Section 10004.6.

(a) As part of updating The California Water Plan every five years pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 10004, the department shall conduct a study to determine the amount of water needed to meet the state's future needs and to recommend programs, policies, and facilities to meet those needs.

(b) The department shall consult with the advisory committee established pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 10004 in carrying out this section.

(c) On or before January 1, 2002, and one year prior to issuing each successive update to The California Water Plan, the department shall release a preliminary draft of the assumptions and other estimates upon which the study will be based, to interested persons and entities throughout the state for their review and comments. The department shall provide these persons and entities an opportunity to present written or oral comments on the preliminary draft. The department shall consider these documents when adopting the final assumptions and estimates for the study. For the purpose of carrying out this subdivision, the department shall release, at a minimum, assumptions and other estimates relating to all of the following:

(1) Basin hydrology, including annual rainfall, estimated unimpaired streamflow, depletions, and consumptive uses.

(2) Groundwater supplies, including estimates of sustainable yield, supplies necessary to recover overdraft basins, and supplies lost due to pollution and other groundwater contaminants.

(3) Current and projected land use patterns, including the mix of residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and undeveloped lands.

(4) Environmental water needs, including regulatory instream flow requirements, nonregulated instream uses, and water needs by wetlands, preserves, refuges, and other managed and unmanaged natural resource lands.

(5) Current and projected population.

(6) Current and projected water use for all of the following:

(A) Interior uses in a single-family dwelling.

(B) Exterior uses in a single-family dwelling.

(C) All uses in a multifamily dwelling.

(D) Commercial uses.

(E) Industrial uses.

(F) Parks and open spaces.

(G) Agricultural water diversion and use.

(7) Evapotranspiration rates for major crop types, including estimates of evaporative losses by irrigation practice and the extent to which evaporation reduces transpiration.

(8) Current and projected adoption of urban and agricultural conservation practices.

(9) Current and projected supplies of water provided by water recycling and reuse.

(d) The department shall include a discussion of the potential for alternative water pricing policies to change current and projected water uses identified pursuant to paragraph (6) of subdivision (c).

(e) Nothing in this section requires or prohibits the department from updating any data necessary to update The California Water Plan pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 10004.

(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 675, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 2008.)