CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2947

Introduced by Assembly Member Lackey

February 16, 2024

An act to add Article 5 (commencing with Section 320) to Chapter 2.5 of Division 1 of the Water Code, relating to water.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2947, as introduced, Lackey. Water: turfgrass conversion.
Existing law establishes the Department of Water Resources within the Natural Resources Agency and prescribes the powers and responsibilities of the department. The Water Conservation in Landscaping Act provides for a model water efficient landscape ordinance that is adopted and updated at least every 3 years by the department, unless the department makes a specified finding.
This bill would prohibit the department, when it allocates funding for turf replacement programs, from excluding urban water suppliers’ turfgrass conversion rebate programs if the rebate program requires the recipient of a rebate to achieve a net water savings and to use the most efficient turfgrass irrigation equipment, as provided. The bill would require an urban water supplier that offers a turfgrass conversion rebate program to report annually to the department on the number of turfgrass conversions that are funded through the program and the estimated water savings from the program.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) On average, California communities use 10 percent of water statewide, agriculture uses 40 percent, and the environment uses 50 percent, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
(b) According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, about one-half of California’s urban water usage is for outdoor uses such as landscaping, pools, and washing cars, and 70 percent of that usage is residential. This means that, of California’s total water use, approximately 3.5 percent is outdoor residential use.
(c) According to the Public Policy Institute of California, total urban water use has plateaued, even though California’s population grew by 5.5 million people from 2000 to 2020.
(d) The State Water Resources Control Board found all of the following in a January 2022 report on the environmental effects of potential urban water use efficiency standards on urban retail water suppliers, wastewater management agencies, and urban landscapes:
(1) Given the diversity of urban forests and urban contexts across California, reduced residential outdoor water use associated with Chapter 15 of the Statutes of 2018 (Assembly Bill 1668 of the 2017–18 Regular Session) and Chapter 14 of the Statutes of 2018 (Senate Bill 606 of the 2017–18 Regular Session) is expected to have varying impacts on urban trees.
(2) If the needs of existing trees are not fully considered in the design of water-wise yards, the process of landscape conversion can physically damage existing tree roots and create sudden changes in irrigation, potentially leading to tree water stress and decline.
(3) Even when drip irrigation is installed with trees’ water needs in mind, it may not supply enough water to alleviate tree water stress under high-temperature conditions in arid climates, which could be a concern in arid southern or inland regions of the state.
(e) The State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission has found the cooling effect of an average size lawn is equal to about nine tons of air conditioning. The average home has an air conditioner with a three- or four-ton capacity.
(f) One 50-foot-by-50-foot patch of turfgrass produces enough oxygen for a family of four.
(g) An average-sized healthy lawn can capture as much as 300 pounds of carbon per year and one soccer field can offset the carbon produced by a car driving 3,000 miles.
(h) Environmental heating is reduced by turfgrass. On a hot summer day, a well maintained turfgrass area will be at least 30 degrees cooler than asphalt and 14 degrees cooler than bare soil.
(i) Climate appropriate turfgrass species, such as warm season turfgrasses, require 20 percent less water than cool season turfgrasses, according to a University of California study.

SEC. 2.

 Article 5 (commencing with Section 320) is added to Chapter 2.5 of Division 1 of the Water Code, to read:
Article  5. Turfgrass Conversion

320.
 For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:
(a) “Turfgrass conversion” means the transition of existing turfgrass to climate-appropriate turfgrass varieties or ground cover that requires less water than the existing landscape area. Turfgrass conversion does not include conversion to artificial turf.
(b) “Urban water supplier” has the same meaning as defined in Section 10617.

321.
 (a) (1) When the department allocates funding for turf replacement programs from funding appropriated for water conservation purposes, the department shall not exclude turfgrass conversion rebate programs that meet the requirements of paragraph (2).
(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), an urban water supplier’s turfgrass conversion rebate program shall require the recipient of a rebate to achieve a net water savings based on the Plant Factors for Turfgrasses published by the University of California, Davis, California Center for Urban Horticulture. A turfgrass conversion rebate program shall also require the use of the most efficient turfgrass irrigation equipment identified by the model water efficient landscape ordinance adopted by the department pursuant to the Water Conservation in Landscaping Act (Article 10.8 (commencing with Section 65591) of Chapter 3 of Division 1 of Title 7 of the Government Code) at the time a rebate application is submitted to the rebate program.
(b) As part of the next update to the revisions to the publication “Water Use Classification of Landscape Species” after January 1, 2025, the department, in collaboration with the University of California, Davis, California Center for Urban Horticulture, shall update the Plant Factors for Turfgrasses to reflect the latest known water requirements for turfgrass varieties.

322.
 (a) The department may use the saveourwater.com internet website and outreach campaign to provide information and resources on water savings from, and the environmental benefits of, turf conversion.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that information and resources provided pursuant to subdivision (a) emphasize the ecological and health benefits of maintaining appropriate green spaces, efficient watering practices for turfgrass, and the potential negative consequences of complete turfgrass removal if it is not replaced with living landscape.

323.
 (a) An urban water supplier that offers a turfgrass conversion rebate program shall report annually to the department on the number of turfgrass conversions that are funded through the program and the estimated water savings from the program.
(b) The department may audit and review an urban water supplier’s effectiveness pursuant to this article and its adherence to the requirements of this article.