A person or public agency, including a state agency, city, county, city and county, district, or any other political subdivision of the state, shall not use water from any source of quality suitable for potable domestic use for nonpotable uses, including cemeteries, golf courses, parks, highway landscaped areas, and industrial and irrigation uses if suitable recycled water is available as provided in Section 13550; however, any use of recycled water in lieu of water suitable for potable domestic use shall, to the extent of the recycled water so used, be deemed to constitute a reasonable beneficial use of that water and the use of recycled water shall not cause any loss or diminution of any existing water right.

(Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 28, Sec. 40. Effective January 1, 1996.)

Terms Used In California Water Code 13551

  • County: includes city and county. See California Water Code 14
  • Person: includes any city, county, district, the state, and the United States, to the extent authorized by federal law. See California Water Code 13050
  • Recycled water: means water which, as a result of treatment of waste, is suitable for a direct beneficial use or a controlled use that would not otherwise occur and is therefor considered a valuable resource. See California Water Code 13050
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Water Code 18
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