BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 937
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Date of Hearing: April 28, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WATER, PARKS, AND WILDLIFE
Marc Levine, Chair
AB 937
Salas - As Amended April 22, 2015
SUBJECT: Groundwater storage: beneficial use
SUMMARY: Requires the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to
provide technical assistance to disadvantaged communities so
that they may participate in groundwater planning, including,
but not limited to, plans for regional groundwater banking, with
any county or other local agency.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Authorizes $7.545 billion in general obligation funding for
water-related projects and programs in Proposition 1, the Safe
Drinking Water, Quality, and Infrastructure Act of 2014 (Prop.
1).
2)Provides $900 million for groundwater projects and programs
under Prop. 1, Chapter 10, and requires that:
a) At least 10% of the funds shall be allocated for
projects serving severely disadvantaged communities.
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b) There be funding for technical assistance to
disadvantaged communities and that the agency administering
this funding shall operate a multidisciplinary technical
assistance program for small and disadvantaged communities.
3)Requires DWR to evaluate groundwater basins and designate them
as high, medium, low or very low, according to various factors
including, but not limited to, level of dependence upon the
basin by municipal and agricultural users;
4)Requires that local agencies in high- and medium-priority
groundwater basins subject to the Sustainable Groundwater
Management Act (SGMA) form one or more local Groundwater
Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) by June 30, 2017 in order to
develop and implement Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs)
that provide for the sustainable management of the groundwater
basin or subbasin, as defined.
5)Requires that GSAs in basins with chronic overdraft develop
and adopt GSPs for their basin or subbasin by January 31, 2020
and that all other high- and medium-priority basins subject to
SGMA develop and adopt GSPs by January 31, 2022.
6)Requires that adopted GSPs utilize a 50 year planning horizon
that will achieve sustainability in a basin or subbasin within
20 years and include identified milestones at five year
intervals.
7)Authorizes the State Water Board to declare a basin in
probationary status and adopt an interim plan for a basin,
subbasin, or portion of a basin or subbasin, if deadlines are
not met, as specified.
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FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose: This bill would require DWR to provide technical
assistance to disadvantaged communities so that they may
participate in groundwater planning, including banking.
2)Author's statement: The author states this bill is needed in
order to expand local opportunities for groundwater recharge.
The author states that groundwater recharge represents a
practical solution to the State's additional storage needs and
is a cheaper alternative to surface storage.
3)Background: The State Water Resources Board, for example, has
established a technical assistance office for disadvantaged
communities, the Office of Sustainable Water Solutions
(Office). The Office's purposes include, but are not limited
to: providing assistance, including technical assistance, to
small drinking water systems and disadvantaged communities
without clean, safe, and reliable drinking water or wastewater
treatment systems; promoting and facilitating regional
drinking water solutions and wastewater projects; and
advancing the delivery of affordable, safe, drinking water
throughout the state.
Chapter 10 of Proposition 1 provides $900 million for
groundwater projects and programs with at least 10% of the
funds designated for projects serving severely disadvantaged
communities. Prop. 1 also anticipates that an agency
administering the funding shall operate a multidisciplinary
technical assistance program for small and disadvantaged
communities.
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4)Prior and related legislation:
AB 92 (Committee on Budget), Chapter 1, Statutes of 2015
established the Office at the State Water Board as part of the
2015 Emergency Drought Legislation. The Office was created in
recognition that the drought is affecting many disadvantaged
communities, some with shallow wells that are going dry, are
impaired by contamination, or both, and who may lack the
technical assistance to develop and implement long-term
solutions.
AB 1471 (Rendon), Chapter 188, Statutes of 2014 placed Prop. 1
on the ballot for the November 4, 2014 statewide general
election where it passed by over 67% of the vote.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file
Opposition
None on file
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Analysis Prepared by:Tina Cannon Leahy / W., P., & W. / (916)
319-2096