BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1905
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 8, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WATER, PARKS AND WILDLIFE
Anthony Rendon, Chair
AB 1905 (Alejo) - As Introduced: February 19, 2014
SUBJECT : Rights to appropriate water by registration
SUMMARY : Adds fire protection to the list of uses that are
allowed for a livestock stockpond registration and would expand
the ability to hold two water rights registrations for the same
water storage facility.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Allows any person to obtain a right to appropriate water for a
small domestic, small irrigation, or livestock stockpond use,
as defined, by registering that use with the State Water
Resources Control Board (State Water Board) and then putting
the water to reasonable and beneficial use, subject to certain
conditions.
2)Limits small domestic uses and livestock stockpond uses to
4,500 gallons a day or diversion to storage of 10 acre-feet
(af) per year.
3)Allows small domestic uses, which are ones affiliated with a
dwelling, to include aesthetic, fire protection, recreational,
or fish and wildlife purposes. Allows livestock stockponds to
be used for livestock watering and incidental aesthetic,
recreational, and fish and wildlife purposes.
4)Limits small irrigation uses to 42,000 gallons per day,
diversion to storage of a maximum of 20 af per year, and an
overall limit for all water rights held of 100 af per year.
5)Limits small irrigation uses to irrigation, heat control, or
frost protection and allows incidental aesthetic, fire
protection, recreational, or fish and wildlife purposes.
6)Allows both a small domestic use registration and a small
irrigation use registration to be in effect for the same
facility if the total combined water use does not exceed 20 af
per year.
AB 1905
Page 2
7)Requires each person with a water use registration to pay an
annual fee according to a fee schedule established by the
State Water Board and to renew their registrations every five
years.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : This bill would provide greater flexibility on the
uses that are allowed for a person with registered water
impoundments. For example, under this bill a person could seek
a livestock stockpond registration for a pond currently
registered with the State Water Board for small domestic use.
The same pond could then also be used to water livestock,
provided the total combined water use covered by both
registrations did not exceed 10 af per year.
Likewise, a small irrigation registration could be combined with
a small domestic use registration or a livestock stockpond
registration provided the total combined water use covered by
the registrations did not exceed 20 af per year.
The author states that providing dual registrations under AB
1905 is both practical and useful. Currently, a small livestock
stockpond registration does not allow for any use for crop
irrigation or frost protection. Supporters point out that every
winter countless crops are destroyed by frost and AB 1905 would
make it easier for farmers to withstand extreme weather
conditions, be it frost or drought.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Farm Bureau Federation (sponsor)
California Association of Winegrape Growers
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Tina Cannon Leahy / W., P. & W. / (916)
319-2096
AB 1905
Page 3