Section 10631.5.

(a) (1) Beginning January 1, 2009, the terms of, and eligibility for, a water management grant or loan made to an urban water supplier and awarded or administered by the department, state board, or California Bay-Delta Authority or its successor agency shall be conditioned on the implementation of the water demand management measures described in Section 10631, as determined by the department pursuant to subdivision (b).

(2) For the purposes of this section, water management grants and loans include funding for programs and projects for surface water or groundwater storage, recycling, desalination, water conservation, water supply reliability, and water supply augmentation. This section does not apply to water management projects funded by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).

(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the department shall determine that an urban water supplier is eligible for a water management grant or loan even though the supplier is not implementing all of the water demand management measures described in Section 10631, if the urban water supplier has submitted to the department for approval a schedule, financing plan, and budget, to be included in the grant or loan agreement, for implementation of the water demand management measures. The supplier may request grant or loan funds to implement the water demand management measures to the extent the request is consistent with the eligibility requirements applicable to the water management funds.

(4) (A) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the department shall determine that an urban water supplier is eligible for a water management grant or loan even though the supplier is not implementing all of the water demand management measures described in Section 10631, if an urban water supplier submits to the department for approval documentation demonstrating that a water demand management measure is not locally cost effective. If the department determines that the documentation submitted by the urban water supplier fails to demonstrate that a water demand management measure is not locally cost effective, the department shall notify the urban water supplier and the agency administering the grant or loan program within 120 days that the documentation does not satisfy the requirements for an exemption, and include in that notification a detailed statement to support the determination.

(B) For purposes of this paragraph, "not locally cost effective" means that the present value of the local benefits of implementing a water demand management measure is less than the present value of the local costs of implementing that measure.

(b) (1) The department, in consultation with the state board and the California Bay-Delta Authority or its successor agency, and after soliciting public comment regarding eligibility requirements, shall develop eligibility requirements to implement the requirement of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a). In establishing these eligibility requirements, the department shall do both of the following:

(A) Consider the conservation measures described in the Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Urban Water Conservation in California, and alternative conservation approaches that provide equal or greater water savings.

(B) Recognize the different legal, technical, fiscal, and practical roles and responsibilities of wholesale water suppliers and retail water suppliers.

(2) (A) For the purposes of this section, the department shall determine whether an urban water supplier is implementing all of the water demand management measures described in Section 10631 based on either, or a combination, of the following:

(i) Compliance on an individual basis.

(ii) Compliance on a regional basis. Regional compliance shall require participation in a regional conservation program consisting of two or more urban water suppliers that achieves the level of conservation or water efficiency savings equivalent to the amount of conservation or savings achieved if each of the participating urban water suppliers implemented the water demand management measures. The urban water supplier administering the regional program shall provide participating urban water suppliers and the department with data to demonstrate that the regional program is consistent with this clause. The department shall review the data to determine whether the urban water suppliers in the regional program are meeting the eligibility requirements.

(B) The department may require additional information for any determination pursuant to this section.

(3) The department shall not deny eligibility to an urban water supplier in compliance with the requirements of this section that is participating in a multiagency water project, or an integrated regional water management plan, developed pursuant to Section 75026 of the Public Resources Code, solely on the basis that one or more of the agencies participating in the project or plan is not implementing all of the water demand management measures described in Section 10631.

(c) In establishing guidelines pursuant to the specific funding authorization for any water management grant or loan program subject to this section, the agency administering the grant or loan program shall include in the guidelines the eligibility requirements developed by the department pursuant to subdivision (b).

(d) Upon receipt of a water management grant or loan application by an agency administering a grant and loan program subject to this section, the agency shall request an eligibility determination from the department with respect to the requirements of this section. The department shall respond to the request within 60 days of the request.

(e) The urban water supplier may submit to the department copies of its annual reports and other relevant documents to assist the department in determining whether the urban water supplier is implementing or scheduling the implementation of water demand management activities. In addition, for urban water suppliers that are signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Urban Water Conservation in California and submit biennial reports to the California Urban Water Conservation Council in accordance with the memorandum, the department may use these reports to assist in tracking the implementation of water demand management measures.

(f) This section shall remain in effect only until July 1, 2016, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before July 1, 2016, deletes or extends that date.

(Amended by Stats. 2009, 7th Ex. Sess., Ch. 4, Sec. 2. Effective February 3, 2010. Repealed as of July 1, 2016, by its own provisions.)