AB 1953 (Maienschein) Water Refill Stations

OVERVIEW

Concerned by plastic pollution and climate change impacts, consumers are making the switch to reusable alternatives - about 60 percent of U.S. adults opted for a reusable water bottle in 2020. In public areas, consumers most often only have the option to hydrate using existing public drinking water facilities, such as public water fountains.

AB 1953 will improve water accessibility and support consumer choices by requiring various public areas to install and maintain accessible water bottle refill stations in addition to existing water fountains. Ensuring water refill stations are publicly available not only improves accessibility to drinking water, but also creates lasting infrastructural support for consumers opting for reuse.

THE PROBLEM

According to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, nearly one million Californians lack access to clean water. Additionally, climate change is exacerbating problems with water quality, availability and affordability. Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) reports that during the 2012‒16 drought, at least 2,600 well-dependent households in California faced drinking water shortages, while more than 150 water systems applied for emergency state funding to address supply and quality problems. Additionally, more than 250 water systems serving around 900,000 people in California were out of compliance with drinking water standards in 2020. California faces many challenges in providing clean, safe and affordable drinking water infrastructure to all of its citizens, including homeless, low-income, and minority communities, which can also contribute to plastic water bottle consumption. Public drinking water infrastructure needs improvement to meet consumer needs for clean drinking water, with the added benefit of provided sustainably, and at little to no cost.

Every hour, consumers throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles and less than 30 percent of PET plastic bottles are recycled in the state. Around 60 million plastic bottles end up in landfills every single day, and Americans alone send more than 38 billion water bottles to landfills every year, the equivalent of 912 million gallons of oil. By 2022, the consumption of plastic bottles is set to hit half a trillion every year. This far outweighs recycling efforts and will continue to massively jeopardize our environment. Investing in reuse infrastructure to support reuse systems for reusable water bottles and other refillable containers can prevent pollution and waste. Water bottle refill stations support consumer demand for access to free, potable water when in public spaces

Position: Sponsored by Californians Against Waste
Contact: Nicole Kurian & Alexa Chavez

BILL SUMMARY

AB 1953 will require certain public areas to install and maintain accessible water bottle refill stations. It will also require inaccessible public water refill stations to be upgraded to be accessible by January 1, 2025. AB 1953 addresses the issues of water access and waste reduction through the simple solution of improving access to refill stations.

Status: Held
Current language, analysis, and votes: AB 1953