BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  SB 988
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   June 18, 2014

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                SB 988 (Jackson) - As Introduced:  February 12, 2014 

          Policy Committee:                             Local  
          GovernmentVote:8 - 0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          Yes    Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill allows Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency  
          (Agency) to inspect any groundwater extraction facility within  
          the Agency's boundaries with the consent of the facility  
          operator. If consent is refused, the bill authorizes the Agency  
          to seek an inspection warrant.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Negligible state fiscal impact.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose  . According to the author's office, the Agency allows  
            self-reporting of water usage by extraction facilities within  
            its jurisdiction.  However, the Agency is finding that well  
            operator account information is often incorrect due to  
            reporting errors and omissions. In addition, registered and  
            unregistered wells continue to exist with unreported  
            extractions. 

            The Agency would like to implement a more robust well  
            inspection program to verify the accuracy of information  
            acquired through its self-reporting programs for groundwater  
            extractions and meter calibration. This bill gives the Agency  
            the authority to carry out inspections necessary to verify  
            information needed to effectively manage the groundwater  
            resources under its jurisdiction.

           2)Background  . The Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency is a  
            special district created in 1982 to preserve and manage  








                                                                  SB 988
                                                                  Page  2

            groundwater resources in the Fox Canyon Aquifer (AB 2995,  
            Imbrecht, 1982).  It has management jurisdiction over 1,200  
            wells in southern Ventura County. The Agency requires all well  
            owners with extraction facilities within its boundaries to  
            register their wells with the Agency, self-report groundwater  
            extraction and pay an extraction charge. 

            The Agency does not have authority to enter property to  
            monitor or inspect wells for compliance without a property  
            owner's consent.  Other types of special districts including  
            air pollution districts, municipal utility districts, county  
            water districts, and others have the authority to seek an  
            inspection warrant when a property owner refuses access. This  
            bill grants similar authority to the Fox Canyon Groundwater  
            Management Agency.


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