BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 937 (Salas) - Groundwater planning: technical assistance:
disadvantaged communities
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|Version: July 16, 2015 |Policy Vote: N.R. & W. 9 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: August 17, 2015 |Consultant: Marie Liu |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: AB 937 would require the Department of Water Resources
(DWR) to provide technical assistance to disadvantaged
communities so that they may participate in groundwater planning
with any county or local agency.
Fiscal
Impact: Unknown cost pressures, at least in the in the hundreds
of thousands of dollars, to the General Fund to DWR to provide
technical assistance.
Background: Last year, the Legislature passed and the Governor signed the
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) which required
groundwater sustainability agencies (GSA) to develop a
groundwater sustainability plan (GSP) for high and medium
priority groundwater basins in California. The GSA is required
to consider the interest of all beneficial users and users of
AB 937 (Salas) Page 1 of
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groundwater when developing and implementing GSPs, including
disadvantaged communities (WAT §10732.2). DWR and the GSA may
provide technical assistance to entities that extract or use
groundwater to promote water conservation and to protect
groundwater resources. Furthermore, DWR may provide technical
assistance to any GSA, upon request, for the development and
implementation of a GSP. (WAT §10729)
Proposed Law:
This bill would create a general requirement for DWR to
provide technical assistance to disadvantaged communities so
that they may participate in groundwater planning, including
plans for regional groundwater banking.
Staff
Comments: While this bill establishes a general requirement for
DWR to provide technical assistance in groundwater planning,
requests for technical assistance will most likely be for
participation in groundwater planning under SGMA. As noted in
the background, GSAs are required to consider the interests of
all users, including disadvantaged communities, and DWR is
authorized to provide technical assistance to a GSA. However,
this bill would require DWR to provide technical assistance
directly to a disadvantaged community for their participation.
DWR anticipates that providing such technical assistance would
most likely consist of paying for a consultant to participate in
the GSP development on behalf of the disadvantaged communities.
The fiscal impact of this bill would be dependent on how many
communities request technical assistance. Given that a GSP is
required to be developed for all medium and high priority
groundwater basin and that developing a GSP may be a multiyear
effort, the requirement in this bill is likely to result in
costs at least in the hundreds of thousands of dollars from the
General Fund.
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