Signed by Governor Jerry Brown, Jr.

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with House amendments and pass a bill that requires sustainability plans and agencies to be used to regulate groundwater usage.

Highlights:

• Authorizes any single or combination of local agencies that overlay a groundwater basin to form a “groundwater sustainability agency” in order to develop and implement a “groundwater sustainability plan” for the basin (Sec. 3).

• Authorizes a groundwater sustainability agency to perform certain actions, including, but not limited to, the following actions (Sec. 3):
• Require all groundwater extraction facilities within its authority to use a water-measuring device;
• Regulate groundwater extraction, including, but not limited to, limiting extraction from individual wells and the construction of new wells; and
• Acquire property in order to implement a groundwater sustainability plan, including, but not limited to, the following property:
• Land;
• Water rights;
• Buildings; and
• Easements.

• Requires a groundwater sustainability plan to include certain components as applicable to each basin, including, but not limited to, the following components (Sec. 3):
• The monitoring and management of groundwater levels and quality;
• The mitigation of overdraft; 
• The control of saline water intrusion; and
• A well abandonment and destruction program.

• Requires the Department of Water Resources to categorize each basin as high, medium, low, or very low priority by January 31, 2015 (Sec. 3).

• Requires all high or medium-priority basins to be managed by a groundwater sustainability plan by January 31, 2020, and all other priority basins to be managed under a plan by January 31, 2022 (Sec. 3).

• Specifies that a local agency has 2 years to establish a groundwater sustainability agency or an authorized alternative for a basin that is categorized as medium or high priority after January 31, 2015, and 5 years to adopt a groundwater sustainability plan (Sec. 3).

• Prohibits the adoption or renewal of any groundwater management plan other than a groundwater sustainability plan after January 1, 2015 (Sec. 4).

• Requires the department to manage the monitoring of groundwater in basins that are not being appropriately monitored and where there is “insufficient interest” by a local agency to establish a groundwater plan (Sec. 6).

• Specifies that this bill shall only become effective if both Assembly Bill 1739 and Senate Bill 1319 of the 2013-2014 Regular Session are enacted and become effective (Sec. 10).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires sustainability plans and agencies to be used to regulate groundwater usage.

Highlights:

• Authorizes any single or combination of local agencies that overlay a groundwater basin to form a “groundwater sustainability agency” in order to develop and implement a “groundwater sustainability plan” for the basin (Sec. 3).

• Authorizes a groundwater sustainability agency to perform certain actions, including, but not limited to, the following actions (Sec. 3):
• Require all groundwater extraction facilities within its authority to use a water-measuring device;
• Regulate groundwater extraction, including, but not limited to, limiting extraction from individual wells and the construction of new wells; and
• Acquire property in order to implement a groundwater sustainability plan, including, but not limited to, the following property:
• Land;
• Water rights;
• Buildings; and
• Easements.

• Requires a groundwater sustainability plan to include certain components as applicable to each basin, including, but not limited to, the following components (Sec. 3):
• The monitoring and management of groundwater levels and quality;
• The mitigation of overdraft; 
• The control of saline water intrusion; and
• A well abandonment and destruction program.

• Requires the Department of Water Resources to categorize each basin as high, medium, low, or very low priority by January 31, 2015 (Sec. 3).

• Requires all high or medium-priority basins to be managed by a groundwater sustainability plan by January 31, 2020, and all other priority basins to be managed under a plan by January 31, 2022 (Sec. 3).

• Specifies that a local agency has 2 years to establish a groundwater sustainability agency or an authorized alternative for a basin that is categorized as medium or high priority after January 31, 2015, and 5 years to adopt a groundwater sustainability plan (Sec. 3).

• Prohibits the adoption or renewal of any groundwater management plan other than a groundwater sustainability plan after January 1, 2015 (Sec. 4).

• Requires the department to manage the monitoring of groundwater in basins that are not being appropriately monitored and where there is “insufficient interest” by a local agency to establish a groundwater plan (Sec. 6).

• Specifies that this bill shall only become effective if both Assembly Bill 1739 and Senate Bill 1319 of the 2013-2014 Regular Session are enacted and become effective (Sec. 10).

Full Bill Text