BILL ANALYSIS �
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
AB 359 (Huffman)
Hearing Date: 08/25/2011 Amended: 06/30/2011
Consultant: Brendan McCarthy Policy Vote: NR&W 5-2
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BILL SUMMARY: AB 359 places additional requirements on local
water agencies that opt to develop groundwater management plans.
The bill also requires the Department of Water Resources to make
related information available on the internet.
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Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Fund
Publishing information Minor and absorbable General
Cost pressure on bond Unknown cost pressures, potentiallyBond *
funds in the millions
* Proposition 84.
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STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE.
Under current law, local water agencies are allowed, but not
required, to develop groundwater management plans. If a local
agency wishes to receive funds from the Department of Water
Resources (for example, Proposition 84 bond funds) for projects
that impact groundwater, the agency must have a groundwater
management plan that meets certain criteria (or be developing
such a plan).
AB 359 adds additional criteria to the local groundwater
management plans. Specifically, the bill requires groundwater
management plans to include a map that specifies areas for
groundwater recharge. A local agency would be required to
provide the map of groundwater recharge areas to local planning
agencies, once the groundwater management plan was adopted. The
bill requires local agencies that are preparing groundwater
management plans to make certain information about the proposed
AB 359 (Huffman)
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plan available to the public.
The bill requires the Department of Water Resources to post
information on its website regarding groundwater management
plans.
The bill allows local agencies to request state funds for the
mapping of groundwater recharge areas, to the extent that such a
request is consistent with existing eligibility requirements for
those funds.
The Department indicates that the cost to post information to
the internet regarding local groundwater plans is minor and
absorbable.
The bill provides that local agencies may request state funds
for mapping groundwater recharge areas. This use of funds is
already allowed under existing bond funds and the bill specifies
that such a request must conform to existing eligibility rules.
However, because the bill requires local agencies to perform
additional mapping, it is likely that demand for state bond
funding will increase. The extent of this increase is unknown,
and will depend on how many agencies request funding as they
develop or update their plans. Given the large number of
existing plans (about 135 developed so far) it is possible that
the cost pressures could be in the millions.
This bill is substantially similar to AB 2304 (Huffman, 2010)
which was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger.