California governor, Jerry Brown, has signed a US$ 687 million drought relief bill that calls on the State Water Resources Control Board and Department of Public Health to devise additional measures to bring on the use of recycled water.
The bill was passed by a bipartisan group of legislators. It included bond funds for emergency construction where reservoirs were approaching depletion and calls for the California Department of Public Health to adopt new groundwater replenishment regulations by July 1 2015. “Legislators across the aisle have now voted to help hard-pressed communities that face water scarcities,” the governor said.
The bill also makes statutory changes to tighten up enforcement of existing water rights laws with increased penalties for illegally diverting water during drought conditions.