California Assembly Bill AB453 Introduced / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 453INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Bigelow FEBRUARY 23, 2015 An act to amend Section 10750.1 of the Water Code, relating to groundwater. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 453, as introduced, Bigelow. Groundwater management. Existing law, 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. Existing law, with certain exceptions, prohibits a local agency from adopting a new groundwater management plan and requires an existing groundwater management plan to remain in effect until a groundwater sustainability plan is adopted. This bill would authorize, until a groundwater sustainability plan is adopted, a local agency to amend an existing groundwater management plan in furtherance of, and consistent with, the groundwater management plan's objectives. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 10750.1 of the Water Code is amended to read: 10750.1. (a) Beginning January 1, 2015, a new plan shall not be adopted and an existing plan shall not be renewed pursuant to this part, except as provided in subdivision (b). A plan adopted before January 1, 2015, shall remain in effect until a groundwater sustainability plan is adopted pursuant to Part 2.74 (commencing with Section  10720).   10720), and may be amended in furtherance of, and consistent with, plan objectives until a groundwater sustainability plan is adopted.  (b) This section does not apply to a low- or very low priority basin as categorized for the purposes of Part 2.74 (commencing with Section 10720). (c) This section does not apply to a plan submitted as an alternative pursuant to Section 10733.6, unless the department has not determined that the alternative satisfies the objectives of Part 2.74 (commencing with Section 10720) on or before January 31, 2020, or the department later determines that the plan does not satisfy the objectives of that part.