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 conversions, monitoring and permitting and produce a report to guide potential further deployment. Pete Montgomery of Renewal Energy, the bill sponsor, said the measure creates a limited pilot and reporting structure to evaluate safety and emissions monitoring.

Lawmakers also advanced SB 360 (Sen. Xochitl Rubio), a district‑specific bill clarifying uses of Proposition 70 funds for Prado Regional Park in San Bernardino County; SB 697 (Sen. Bill Laird), which would modernize stream system adjudication by allowing some remote/real‑time data in lieu of in‑person field investigations; and SB 369 (Sen. Alex Padilla), which would require use of a local skilled and trained workforce on Salton Sea restoration projects. Supporters of SB 369, including labor representatives, said statutory workforce standards would protect workers, ensure safety where hazardous materials are present, and create local apprenticeship opportunities.

Committee business: the committee adopted its rules for the 2025–26 session and approved a three‑item consent calendar (SB 55, SB 234 and SB 609) after removing one consent item (SB 360 earlier in the hearing) due to a late opposition letter.

Votes at a glance: SB 224 (Hurtado) — Water forecasting, DWR accountability: Motion to “do pass as amended” to Appropriations; moved and closed by the author. Committee report: due pass as amended to Appropriations. Roll call recorded as ayes from the members present; outcome advanced. (Recorded committee roll calls show the measure advanced; committee recorded the motion as passed.)

SB 31 (McNerney) — Recycled water: Motion to “do pass as amended” to Environmental Quality; author accepted technical amendments. Multiple water agencies and groups testified in support. Outcome: passed as amended and referred to Environmental Quality.

SB 567 (Limón) — Pilot program for gravity‑based energy storage in idle/orphan wells: Motion to “do pass as amended” to Environmental Quality; sponsors said the pilot will include permitting, testing and reporting. Outcome: passed as amended and referred to Environmental Quality.

SB 360 (Rubio) — Prop 70/Prado Regional Park clarification (San Bernardino County): Motion to “do pass” to Appropriations; sponsor said the bill clarifies allowable uses of proceeds from earlier land sales and allows amending a previously submitted land plan. Outcome: passed and referred to Appropriations.

SB 697 (Laird) — Stream system adjudication modernization (Water Code): Motion to “do pass” to Judiciary; the bill allows use of modern real‑time and enriched data to inform investigations rather than requiring in‑person field work in every instance. Outcome: passed and referred to Judiciary.

SB 369 (Padilla) — Salton Sea workforce: Motion to “do pass” to Governmental Organization; the bill would statutorily require a local skilled and trained workforce on Salton Sea restoration projects and codify standards the state currently applies administratively. Outcome: passed and referred to Governmental Organization.

Consent calendar (file items 2, 3 and 7: SB 55, SB 234, SB 609): adopted and moved forward as consent items after removal of SB 360 from consent earlier in the hearing.

What this means: The committee’s actions keep a set of water‑and‑land bills moving through the legislative process this session. SB 224 is designed to create statutory accountability and improved forecasting at DWR after cited modeling problems; SB 31 and related measures aim to broaden opportunities for recycled‑water use and to test novel energy storage approaches while SB 369 attempts to lock in workforce standards for Salton Sea projects so work is performed by trained crews and benefits local communities.

Notable quotes and positions: • Sen. Anna Caballero Hurtado on SB 224: “When public agencies fail to deliver accurate data and transparent practices, it erodes public trust.” • Sen. Jerry McNerney on SB 31: “This is common sense. We want to increase use of recycled water.” • Pete Montgomery (Renewal Energy) on SB 567: the pilot will “create a pathway” to evaluate safety, emissions monitoring and whether conversions can provide flexible energy storage.

Next steps: Each bill advanced to the committee named by the committee (Environmental Quality, Appropriations, Judiciary or Governmental Organization) where further hearings and fiscal analysis will occur. Several measures were described by authors as pilots or near‑term statutory fixes; sponsors and supporters said they expect implementation and monitoring requirements to shape any broader rollout.

(Reporter note: the committee adopted its rules for the 2025–26 session at the start of the hearing and held votes by roll call on the items above.)