SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) reported that Assembly Bill 2734, which would have made changes to the 1991 Water Conservation in Landscaping Act, did not make this year’s deadline to be heard by the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Assembly member Fran Pavely (D-Agoura Hills) intends to introduce a fresh bill next year.
Besides requiring water conservation devices for transferred real estate in the state, the bill would have raised water efficiency standards for landscapes covered by the Water Conservation in Landscaping Act. Certain provisions of the bill were intended to encourage installation of dedicated water meters for landscape irrigation as well as encourage greater use of reclaimed water. CLCA came out in support of the bill, but expressed reservations with a section that would have changed the evapotranspiration adjustment factor for non-reclaimed water on new commercial landscapes.
On May 10, the CLCA and other green industry representatives met to develop a unified position on the bill. CLCA President Jay Tripathi said he believes they reached a reasonable solution to the state’s growing water shortage problem. However, the bill will have to take another form next year, when Pavley is expected to keep the landscape water conservation proposal separate from the various other water conservation proposals related to the defunct AB 2734.