AB 453: Extraction of groundwater: Semitropic Water Storage District.

The California Water Storage District Law authorizes the formation of water storage districts, as prescribed, with specified powers. 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.

This bill would authorize the Semitropic Water Storage District to collect groundwater extraction information and to require the reporting of groundwater information, as specified. This bill would authorize the district to impose fees on the extraction of groundwater from the basin, as prescribed.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Semitropic Water Storage District.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.