State Sen. Robert Hertzberg, D-Los Angeles, speaks in support of his bill to lower the standard for residential indoor water use, during the Senate session at the Capitol in Sacramento, Thursday, April 21. The Senate approved the measure to lower residential water use to 42 gallons per person per day from the current standard of 55 gallons per day. The bill now heads to the state Assembly. AP photo/Rich Pedroncelli photo
Adam BeamThe Associated PressMired in an extreme drought, California lawmakers Thursday, April 21, took the first step toward lowering the standard for how much water people use in their homes – a move that won’t be enforced on individual customers but could lead to higher rates even as consumption declines.California’s current standard for residential indoor water use is 55 gallons per person per day. The rule doesn’t apply to customers, meaning regulators don’t write tickets to people for using more water than they are allowed. Instead, the state requires water agencies to meet that standard across all of its customers.Last year, a study by state regulators found the median indoor residential water use in California was 48 gallons per person per day, or well bel
