Assembly committee advances SB 72, setting 9 million-acre-foot water supply target to plan for climate impacts

SB 72, introduced in committee by Senator Caballero, won committee approval and was sent to the Assembly Appropriations Committee after nearly two hours of testimony and questions. The bill would modernize the California Water Plan, set an interim statewide target of 9,000,000 acre-feet of additional water supply by 2040, and require the Department of Water Resources to develop further long-term targets and planning steps to address climate-driven variability.

The legislation’s author told the committee the goal is to “drought proof” the state. “That’s the key to this water plan — a drought proof future,” Senator Caballero said, describing the California Water Plan as the state’s strategic document for managing water and saying meaningful revisions have not been made in two decades. The bill, she said, reflects research and aims to employ “all of the tools in the toolbox” including desalination, recycling and reuse, groundwater recharge and demand management.

Supporters included water utility managers and regional water agencies who told the committee they face…