Kuehl Water Bill SB 820 Resurfaces as SB 1640

The Kuehl water bill SB 820 from the 2004-2005 legislative session has resurfaced as SB 1640. The new version contains much of the same content as the previous version including:

1. Increased reporting on the State Water Project.
2. Addresses some issues related to exemptions for diversion reporting to reduce redundancy and expands civil liabilities.
3. Incorporation of energy discussion into the State Water Plan five-year updates.
4. Would require that electric and gas service public utilities be among the coordinating agencies that participate in urban water plan preparation, and expands the public notice requirements on preparation and adoption of urban water management plans.
5. Makes an urban water supplier who fails to submit an urban water management plan ineligible for state funds from DWR, SWRCB or CBDA.
6. Groundwater management plans (GMPs):
   
   1. Requires local agencies to update GMPs on or before December 21, 2008, and every five years thereafter;
   2. Declares the Legislature's intent that all groundwater basins be locally managed
   3. That for those groundwater basins not being locally managed, that voluntary cooperative groundwater monitoring associations be allowed to form to monitor groundwater levels.
   4. Where monitoring is not occurring, would declare the intent of the Legislature that DWR monitor groundwater levels and assess fees for monitoring costs.
7. Would substantially revise the law relating to agricultural water management planning to require DWR to conduct a survey and report to the Legislature and make recommendations regarding the definition of agricultural water supplier, would require the Legislature to respond and enact legislation regarding a new definition of agricultural water supplier, and would require the newly defined agricultural water supplier to prepare and adopt an agricultural water management plan.
8. Would require the DWR to conduct an investigation of the state's groundwater basins and report its findings to the Governor and Legislature not later than January 1, 2010, and every five years thereafter.

The new version does not contain the previous version 25 acre-feet per year groundwater extraction reporting requirement.

The March 9, 2006 version of the full bill is available at http://www.grac.org/SB1640.pdf.