Bill Text: CA SB315 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Groundwater: groundwater sustainability agencies: probationary basins.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2024-02-01 - Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [SB315 Detail]

Download: California-2023-SB315-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Senate  March 21, 2023

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 315

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Introduced by Senator Hurtado

February 06, 2023

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An act to amend Section 10781 of the Water Code, relating to groundwater.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 315, as amended, Hurtado. Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Groundwater monitoring: interagency task force.

Existing law requires the State Water Resources Control Board to integrate existing monitoring programs and design new program elements, as necessary, for the purpose of establishing a comprehensive monitoring program capable of assessing each groundwater basin in the state through direct and other statistically reliable sampling approaches, and to create an interagency task force composed of representatives of listed state agencies for various purposes, including to identify actions necessary to establish the monitoring program and to identify measures that would increase coordination among state and federal agencies that collect groundwater contamination information. Existing law requires the state board to convene an advisory committee to the interagency task force with specified members.

This bill would alter the membership of the advisory committee by changing the number of representatives of agriculture from 2 to 4.

Existing law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (the act), provides for the sustainable management of groundwater basins, and provides local groundwater agencies with the authority and the technical and financial assistance necessary to sustainably manage groundwater, among other purposes of the act. The 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. Existing law authorizes a local agency or combination of local agencies overlying a groundwater basin to decide to become a groundwater sustainability agency for that basin and requires a groundwater sustainability plan to be developed and implemented for each medium- or high-priority basin by a groundwater sustainability agency. Existing law requires the groundwater sustainability agency to consider the interests of all beneficial uses and users of groundwater, as described, as well as those responsible for implementing groundwater sustainability plans.

This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact future legislation that would assist groundwater sustainability agencies in fostering discussions among diverse water management interests and local agencies as they strive to implement the act.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NOYES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 10781 of the Water Code is amended to read:

10781.

 In order to improve comprehensive groundwater monitoring and increase the availability to the public of information about groundwater contamination, the state board, in consultation with other responsible agencies, as specified in this section, shall do all of the following:

(a) Integrate existing monitoring programs and design new program elements as necessary to establish a comprehensive monitoring program capable of assessing each groundwater basin in the state through direct and other statistically reliable sampling approaches. The interagency task force established pursuant to subdivision (b) shall determine the constituents to be included in the monitoring program. In designing the comprehensive monitoring program, the state board, among other things, shall integrate projects established in response to the Supplemental Report of the 1999 Budget Act, strive to take advantage of and incorporate existing data whenever possible, and prioritize groundwater basins that supply drinking water.

(b) (1) Create an interagency task force for all of the following purposes:

(A) Identifying actions necessary to establish the monitoring program.

(B) Identifying measures to increase coordination among state and federal agencies that collect information regarding groundwater contamination in the state.

(C) Designing a database capable of supporting the monitoring program that is compatible with the state board’s geotracker database.

(D) Assessing the scope and nature of necessary monitoring enhancements.

(E) Identifying the cost of any recommended measures.

(F) Identifying the means by which to make monitoring information available to the public.

(2) The interagency task force shall consist of a representative of each of the following entities:

(A) The state board.

(B) The department.

(C) The State Department of Health Services.

(D) The Department of Pesticide Regulation.

(E) The Department of Toxic Substances Control.

(F) The Department of Food and Agriculture.

(c) Convene an advisory committee to the interagency task force, with a membership that includes all of the following:

(1) Two representatives of appropriate federal agencies, if those agencies wish to participate.

(2) Two representatives of public water systems, one of which shall be a representative of a retail water supplier.

(3) Two representatives of environmental organizations.

(4) Two representatives of the business community.

(5) One representative of a local agency that is currently implementing a plan pursuant to Part 2.75 (commencing with Section 10750).

(6) Two Four representatives of agriculture.

(7) Two representatives from groundwater management entities.

(d) (1) The members of the advisory committee may receive a per diem allowance for each day’s attendance at a meeting of the advisory committee.

(2) The members of the advisory committee may be reimbursed for actual and necessary travel expenses incurred in connection with their official duties.

SECTION 1.

It is the intent of the Legislature to enact future legislation that would assist groundwater sustainability agencies in fostering discussions among diverse water management interests and local agencies as they strive to implement the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.