Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 245, Sec. 1. (SB 552) Effective January 1, 2022.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a)Droughts are predicted to become more frequent, longer, and more severe as climate change progresses, putting drinking water supplies at risk of running dry or becoming contaminated.
(b)As demonstrated by the most recent drought from 2012 to 2016, inclusive, (2012–16 drought) drought conditions disproportionally impact low-income, small, and rural communities, as demonstrated by all of the following:
(1)(A) Rural communities are more likely to rely solely on groundwater from small water suppliers or domestic wells.
(B)Domestic wells tend to be shallower and are susceptible to running dry when groundwater is overpumped.
(2)(A) The 2012–16 drought negatively impacted over 480,000 people relying on drought-impacted public water systems.
(B)Seventy-six percent of impacted public water systems were small, serving 1,000 service connections or fewer and concentrated in the southern San Joaquin Valley.
(c)There are currently varying levels of water contingency planning and coverage across counties for small water suppliers and self-supplied communities, leaving hundreds of thousands of people at risk of going without water to meet their basic household and drinking water needs during the next drought.
(d)If another drought occurs that is as severe as the 2012–16 drought, more than 4,500 domestic wells in the San Joaquin Valley may be impacted. The cost to mitigate this damage could be more than one hundred fifteen million dollars ($115,000,000).
(e)No one should go without running water during a drought. California can take basic steps to implement more proactive drought planning that would benefit the communities most at risk, and by doing so help prevent catastrophic impacts on drinking water for the communities most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.