As the drought continued to scorch California, regulatory actions such as mandatory conservation measures took center stage, lessening the number of water bills introduced this year. Even then, five significant water bills confronted the business community. Two were supported by the California Chamber of Commerce and sent to the Governor; three the CalChamber was able to stop. Major Water Bills Move CalChamber-supported AB 1390 (Alejo; D-Salinas) and SB 226 (Pavley; D-Agoura Hills), legislatively joined bills, are likely the most important water bills to pass this session. The need for the bills arose from the far-reaching Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which passed last year and begins to regulate groundwater in California. Groundwater management is necessary to prevent chronic over drafting that leads to collapsing basins and permanent loss of underground storage. Diminishing surface supplies forced more groundwater pumping by well owners like local water districts, private domestic wells and farmers. In the future, when the SGMA is fully implemented, the amount of water pumped will be limited by the amount needed to sustain the basin. AB 1390 is a process and procedural bill that adds a chapter to the Code of Civil Procedure to improve the judicial proceedings in comprehensive [...]
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