Laws & Legislation

The Local Groundwater Management Assistance Act of 2000 is designed to help local public agencies better understand how to manage groundwater resources effectively to ensure the safe production, quality, and proper storage of groundwater in California. It authorizes grants for local public agencies to conduct groundwater studies or to implement groundwater monitoring and management activities.

In September 2002, SB 1938 was signed into law. The act amends existing law related to groundwater management by local agencies. The law requires any public agency seeking State funds administered through DWR for the construction of groundwater projects or groundwater quality projects to prepare and implement a groundwater management plan with certain specified components. Prior to this, there were no required plan components. New requirements include establishing basin management objectives, preparing a plan to involve other local agencies in a cooperative planning effort, and adopting monitoring protocols that promote efficient and effective groundwater management. The requirements apply to agencies that have already adopted groundwater management plans as well as agencies that do not overlie groundwater basins identified in Bulletin 118 and its updates. The requirements do not apply to funds administered through the Local Groundwater Management Assistance Act or to funds authorized or appropriated prior to September 1, 2002.

SB 610
SB 610 makes changes to the Urban Water Management Planning Act to require additional information in Urban Water Management Plans if groundwater is identified as a source available to the supplier. The information required includes a copy of any groundwater management plan adopted by the supplier, a copy of the adjudication order or decree for adjudicated basins, and if non-adjudicated, whether the basin has been identified as being overdrafted or projected to be overdrafted in the most current California Department of Water Resources (DWR) publication on that basin. If the basin is in overdraft, that plan must include current efforts to eliminate any long-term overdraft. A key provision in SB 610 requires that any project subject to the California Environmental Quality Act supplied with water from a public water system be provided a specified water supply assessment, except as specified in the law.

AB 901
AB 901 requires Urban Water Management Plans to include information relating to the quality of existing sources of water available to an urban water supplier over given time periods and the manner in which water quality affects water management strategies and supply.

SB 221
SB 221 prohibits approval of subdivisions consisting of more than 500 dwelling units unless there is verification of sufficient water supplies for the project from the applicable water supplier(s). This requirement also applies to increases of 10 percent or more of service connections for public water systems with less than 500 service connections. The law defines criteria for determining "sufficient water supply" such as using normal, single-dry, and multiple-dry year hydrology and identifying the amount of water that the supplier can reasonably rely on to meet existing and future planned uses. Rights to extract additional groundwater, if used for the project, must be substantiated.