Assembly BillFailedWater
AB 514: Water: emergency water supplies.
What AB 514 does, verified February 3, 2026
The state aims to encourage the development of emergency water supplies by local and regional water suppliers. This policy encourages but does not mandate the creation of these supplies. The goal is to support the use of emergency water supplies during droughts, unplanned service disruptions, or other unforeseen circumstances. The state seeks to promote the development of emergency water supplies to ensure a reliable water supply for its citizens.
Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
2In CommitteeCurrent
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. (2026-02-02)Alert me
Author and sponsors
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| Feb. 02, 2026 | From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. |
| Jan. 31, 2026 | Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution. |
| May. 23, 2025 | In committee: Held under submission. |
| May. 14, 2025 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file. |
| May. 05, 2025 | Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
Latest bill textAmended version, May 1, 2025 · 643 words
| Amended IN Assembly May 01, 2025 |
| Amended IN Assembly April 03, 2025 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 514
| Introduced by Assembly Member Petrie-Norris |
February 10, 2025 |
An act to add Section 106.6 to the Water Code, relating to water.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 514, as amended, Petrie-Norris. Water: emergency water supplies.
Existing law, the Urban Water Management Planning Act, requires every public and private urban water supplier that directly or indirectly provides water for municipal purposes to prepare and adopt an urban water management plan. The act requires an urban water management plan to include a water shortage contingency plan, as provided.
This bill would declare that it is the established policy of the state to encourage, but not mandate, the development of emergency water supplies by both local and regional water suppliers, as defined, and to support their use during times of drought or unplanned service or supply disruption, as provided.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following:(a) California has a climate that cycles between periods of large amounts of precipitation and times of drought.
(b) California’s weather cycles are already affecting water resources throughout the state, which in turn negatively impact ecosystems, economies, and communities.
(c) In addition to enhancing water efficiency, California can and should take action to build additional water resilience into its water resource management and planning that accounts for these changes, allowing better adaptation to and mitigation of the impacts of climate change on water supplies and watersheds.
(d) With climate change likely bringing more frequent and intense droughts to California, the state needs to evaluate how sufficient water supplies will be ensured during times of shortage.
(e) Encouraging both locally developed and regionally developed emergency water supplies is one way the state can support sufficient water supplies during times of drought, and the development of emergency water supplies can aid in mitigating the impacts of more frequent droughts and unplanned water service or supply disruptions.
(f) While water suppliers have invested in water reliability and resilience, the number of emergency water supplies developed to date has been limited.
(g) Establishing as state policy a role for both locally developed and regionally developed emergency water supplies can help encourage and incentivize greater investment and development of those supplies across the state.
SEC. 2.
Section 106.6 is added to the Water Code, to read:106.6.
(a) It is hereby declared to be the established policy of this state to encourage, but not mandate, the development of emergency water supplies by both local and regional water suppliers, and to support their use during times of drought or unplanned service or supply disruption.(b) For purposes of this section, both of the following definitions apply:
(1) “Emergency water supplies” means water supplies supplies, to which a water supplier has an established legal right, that a local or regional water supplier has developed and identified in a water shortage contingency plan or drought plan by a local or regional water supplier that have been developed to increase a the water supplier’s water supply reliability during a drought or unplanned service or supply disruption and that are in addition to the baseline water supplies the water supplier draws on during nonshortage times to meet water demands within its service area.
(2) “Water supplier” means a public or privately owned supplier that provides water for municipal or agricultural purposes.
(c) This section does not require a water supplier to add or modify any operation or demand management plan, does not authorize a water supplier to interfere with any water right, contractual right, or statutory obligation related to water exchange, conveyance, or storage, and does not require a water supplier to modify a water shortage contingency or drought plan.
Text of AB 514 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions