Opinion: For water conservation, lawmakers should okay ‘decoupling’
We urge the legislature to pass and Gov. Newsom to sign SB 1469 which offers water providers a powerful tool to help encourage customers to save water and fight the drought. … SB 1469 makes permanent a program called decoupling which sounds technical but is really a very simple concept to conserve water. … Decoupling changes the water utility business model from selling to conserving water by severing the link between water sales and everyday system operations. It eliminates an incentive for water providers to sell more water. SB 1469 will … establish progressive, equitable water rates so those who use more water pay more, and those who use less will pay less.
-Written by Roberto Barragan, executive director of the California Community Economic Development Association, which advocates for community revitalization in diverse urban and rural neighborhoods.