Policy Principles
Encourage Water Conservation by Implementing Decoupling
- Amidst climate change and more severe droughts, it’s critical we do everything possible to encourage both water suppliers and their customers to practice water conservation.
- A proven way to encourage water conservation is through decoupling.
- Decoupling promotes water conservation. Without decoupling, water suppliers are detached from California’s water conservation goals and have a perverse incentive to sell as much water as possible because their revenue is tied to their sales.
- Customers benefit from decoupling, especially low-income customers and those who use less water.
- In 2022, the California Legislature passed, and Governor Newsom signed SB 1469 to enact decoupling for water providers regulated by the CPUC, but it has not yet been implemented.
ACTION:
Pursuant to the enactment of Senate Bill 1469 (Bradford & Becker) in 2022, Cal Water seeks implementation of decoupling by the CPUC.