Amended in Assembly March 26, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 617


Introduced by Assembly Member Perea

February 24, 2015


An act to amend Sectionbegin delete 6203end deletebegin insert 10723.6end insert of the Water Code, relating tobegin delete water resources.end deletebegin insert water.end insert

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 617, as amended, Perea. begin deleteDepartment of Water Resources: supervision of dams and reservoirs. end deletebegin insertGroundwater.end insert

begin insert

Existing law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, requires all groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins by the Department of Water Resources that are designated as basins subject to critical conditions of overdraft to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans by January 31, 2020, and requires all other groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans by January 31, 2022, except as specified. Existing law authorizes a combination of local agencies to form a groundwater sustainability agency by a joint powers agreement, memorandum of agreement, or other legal agreement, and authorizes a water corporation regulated by the Public Utilities Commission to participate.

end insert
begin insert

This bill would authorize a combination of one or more local agencies and one or more mutual water companies to enter into an agreement to form a groundwater sustainability agency and would authorize a groundwater sustainability agency formed by a joint powers agreement to exercise the powers granted in the act.

end insert
begin delete

Existing law prohibits the construction of any new dam or reservoir or the enlargement of any new dam or reservoir until the owner has applied for and obtained from the Department of Water Resources written approval of plans and specifications. Existing law authorizes the department, in connection with approving a dam or reservoir, to require certain data, investigations, reports, and any other appropriate information as may be necessary.

end delete
begin delete

This bill would make a nonsubstantive change in these provisions.

end delete

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: begin deleteno end deletebegin insertyesend insert. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1begin insert

begin insertSECTION 1.end insert  

end insert

begin insertSection 10723.6 of the end insertbegin insertWater Codeend insertbegin insert is amended
2to read:end insert

3

10723.6.  

(a) A combination of local agenciesbegin insert or a combination
4of one or more local agencies and one or more mutual water
5companiesend insert
may form a groundwater sustainability agency by using
6any of the following methods:

7(1) A joint powersbegin delete agreementend deletebegin insert agreement, pursuant to the Joint
8Exercise of Powers Act (Chapter 5 (commencing with Section
96500) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code), which may
10include a mutual water company pursuant to Section 6525 of the
11Government Codeend insert
.

12(2) A memorandum of agreement or other legal agreement.

13(b) A water corporation regulated by the Public Utilities
14Commission may participate in a groundwater sustainability agency
15if thebegin delete local agenciesend deletebegin insert other parties in the groundwater sustainability
16agencyend insert
approve.

begin insert

17(c) A groundwater sustainability agency formed pursuant to a
18joint powers agreement may exercise all of the powers granted
19pursuant to this part. The signatories to a joint powers agreement
20forming a groundwater sustainability agency are deemed to hold
21the powers granted to a groundwater sustainability agency
22pursuant to this part in common in order for the groundwater
23sustainability agency to exercise those powers.

end insert
begin delete
24

SECTION 1.  

Section 6203 of the Water Code is amended to
25read:

P3    1

6203.  

The department may also require the following:

2(a) Data concerning subsoil and foundation conditions and the
3materials entering into construction of the dam or reservoir.

4(b) Investigations of, and reports on, subsurface conditions,
5involving such matters as exploratory pits, trenches and adits,
6drilling, coring, geophysical surveys, tests to determine leakage
7rates, and physical tests to measure in place the properties and
8behavior of foundation materials at the dam or reservoir site.

9(c) Investigations of, and reports on, the geology of the dam or
10reservoir site and its vicinity, possible geologic hazards, availability
11 and quality of construction materials, and other pertinent features.

12(d) Any other appropriate information as may be necessary in
13a given instance.

end delete


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