Amended in Senate May 31, 2016

Senate Bill No. 995

Introduced by Senator Pavley

February 10, 2016

An act to add Sections 232 and 13801.5 to the Water Code, relating to water quality.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 995, as amended, Pavley. Well standards.

Existing law requires the Department of Water Resources to investigate and survey conditions of damage to quality of underground waters that are, or may be, caused by improperly constructed, abandoned, or defective wells. Existing law requires the department to report to the appropriate California regional water quality control board its recommendations for minimum standards for well construction in any particular locality in which it deems regulation necessary to protection of quality of underground water.

This bill, on or before January 1, 2019, would require the department to update well standards for begin delete certain types of end delete begin insert water wells, monitoring wells, and cathodic protection end insert wells based on existing begin delete knowledge. This bill would require the department to establish an advisory panel to identify critical gaps in existing knowledge about the best practices for well construction, alteration, maintenance, and destruction for these wells. This bill would, on or before January 1, 2022, require the advisory panel to make recommendations for improvements in well regulations and the department to submit the recommendations end delete begin insert knowledge and to submit these standards end insert to the State Water Resources Control Board.

Existing law requires the begin delete State Water Resources Control Board end delete begin insert state board end insert to adopt a model water well, cathodic protection well, and monitoring well drilling and abandonment ordinance implementing prescribed standards of the department.

This bill would require the state board to revise the model ordinance upon the receipt of the begin delete recommendations for improvements in well regulations end delete begin insert standards end insert from the department.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

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

SECTION 1.  

Section 232 is added to the Water Code, to read:

232.  

begin delete (a) end delete begin delete   end delete begin delete   end delete On or before January 1, 2019, the department shall
update the well standards contained in Bulletin 74-81 and Bulletin
74-90 begin insert for water wells, monitoring wells, and cathodic protection
wells end insert based on existing knowledge begin delete for the following types of wells: end delete

begin insert and submit the standards to the board. end insert

begin delete

(1) Water wells.

end delete begin delete

(2) Monitoring wells.

end delete begin delete

(3) Cathodic protection wells.

end delete begin delete

(b) (1) The department shall establish an advisory panel to
identify critical gaps in existing knowledge about the best practices
for well construction, alteration, maintenance, and destruction for
the types of wells described in subdivision (a).

end delete begin delete

(2) If the advisory panel identifies knowledge gaps that need
further research, the department shall conduct scientific research
to address those needs.

end delete begin delete

(3) On or before January 1, 2022, the advisory panel shall make
recommendations for improvements in well regulations and the
department shall submit the recommendations to the board.

end delete

SEC. 2.  

Section 13801.5 is added to the Water Code, to read:

13801.5.  

Upon the receipt of begin delete recommendations for
improvements in well regulations end delete begin insert standards end insert from the department
pursuant to Section 232, the state board shall revise the model
water well, cathodic protection well, and monitoring well drilling
and abandonment ordinance adopted pursuant to Section 13801.