(a)The court may appoint one or more special masters whose duties may include the following:
(1)Investigating technical and legal issues, as directed by the court. The special master shall compile a report of findings in accordance with Section 846.
(2)Conducting joint factfinding with the parties, their designees, or both.
(3)Investigating the need for, and developing a proposal for, a preliminary injunction pursuant to Article 13 (commencing with Section 847).
(4)Performing other tasks the court may deem appropriate.
(b)The court shall fix the special master’s compensation on the basis and terms stated in the appointing order, and the court may set a new basis and new terms after giving the parties notice and an opportunity to be heard. The court shall allocate payment of the special master’s compensation among the parties in an amount and a manner that the court deems equitable. The court may waive a party’s obligations to pay the special master’s compensation upon a showing of good cause.
(c)The court may request the State Water Resources Control Board or the department to recommend candidates for appointment as a special master or to review the qualifications of candidates.
(d)(1) In any adjudication in a basin in which one or more groundwater sustainability agencies have adopted a groundwater sustainability plan that has been approved by the Department
of Water Resources, the court shall request that the groundwater sustainability agency provide a technical report, if the agency is able to do so at a reasonable effort and expense. The report shall, at a minimum, quantify and describe the groundwater use of parties that have not otherwise appeared before the court. The groundwater sustainability agency may include in the report, but is not limited to, parties excused or treated separately pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 833, parties for which the court lacks jurisdiction, and parties that have been, or it is anticipated may be, found in default by the court. The groundwater sustainability agency may provide the report at its own election, and may include areas outside of its jurisdictional boundary if another groundwater sustainability agency in the basin is unable or unwilling to provide a report.
(2)A groundwater sustainability agency that provides a report pursuant to paragraph (1)
shall not be entitled to a fee for its services, but shall be paid or reimbursed the total expense incurred by the agency, including salaries, wages, traveling expenses, and all costs of whatsoever character are properly chargeable to providing the report. The court shall apportion the total expenses reimbursable to the groundwater sustainability agency for providing the report among the parties in an amount, and in a manner, that the court deems equitable.
(3)During the pendency of the report provided pursuant to paragraph (1), upon a noticed motion by a groundwater sustainability agency, and following a hearing by the court after at least 10 days’ notice to the parties, the court may order such interim or partial payments of the expense to be made by the parties.
(4)A report provided by a groundwater sustainability agency pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be prima facie evidence
of the physical facts found in the report, but the court shall hear evidence that may be offered by any party to rebut the report or the prima facie evidence.
(e)This section does not limit the authority of the court to make a reference pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 2000) of Part 3 of Division 2 of the Water Code.
(f)This section does not limit the authority to appoint a watermaster pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 4050) of Part 4 of Division 2 of the Water Code or any other law.