Oakland, CA Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

030, the Planning Commission acting as the city's Advisory Agency reviews every tentative subdivision map before it can move to final map approval. Subsection I requires denial of the tentative map if the subdivision sits within a designated water reuse area under Water Code § 13550 and the design fails to provide for recycled water use consistent with Government Code §§ 65601-65607 -- unless the city finds a higher or better use exists, or that recycled water use is not economically justified or not financially and technically feasible for the project.

The ordinance defines the operative terms tightly. "Recycled water" is nonpotable water from wastewater treatment suitable for a direct beneficial or controlled use that would not otherwise occur, consistent with Water Code § 13050(n). "Water reuse area" is a geographic area identified by the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) where recycled water is currently available or expected to be available within ten years, as shown on the city's Water Reuse Areas map. To satisfy the finding, a subdivider must "provide for the use of recycled water" by installing a separate plumbing system, independent of the potable water system serving residences, dedicated to nonpotable uses in common areas -- explicitly including golf courses, parks, greenbelts, landscaped streets, and landscaped medians.

The requirement traces to Ordinance No. 08 (Tentative Maps) of Title 16 (Subdivisions), not in a stand-alone water-conservation chapter. Because EBMUD -- not the city -- determines which areas qualify as designated water reuse areas and when recycled water becomes available, the practical reach of this finding depends on EBMUD's current service map at the time a tentative map is filed.