10004.
(a) The department shall develop a comprehensive plan for addressing the state’s water needs and meeting the long-term water supply targets established in Section 10004.6, which shall be known as “The California Water Plan.” The plan shall provide recommendations and strategies to ensure enough water supply for all designated beneficial uses, including, but not limited to, compliance with Division 35 (commencing with Section 85000).(b) The department shall coordinate with the California Water Commission, the board, other state and federal agencies as appropriate, and the stakeholder advisory committee outlined in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (3) of subdivision
(f) to develop the plan.
(c) It is hereby declared that the people of the state have a primary interest in the orderly and coordinated control, protection, conservation, development, and utilization of the water resources of the state by all individuals and entities and that it is the policy of the state that The California Water Plan, with any necessary amendments, supplements, and additions to the plan, is accepted as the master plan that guides the orderly and coordinated control, protection, conservation, development, management, and efficient utilization of the water resources of the state.
(d) The department shall update The California Water Plan on or before December 31, 2028, and every five years thereafter. Each update of the plan shall include the following
components:
(1) (A) A discussion of various strategies, including, but not limited to, those relating to the development of new water storage facilities, water conservation, groundwater recharge, water recycling, desalination, conjunctive use, conveyance, stormwater capture, water transfers, compliance with Division 35 (commencing with Section 85000), and demand management activities that may be pursued in order to meet the water supply targets developed by the department and the coequal goals for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The department shall also include a discussion of options to finance projects within the various strategies and the potential for alternative water pricing policies to change current and projected uses. The department shall include in the plan a discussion of the potential advantages
and disadvantages of each strategy, how to maximize the strategy for long-term sustainability, how innovation and research can spur the implementation of each strategy, and an identification of all federal and state permits, approvals, or entitlements that may be required in order to implement the various components of the strategy.
(B) In carrying out this chapter, a public water system, irrigation district, or wastewater service provider shall not be required to implement a specific strategy or project.
(2) A discussion of environmental needs, including requirements for instream
flows, freshwater flows, and the needs of managed wetlands to help protect and restore instream designated beneficial uses and the communities and jobs that depend on a healthy environment. The department’s discussion shall rely on
the best available peer-reviewed scientific information. regulatory instream flow requirements, nonregulated instream uses, and water needs by wetlands, preserves, refuges, and other managed and unmanaged natural resource lands.
(3) A discussion of urban sector water needs, including maintaining tree health, residential and commercial landscapes, single-family and multifamily housing needs, community open green spaces, and a world class world-class economy.
(4) A discussion of agricultural water needs, including maintaining
a viable and sustainable food supply, restoring groundwater tables, agricultural water use efficiency, surface water reliability for irrigation purposes, and an assessment of communities that rely directly and indirectly on agricultural activities for their livelihood.
(5) An analysis of the costs and benefits of achieving the water supply targets developed by the department or established in statute, including a cost-benefit analysis of various strategies and projects necessary to meet those supply targets. The cost-benefit analysis shall take into account the water needs of the economy, economy and disadvantaged communities, and
the water supplies required by regulation to protect the environment. The department shall also consider and incorporate into the analysis, if appropriate, existing studies or planning documents that quantify the costs and impacts to the state if it has inadequate water supplies to meet sustainable demands for all sectors.
(6) A report on the development of regional and local water projects within each hydrologic region of the state to improve water supplies to meet municipal, agricultural, and environmental water needs, meet the water supply targets, and minimize the need to import water from other hydrologic regions.
(e) The declaration set forth in subdivision (c) does not constitute approval for the construction of specific projects or routes for transfer
of water, or for financial assistance, by the state without further legislative action, nor shall the declaration be construed as a prohibition of the development of the water resources of the state by any entity.
(f) (1) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, the department shall report the amendments, supplements, and additions included in the updates of The California Water Plan, together with a summary of the department’s conclusions and recommendations, to the Legislature, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, in the session in which the updated plan is issued.
(2) The department shall submit to the Legislature an annual report between updates to the plan that includes progress made toward meeting the water supply
targets once established. The Legislature may hold a hearing to review and accept public testimony on the report. The report shall include the list of recommended actions that require legislative intervention and those that can be implemented by the department or other state agencies. The written report shall be posted on the department’s internet website.
(3) (A) The department, in consultation with the California Water Commission, shall establish a stakeholder advisory committee, comprised of representatives of agricultural and urban water suppliers, local government, business, production agriculture, and tribes, labor representatives from building and construction trades, representatives of environmental justice and environmental interests, and other interested parties, to provide substantive input to assist
the department in updating The California Water Plan. The department shall consult with and consider recommendations from the advisory committee in carrying out this section. The department shall accept applications for the stakeholder advisory committee before each update and ensure a balanced representation of members. The department shall provide written notice of meetings of the advisory committee to any interested person or entity that requests the notice. The meetings shall be open to the public.
(B) The department shall seek out and consider all relevant information from retail and wholesale water agencies, agriculture, business, labor, tribes, environmental and environmental justice communities, and any other communities potentially impacted by the plan and from researchers and experts on climate science, climate science
solutions, water storage, water conveyance, and
environmental protection.
(C) The department may add members to the stakeholder advisory committee to carry out the purposes of Section 10004.7. Additional stakeholder advisory committee members may include those from environmental justice sectors, local water supply agencies, and researchers and experts on climate science, climate science solutions, water storage, water conveyance, and environmental protection.
(4) In preparing any update of The California Water Plan, the department shall conduct a series of public workshops to give interested parties an opportunity to comment on the plan. The department shall conduct a portion of these workshops in regions of the state that have been impacted the most by drought and other weather extremes, including, but not
limited to, communities with minority populations, communities with low-income populations, or both.
(5) The department shall release a preliminary draft of The California Water Plan, as updated, upon request, to interested persons and entities throughout the state for their review and comments. The department shall provide these persons and entities an opportunity to present written or oral comments on the preliminary draft. The department also shall post the preliminary draft on the department’s internet website. The department shall consider these comments in the preparation of the final publication of The California Water Plan, as updated.
(g) In carrying out this section, the department shall acknowledge state and federal requirements impacting the urban, agricultural,
and environmental sectors at the time of the update.
(h) Nothing in The California Water Plan shall be construed as a regulatory requirement.