October 2021

In 2020, the amount of water recycled in California under the state’s Title 22 regulations grew 6 percent over the previous year to reach 728,000 acre-feet per year, according to new numbers released by the State Water Resources Control Board. Combined with recycled water used for environmental protection, which is not considered a Title 22 use, the state now exceeds 1 million acre-feet (MAF) of water recycling annually. 

Last week, the Water Board released its annual volumetric survey results for 2020, which included Title 22 uses, wastewater discharge, and influent totals. Ninety-four percent of recycled water and wastewater agencies responded to the survey. WateReuse California (WRCA) testified that the potable reuse totals are expected to more than double in the next few years as major projects have begun construction and direct potable reuse regulations are in draft form. WRCA also asked that the Water Board include the “instream flow” and “natural systems” recycled water uses in its statewide totals as this will give the public a more complete understanding of the benefits of recycled water to California.

Title 22 regulations are for the purpose of protecting human health and do not include use categories for environmental protection. 

Agricultural Reuse Increases in California

The 2020 Water Board survey showed a 52,000 acre-ft increase in agricultural reuse in California from 2019. It is unclear whether this is a true increase or more accurate reporting as agencies become more familiar with the reporting requirements in the Water Board’s annual volumetric survey. Prior to 2019, the survey included a wider array of agricultural reuse projects, including those that did not meet all the Title 22 requirements. 

The WRCA Agricultural Reuse Committee, chaired by Melanie Holmer (Brown and Caldwell) and Rick Staggs (City of Fresno), is currently developing recommendations for streamlining the engineering report requirements for simple agricultural reuse projects. For more information about the committee, please contact Charles LaSalle at CLaSalle@watereuse.org.

Last week Governor Newsom issued a drought emergency proclamation directing all California water agencies to execute their Urban Water Shortage Contingency Plans. The proclamation also stated that the Water Board may in the future issue prohibitions against wasteful water practices. The prohibitions in the proclamation exclude non-potable recycled water except for the potential prohibition of watering turf or landscape 48 hours after rainfall. Read more.

On October 25, WateReuse CA participated in a Department of Water Resources (DWR) meeting on implementing the Water Use Efficiency (WUE) legislation passed in 2018. DWR plans to present its recommendations to the State Water Resource Control Board sometime in mid-December. These recommendations will cover a wide range of topics, including how the Potable Reuse Credit will be calculated and the Area Landscape Measurement. This has been a multi-year project and is nearing the finish line.