SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – The California state Senate has passed legislation that seeks to crack down on people who use too much water during droughts.
Senators approved SB814 in a 23-11 vote on Monday.
Democratic Sen. Jerry Hill of San Mateo, who wrote the bill, says that currently just two water districts fine people who use millions of gallons of excessive water.
His bill would require every water district to create a process for identifying and going after heavy users during drought emergencies. As an alternative, districts could create a system that charges more for using large amounts of water.
Those recently in the public spotlight for using massive amounts of water include a retired oil executive, a venture capitalist and professional athletes.
The bill goes next to the state Assembly.WEB RESOURCES:
Resources:
Senate Bill 814 Fact Sheet:http://sd13.senate.ca.gov/sites/sd13.senate.ca.gov/files/SB814_Hill_ExcessiveWaterUse.pdf
Senate Bill 814 Bill Text:http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB814
Governor Brown’s Executive Order, May 9, 2016https://www.gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=19408