think of the new law and will it change your routine at home? Let us know what you think on the KUSI News Facebook post here.

We want to hear #YourVoiceGov. Jerry Brown has signed a new bill into law that will limit Californians daily water… Posted by KUSI News on Wednesday, June 6, 2018