AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 16, 2022

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

96

CHAPTER 682

Statutes of 2022

[ Approved by Governor September 28, 2022. Filed with Secretary of State September 28, 2022. ]

Introduced by Senator Stern

February 18, 2022

An act to add Section 10738 to the Water Code, relating to groundwater.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: no   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

The Sustainable Groundwater Management 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.

This bill would provide that the approval of a groundwater sustainability plan by the department shall not be construed to be a determination by or otherwise an opinion of the department that the allocation of groundwater pumping rights in the plan are consistent with groundwater rights law.

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

SECTION 1.

Section 10738 is added to the Water Code, to read:

10738.

The approval of a groundwater sustainability plan by the department shall not be construed to be a determination by or otherwise an opinion of the department that the allocation of groundwater pumping rights in the plan are consistent with groundwater rights law.