Amended in Assembly August 1, 2016

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 water wells, monitoring wells, and cathodic protection wells based on existing knowledge and to submit these standards to the State Water Resources Control Board.

Existing law requires the state board 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 standards 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.  

On or before January 1, 2019, the department shall update
the well standards contained in Bulletin 74-81 and Bulletin 74-90
for water wells, monitoring wells, and cathodic protection wells
based on existing knowledge and submit the standards to the board.

SEC. 2.  

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

13801.5.  

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