BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 359
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 359 (Huffman)
As Amended May 27, 2011
Majority vote
WATER, PARKS & WILDLIFE 7-0 LOCAL GOVERNMENT 5-3
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|Ayes:|Huffman, Blumenfield, |Ayes:|Bradford, Campos, Davis, |
| |Fong, Gatto, Hueso, Lara, | |Gordon, Hueso |
| |Yamada | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | |Nays:|Smyth, Knight, Norby |
| | | | |
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APPROPRIATIONS 11-6
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|Ayes:|Fuentes, Blumenfield, | | |
| |Bradford, Charles | | |
| |Calderon, Campos, Davis, | | |
| |Gatto, Hall, Hill, Lara, | | |
| |Solorio | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Harkey, Donnelly, | | |
| |Mitchell, Nielsen, Norby, | | |
| |Wagner | | |
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SUMMARY : Adds additional notification and mapping requirements
when a local agency is drafting a groundwater management plan.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires a local agency that develops a groundwater management
plan and drafts a resolution to adopt a plan, to provide a
copy of a resolution of intention to the Department of Water
Resources (DWR) within 30 days of the date of adoption.
2)Requires the local agency, upon written request, to provide a
copy of the proposed groundwater management plan to an
interested person or entity and to notify those interested
persons or entities at least 30 days prior to the commencement
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of the second hearing to determine whether to adopt the plan.
3)Requires DWR to post on its Internet Web site the information
DWR possesses regarding the local agencies that have
jurisdiction to develop groundwater management plans and maps,
including agencies who have submitted resolutions of intention
to adopt groundwater management plans or agencies that have
opted to assume groundwater basin level monitoring functions.
4)Requires, commencing January 1, 2013, that a groundwater
management plan include a map identifying recharge areas, as
defined, for the groundwater basin.
5)Requires, after adoption of the groundwater management plan
that the map of recharge area is provided to local planning
agencies and landowner and agricultural organizations.
6)Allows a local agency to request state funds to map
groundwater recharge areas if eligible funding is available.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Encourages local agencies to work cooperatively to manage
groundwater resources within their jurisdictions and, if not
otherwise required by law, to voluntarily adopt groundwater
management plans.
2)Requires a groundwater plan contain components related to
funding, management, and monitoring in order for a local
agency to be eligible for groundwater project funds
administered by DWR.
3)Allows a groundwater plan to voluntarily contain additional
listed components.
4)Requires all of the groundwater basins identified in DWR's
Bulletin 118 to be regularly and systematically monitored and
the information to be readily and widely available.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee:
1)Minor, absorbable costs to DWR to accept copies of resolutions
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of intent, post information online and review funding
requests.
2)There could also be cost pressures of an unknown amount, but
potentially in the millions of dollars, to DWR or other state
agencies to fund local water agency efforts to map groundwater
recharge areas (Bond funds or special funds).
COMMENTS : Groundwater is one of California's most important
natural resources and our reliance on it continues to grow.
According to DWR's 2003 groundwater report entitled Bulletin
118, California was not only the single largest user of
groundwater in the nation, extracting 14.5 million acre-feet
annually, but that use represented 20% of all the groundwater
extracted in the entire United States. Bulletin 118 estimated
that 43% of all Californians obtain their drinking water from
groundwater.
Supporters of this bill point out that, despite California's
heavy reliance on groundwater, basic information for many of the
groundwater basins is lacking. By requiring the mapping of
recharge areas, this bill provides an informational tool that is
shared by local agencies developing groundwater management plans
and local planning agencies. Supporters note that this bill
does not mandate any specific actions to protect or enhance
groundwater recharge or require land use changes.
Opponents of this bill are concerned that mapping of groundwater
recharge areas could eventually lead to land use changes or
restrictions in the areas of recharge.
Amendments were adopted in Assembly Appropriations Committee to
address opponents concerns by requiring copies of plans and
recharge area maps be provided to landowners and other
interested entities.
Analysis Prepared by : Tina Cannon Leahy / W., P. & W. / (916)
319-2096
FN:
0001006
AB 359
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