BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                    SB 1262  


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          Date of Hearing:  August 3, 2016


                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS


                               Lorena Gonzalez, Chair


          SB 1262  
          (Pavley) - As Amended June 15, 2016


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          |Policy       |Water, Parks and Wildlife      |Vote:|13 - 0       |
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          |             |Local Government               |     |8 - 0        |
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          Urgency:  No  State Mandated Local Program:  YesReimbursable:   
          No


          SUMMARY: This bill revises requirements that a new developments  
          must meet in order to demonstrate that its water supply are  
          sufficient to include consideration of provisions of the  
          Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).  Specifically,  
          this bill:  


          1)Adds information about the reliance on, and management of,  
            groundwater supplies in factors considered in determining if  
            there are sufficient water supplies for residential  








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            development 
          of more than 500 units.

          2)Specifies that a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) may be  
            included as substantial evidence in a public water system's  
            written verification of its ability or inability to provide  
            sufficient water supply as part of the approval of a  
            residential development of more than 
          500 units.  

          3)Includes an identification of water systems that are adjacent  
            to large-scale projects subject to the California  
            Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that trigger a water supply  
            assessment.

          4)Adds SGMA compliance status to required information in a water  
            supply assessment for projects that receive water supply from  
            groundwater.

          5)Excludes hauled water from consideration as a source of water  
            under a water supply assessment.  

          FISCAL EFFECT:


          Negligible state fiscal impact.  Although a state mandate, costs  
          are not reimbursable because the Agency has authority to levy  
          fees sufficient to cover any costs. 


          COMMENTS:


          1)Purpose and Background.  In 2001, in response to local land  
            use decisions that adversely affected local water supplies,  
            the Legislature enacted a package of bills that linked land  
            use planning with water use planning.  That pack of bills is  
            often referred to as the "show me the water" legislation.
            








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            In 2014, the Legislature passed SGMA creating a statewide  
            requirement to sustainably manage groundwater resources.  The  
            package of bills was signed by Governor Brown with the  
            objective to ensure the long-term reliability of groundwater  
            resources and connected surface water resources by requiring  
            sustainable management. Groundwater Sustainability Agency's  
            (GSAs) must by formed by 2017; GSPs, for critically  
            overdrafted basins, must be written by 2020; and,  
            sustainability must be reached by 2040.  Prior to 2014, there  
            was no statutory mandate to manage groundwater in California.

            The Legislature updated some water and land use planning laws  
            to reflect SGMA, but did not make conforming changes to the  
            "show me the water" legislation. This bill updates the "show  
            me the water" bills to integrate GSAs and consideration of  
            GSPs into water supply and land use planning.  In addition, it  
            prohibits the use of hauled water to comply with show me the  
            water bills.
            
          2)Prior Legislation.

             a)   SB 1168 (Pavley), Chapter 346, Statutes of 2014, enacted  
               SGMA.

             b)   AB 1738 (Dickinson), Chapter 347, Statutes of 2014,  
               enacted SGMA.

             c)   SB 221 (Kuehl), Chapter 642, Statutes of 2001, required  
               cities and counties to demonstrate a sufficient water  
               supply as part of the subdivision map act.

             d)   SB 610 (Costa), Chapter 643, Statutes of 2001, required  
               large-scale development to have a water supply assessment.
          













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          Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Swenson / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081