SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) To thrive as a state, California needs a reliable supply of water for urban, agricultural, and environmental uses that is resilient to climate change.
(b) California’s existing water usage is highly reliant on capturing the snow melt on an annual basis. That water is stored in lakes, reservoirs, and groundwater basins and is then transported around the state for environmental, residential, business, and agricultural use when needed.
(c) California has the
most intricate and elaborate system of water conveyance in the world.
(d) Dependent on the extent of drought or flood conditions, the Department of Water Resources has calculated that the volume of water used by people in California for agricultural, urban, and environmental purposes ranges from 60,000,000 acre-feet per year to 90,000,000 acre-feet per year.
(e) Per capita water use has declined over time, thanks to a conservation ethic encouraged by water agencies and other stakeholders, water-saving indoor plumbing fixtures and appliances, better leak detection, and efforts to reduce outdoor water use.
(f) Water use also has significantly declined in the agricultural sector thanks to proactive steps taken by
irrigation districts and farmers, such as installing drip irrigation systems.
(g) California is experiencing significant impacts of a changing climate on our water supply systems and environment, including fisheries and ecosystems.
(h) According to the Department of Water Resources, hotter and drier weather is estimated to diminish our existing water supply even further and likely by 10 percent.
(i) A 10-percent loss could mean the disappearance of about 6,000,000 acre-feet to 9,000,000 acre-feet of water supply.
(j) Many rivers, lakes, and estuaries are being impacted by declining water quality, including increases in harmful algal blooms.
(k) The California Central Valley has a groundwater overdraft of 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 acre-feet of water.
(l) Following more than two decades of “megadrought” in the Colorado Basin, reservoir levels are so low that supply cuts are likely.
(m) California’s precipitation is changing from seasonal snow in the Sierra to periods of substantial rainfall, including from atmospheric rivers.
(n) The shift to drier dry years and wetter wet years makes it imperative that the state of California develop comprehensive wet year strategies that take full advantage of times of abundance, while also ensuring public safety from floods.
(o) It is imperative that California capture more water from atmospheric rivers and other storms that occur during dry years to help fill groundwater basins and surface storage. ensure the beneficial uses of water in the state, including, but not limited to, water storage and the protection of fish and wildlife and water quality.
(p) California is the nation’s agricultural powerhouse, accounting for 12 percent of agricultural production in 2021, including more than 70 percent of the nation’s fruits and nuts.
(q) The agricultural sector produces annual revenues of more than
$50 billion, employs more than 420,000 people, and supports large food and beverage processing industries.
(r) According to the Department of Water Resources, there is the potential for more than 13,000,000 acre-feet of groundwater recharge annually with more than 2,5000,000 25,000,000 acre-feet being possible using existing infrastructure.
(s) The Department of Water Resources describes a statewide capacity in groundwater basins in the range of 1,000,000,000 acre-feet or approximately 20 times the total surface water storage capacity statewide.
(t) California is the home to cutting-edge job-creating industries, such as those in Silicon Valley and southern California’s biotech industry.
(u) Local and regional water suppliers are at the forefront of implementing projects to build resiliency, but need additional support from the state and federal governments through funding and regulatory frameworks that are adapted for the new climate reality.
(v) It is essential for our economy, environment, and well-being that California increases the resilience of the state’s water supplies.
(w) The implementation of projects to increase the resilience of the state’s water supplies can also create good jobs for California workers.
(x) Governor Gavin Newsom released “California’s Water Supply Strategy: Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future” in August 2022 that began to outline strategies for increasing California’s water supply and streamlining approvals, but California must make a historic change in the state’s comprehensive water plan and how water is provided for environmental, residential, business, and agricultural uses.
(y) The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Reform Act of 2009 establishes a state policy to meet California’s future water needs through the coequal goals of increased water supply reliability and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem restoration.
(z) The State Water Resources Control Board and other authorities estimate that over one million Californians lack access to safe and affordable drinking water.