Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee advances bills on water forecasting, recycled water, Salton Sea workforce and energy storage pilots

The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee met March 25 and advanced a package of measures affecting California water policy, energy pilots and regional parks, moving several bills to subsequent policy committees and appropriations.

At the top of the agenda, Sen. Anna Caballero Hurtado (presenting SB 224) pressed for tighter accountability and updated forecasting at the Department of Water Resources after what she described as “catastrophic errors” in 2021 modeling. Hurtado said the bill would require updated forecasting models, annual legislative progress reports and documented water‑management procedures to restore public confidence. “When public agencies fail to deliver accurate data and transparent practices, it erodes public trust,” Hurtado said during her presentation.

The committee also advanced SB 31 (Sen. Jerry McNerney), a bill to ease some limits on nonpotable recycled water uses and update regulatory language in Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations. McNerney said the measure is aimed at increasing recycled‑water use to help offset forecast declines in freshwater supplies; he asked the committee for an aye vote and described the bill as “common sense.” Testimony in support came from Beth Olaso of Water Reuse California and multiple water agencies and associations who said Title 22 has not been meaningfully updated for roughly two decades.

Sen. Monique Limón’s SB 567, a pilot to study using gravity‑based energy storage in idle or orphan oil and gas wells, moved forward after sponsors said the pilot would test…