The Legislature hereby makes the following findings and declarations:
(a)
The State of California is subject to periodic drought conditions.
(b)
The development of traditional water resources in California has not kept pace with the state’s population, which is growing at the rate of over 700,000 per year and which is anticipated to reach 36,000,000 by the year 2010.
(c)
There is a need for a reliable source of water for uses not related to the supply of potable water to protect investments in agriculture, greenbelts, and recreation and to replenish groundwater basins, and
protect and enhance fisheries, wildlife habitat, and riparian areas.
(d)
The environmental benefits of recycled water include a reduced demand for water in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that is otherwise needed to maintain water quality, reduced discharge of waste into the ocean, and the enhancement of groundwater basins, recreation, fisheries, and wetlands.
(e)
The use of recycled water has proven to be safe from a public health standpoint, and the State Department of Public Health is updating regulations for the use of recycled water.
(f)
The use of recycled water is a cost-effective, reliable method of helping to meet California’s water supply needs.
(g)
The development of the infrastructure to distribute recycled water will provide jobs and
enhance the economy of the state.
(h)
Retail water suppliers and recycled water producers and wholesalers should promote the substitution of recycled water for potable water and imported water in order to maximize the appropriate cost-effective use of recycled water in California.
(i)
Recycled water producers, retail water suppliers, and entities responsible for groundwater replenishment should cooperate in joint technical, economic, and environmental studies, as appropriate, to determine the feasibility of providing recycled water service.
(j)
Retail water suppliers and recycled water producers and wholesalers should be encouraged to enter into contracts to facilitate the service of recycled and potable water by the retail water suppliers in their service areas in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.
(k)
Recycled water producers and wholesalers and entities responsible for groundwater replenishment should be encouraged to enter into contracts to facilitate the use of recycled water for groundwater replenishment if recycled water is available and the authorities having jurisdiction approve its use.
(l)
Wholesale prices set by recycled water producers and recycled water wholesalers, and rates that retail water suppliers are authorized to charge for recycled water, should reflect an equitable sharing of the costs and benefits associated with the development and use of recycled water.