Assembly committee advances SB 72 to set statewide water-supply targets and update California Water Plan

Senator Caballero presented SB 72 to the Assembly committee, saying the bill would modernize the California Water Plan to reflect the state’s changing climate and establish long-term water-supply targets to help ensure “a drought-proof future.”

The bill would set an interim statewide target of 9,000,000 acre-feet of additional water by 2040 and direct the Department of Water Resources to develop any further long-term targets. “Meaningful revisions to the water plan have not been made for 20 years,” Senator Caballero said, arguing that extreme weather patterns have “profoundly impacted water supply in the state for virtually all beneficial uses.”

Nut graf: Proponents said SB 72 creates planning requirements and a statewide target intended to coordinate investment in projects such as desalination, recycling, groundwater recharge and storage. Opponents warned the target could spur overbuilding and strain in-stream flows; testimony and committee discussion focused on the bill’s scientific basis, how local ecology and fish flows would be protected, and the bill’s role in tying future infrastructure funding to a statewide plan.

Craig Miller, general manager of Western Municipal Water District and then-president of the California Municipal Utilities Association, urged support and described operational risks for water providers. “Three years ago the State Water Project was not doing well…by 2021 we had a zero allocation,” Miller said, adding that his district serves about 1 million people and that 60% of its water comes from the State Water Project. Miller and other municipal managers testified that the bill would set actionable targets and help justify infrastructure investments to capture and store water during wet years.

Paul Helliker, general manager of San Juan Water District, also testified in support, citing “weather whiplash” — rapid swings between drought and heavy precipitation — and arguing SB 72 would set targets and a strategic plan to meet them. Dozens of water agencies, trade associations and local governments registered support during the hearing, including the California Municipal Utilities Association, Association of California Water Agencies, California State Association of Counties and numerous municipal and regional water districts.

Opponents included Dennis O’Connor of the Mono Lake Committee, who said the bill risks “overbuilding or over investing” if the 9,000,000 acre-foot target overstates future demand. O’Connor also cautioned that California’s rivers and streams are largely fully or over-appropriated already and that higher supply targets could make establishing minimum in-stream flows more difficult.

Committee members pressed on the evidence behind the 9,000,000 acre-foot figure and how SB 72 would account for local ecological needs such as fish minimum flows. Senator Caballero said the number came from a state-commissioned study that peer-reviewed multiple earlier estimates and that planners must consider both the quantity and timing of water availability — not just total supply — because fish and other ecological needs depend on when water is delivered.

The committee voted to pass SB 72 to the Appropriations Committee. The motion carried on a roll call in which committee members voiced their support during the item (see actions). The senator closed by reiterating the bill’s planning focus and asking for an aye vote.

Ending: SB 72 now goes to Appropriations, where cost and finance considerations are expected to receive more scrutiny. The bill’s supporters said a validated statewide plan would be central to making future infrastructure bond investments targeted and defensible; opponents said the state must balance new supply planning with protections for existing in-stream uses and ecosystems.