The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office has delivered a harsh review of the State Water Resources Control Board’s proposal for limiting urban water use.
The analysts describe the regulation as unnecessarily complex, difficult to achieve and significantly expensive, with a timeline that is too aggressive.
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It is also unclear whether the benefits will outweigh the costs. The board estimated a net benefit of $2.5 billion, while an outside consultant put the total cost at $7.4 billion. That expense would be passed down to customers in the form of higher rates, likely hitting low-income communities hardest.
At best, the regulation would conserve just 1% of the total water use. LAO urges lawmakers to return to the 2018 legislation and simplify the framework, ease some requirements, extend deadlines and target state grants to low-income customers.
