Assembly committee advances SB 31 to allow wider uses of tertiary recycled water

A California State Assembly committee voted to advance SB 31, a bill that would expand permissible uses of tertiary-treated recycled water in California.

Sponsor Senator McInerney introduced the bill and said it is a “small step” toward addressing projected shortages, citing a projection of about 10% less water supply within the next decade. “SB 31 is about using, expanding use of recycled water…we wanna make more use of it,” McInerney said.

Beth Olaso, testifying on behalf of Water East California, said SB 31 would make targeted changes to Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, which governs tertiary treated recycled water. Olaso summarized the principal changes: allow tertiary (nonpotable) recycled water for toilet and urinal flushing in food handling or processing facilities limited to bathroom fixtures; permit outdoor irrigation in some food-processing contexts provided watering does not occur while food is being handled outdoors; allow irrigation of decorative landscaping, golf courses and homeowners association common areas without requiring property-wide dual plumbing; allow use in decorative lakes and ponds; and clarify when conveyance-line breaks are classified as raw sewage versus recycled water.

Olaso said the bill also would require recycled-water irrigation in parks to comply with watering rules so that spray irrigation would not occur while people were using picnic tables or otherwise reasonably in the park. She said the measure seeks to reduce public confusion and regulatory penalties when a break in recycled-water conveyance occurs after treatment but before end use.

Dozens of water agencies and allied organizations spoke in support during the hearing. Representatives included Kasia Hunt (Nossaman) for Padre Municipal Water District and Santa Clara Valley Water, Alfredo Redondo for Irvine Ranch Water District, Melissa Sparks Kranz for the League of California Cities, Rosanna Elliott for the California Groundwater Coalition, Elizabeth Franco for Contra Costa Water District, Kylie Wright for the Association of California Water Agencies, and others representing East Bay Municipal Utility District, Metropolitan Water District, Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency and multiple municipal water districts. Jamie Minor listed support from Eastern Municipal Water District, Santa Margarita Water District and West Basin Municipal Water District.

McInerney told the committee the bill had no opposition and bipartisan support and said sponsors would be open to technical modifications. “There’s no opposition, at all. There’s plenty of support. And, if there’s any need to make modifications, we'll be open to that,” McInerney said.

The committee voted to pass SB 31 to the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. The clerk recorded ayes from members present during roll call. The committee chair said the roll would be left open briefly to allow additional members to register votes.

Why it matters: SB 31 seeks to expand permitted uses of recycled water to increase drought resilience and reduce reliance on imported water by allowing tertiary-treated, nonpotable water in more applications while preserving restrictions designed to limit human exposure and cross-connection risks.

The measure will now proceed to the next committee for further consideration.