SB 1469, as introduced, Stone. Groundwater sustainability agencies.
Existing law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, requires all groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins by the Department of Water Resources that are designated as basins subject to critical conditions of overdraft to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans by January 31, 2020, and requires all other groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans by January 31, 2022, except as specified. The act authorizes any local agency or combination of local agencies overlying a groundwater basin to decide to become a groundwater sustainability agency for that basin, as prescribed.
This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to those provisions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 10723 of the Water Code is amended to
2read:
(a) Except as provided in subdivision (c), any local
4agency or combination of local agencies overlying a groundwater
P2 1basin may decide to become a groundwater sustainability agency
2for that basin.
3(b) Before deciding to become a groundwater sustainability
4agency, and after publication of notice pursuant to Section 6066
5of the Government Code, the local agency or agencies shall hold
6a public hearing in the county or counties overlying the basin.
7(c) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the following
8agencies created by statute to manage groundwater shall be deemed
9the exclusive local agencies within their respective statutory
10boundaries with powers to comply with this part:
11(A) Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation
12District, Zone 7.
13(B) Alameda County Water District.
14(C) Desert Water Agency.
15(D) Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency.
16(E) Honey Lake Valley Groundwater Management District.
17(F) Long Valley Groundwater Management District.
18(G) Mendocino City Community Services District.
19(H) Mono County Tri-Valley Groundwater Management
20District.
21(I) Monterey Peninsula Water Management District.
22(J) Ojai Groundwater Management Agency.
23(K) Orange County Water District.
24(L) Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency.
25(M) Santa Clara Valley Water District.
26(N) Sierra Valley Groundwater Management District.
27(O) Willow Creek Groundwater Management Agency.
28(2) An agency identified in this subdivision may opt out of being
29the exclusive groundwater management agency within its statutory
30boundaries by sending a notice to the department, which shall be
31posted on the department’s Internet Web site within 15 days of
32receipt. If an agency identified in
paragraph (1) opts out of being
33the exclusive groundwater management agency, any other local
34agency or combination of local agencies operating within the
35statutory boundaries of the agency that has opted out may notify
36the department pursuant to Section 10723.8 of its decision to be
37the groundwater sustainability agency.
38(3) A local agency listed in paragraph (1) may comply with this
39part by meeting the requirements of Section 10733.6 or opting to
40become a groundwater sustainability agency pursuant to this
P3 1section. A local agency with authority to implement a basin-specific
2management plan pursuant to its principal act shall not exercise
3anybegin delete authoritiesend deletebegin insert
authorityend insert granted in this part in a manner
4inconsistent with any prohibitions or limitations in its principal
5act unless the governing board of the local agency makes a finding
6that the agency is unable to sustainably manage the basin without
7the prohibited authority.
8(d) The decision of a local agency or combination of agencies
9to become a groundwater sustainability agency shall take effect
10as provided in Section 10723.8.
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