BILL NUMBER:  SB 820
  VETOED	DATE: 10/07/2005




To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 820 without my signature.

This bill is a very comprehensive measure that attempts to address a
host of water rights issues, including surface and groundwater, in
one bill.  While the author should be recognized for the effort on
urban water management plans, energy consumption associated with
water use, and surface water diversion reports, the bill is flawed by
only reviewing half the groundwater equation.   By mandating
extraction reports without analysis of recharge, groundwater quality,
basin composition, and other i ssues essential to understanding the
health of the groundwater basin, this bill creates a significant
burden on property owners that will not provide the information
necessary to lead to sustainable decision making.

The Department of Water Resources is already mandated to develop
Bulletin 118, which is the statewide update on groundwater basins.
The report includes a thorough analysis of groundwater including a
review of boundaries and hydrographic features, yield data, water
budgets, well production characteristics, water quality, and
development of a water budget for each groundwater basin.  A more
effective approach than this bill would be for the State to work with
local districts and landowners to co mpile the existing data on
extraction, recharge, and basin composition to get a complete
analysis of what we know and do not know, then develop a plan to
acquire the information necessary to fill the data gaps to enhance
the existing mandate for Bulletin 118 and make that document even
more useful.

Sincerely,



Arnold Schwarzenegger