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Board of Water Supply says proposed parcel-level water-availability mapping is infeasible; committee still advances bill
Summary
Board of Water Supply testified that parcel-level water-availability assessments called for in SP2398 would take decades to complete (an engineer estimate of ~73.4 years); the committee nevertheless passed the bill out as HD1 to continue the discussion and explore alternatives such as zone-based or simplified mapping.
The Board of Water Supply told the House Committee on Water and Land that a statutory requirement in SP2398 to produce parcel-level residential water-availability maps would be effectively impossible to implement under current staffing and processes.
Ernie from the Board summarized that the board supports transparency and predictability in permitting but that the bill as drafted would create an “unreasonable burden” requiring substantial staff time. Engineer Joyce Lay provided a quantitative estimate based on 145,000 residential parcels and an assumed one hour per parcel for multi-scenario assessments: “it's gonna take about 73.4 years to just do all of that,” she said, arguing the requirement and an annual update mandate are infeasible.
Lawmakers explored alternatives, including zone-level indicators (green/yellow/red), caveated by the board as dependent on proposed development type and site-specific engineering factors such as elevation and pipe sizes. Board representatives suggested improving the existing web-based inquiry process and making it easier for customers to submit the basic information needed to receive individualized assessments.
Despite the strong feasibility concerns, the committee passed SP2398 out as HD1 to allow continued conversation; several members recorded no votes or reservations citing the impracticality of parcel-level mapping as drafted. The committee asked the Board of Water Supply to provide options for lower-burden approaches that retain consumer value, such as zone-based guidance, simplified availability ratings, or enhanced online inquiry tools.
Next steps: the committee advanced the bill with the intent to return with technical fixes or targeted island/zone exemptions; agencies were asked to propose implementable alternatives.
