Article 2 - Contents of Plans

California Water Code — §§ 10825-10829

Sections (6)

Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 15, Sec. 14. (AB 1668) Effective January 1, 2019.

(a)It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this part to allow levels of water management planning commensurate with the numbers of customers served and the volume of water supplied.

(b)This part does not require the implementation of water use efficiency programs or practices that are not locally cost effective.

§ 10826

Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 15, Sec. 15. (AB 1668) Effective January 1, 2019.

An agricultural water management plan shall be adopted in accordance with this chapter. The plan shall do all of the following:

(a)Describe the agricultural water supplier and the service area, including all of the following:

(1)Size of the service area.

(2)Location of the service area and its water management facilities.

(3)Terrain and soils.

(4)Climate.

(5)Operating rules and

regulations.

(6)Water delivery measurements or calculations.

(7)Water rate schedules and billing.

(8)Water shortage allocation policies.

(b)Describe the quantity and quality of water resources of the agricultural water supplier, including all of the following:

(1)Surface water supply.

(2)Groundwater supply.

(3)Other water supplies, including recycled water.

(4)Source water quality monitoring practices.

(5)Water uses within the agricultural water supplier’s service area, including all of the following:

(A)Agricultural.

(B)Environmental.

(C)Recreational.

(D)Municipal and industrial.

(E)Groundwater recharge, including estimated flows from deep percolation from irrigation and seepage.

(c)Include an annual water budget based on the quantification of all inflow and outflow components for the service area of the agricultural water supplier. Components of inflow shall

include surface inflow, groundwater pumping in the service area, and effective precipitation. Components of outflow shall include surface outflow, deep percolation, and evapotranspiration. An agricultural water supplier shall report the annual water budget on a water-year basis. The department shall provide tools and resources to assist agricultural water suppliers in developing and quantifying components necessary to develop a water budget.

(d)Include an analysis, based on available information, of the effect of climate change on future water supplies.

(e)Describe previous water management activities.

(f)Identify water management objectives based on the water budget to improve water system efficiency or to meet other water management

objectives. The agricultural water supplier shall identify, prioritize, and implement actions to reduce water loss, improve water system management, and meet other water management objectives identified in the plan.

(g)Include in the plan information regarding efficient water management practices required pursuant to Section 10608.48.

(h)Quantify the efficiency of agricultural water use within the service area of the agricultural water supplier using the appropriate method or methods from among the four water use efficiency quantification methods developed by the department in the May 8, 2012, report to the Legislature entitled “A Proposed Methodology for Quantifying the Efficiency of Agricultural Water Use.” The agricultural water supplier shall account for all water uses,

including crop water use, agronomic water use, environmental water use, and recoverable surface flows.

§ 10826.2

Added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 15, Sec. 16. (AB 1668) Effective January 1, 2019.

As part of its agricultural water management plan, each agricultural water supplier shall develop a drought plan for periods of limited water supply describing the actions of the agricultural water supplier for drought preparedness and management of water supplies and allocations during drought conditions. The drought plan shall contain both of the following:

(a)Resilience planning, including all of the following:

(1)Data, indicators, and information needed to determine the water supply availability and levels of drought severity.

(2)Analyses and

identification of potential vulnerability to drought.

(3)A description of the opportunities and constraints for improving drought resilience planning, including all of the following:

(A)The availability of new technology or information.

(B)The ability of the agricultural water supplier to obtain or use additional water supplies during drought conditions.

(C)A description of other actions planned for implementation to improve drought resilience.

(b)Drought response planning, including all of the following:

(1)Policies and a process for

declaring a water shortage and for implementing water shortage allocations and related response actions.

(2)Methods and procedures for the enforcement or appeal of, or exemption from, triggered shortage response actions.

(3)Methods and procedures for monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of the drought plan.

(4)Communication protocols and procedures to inform and coordinate customers, the public, interested parties, and local, regional, and state government.

(5)A description of the potential impacts on the revenues, financial condition, and planned expenditures of the agricultural water supplier during drought conditions that reduce water allocations,

and proposed measures to overcome those impacts, including reserve-level policies.

§ 10827

Added by Stats. 2009, 7th Ex. Sess., Ch. 4, Sec. 4. (SB 7 7x) Effective February 3, 2010.

Agricultural water suppliers that are members of the Agricultural Water Management Council, and that submit water management plans to that council in accordance with the “Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Efficient Water Management Practices By Agricultural Water Suppliers In California,” dated January 1, 1999, may submit the water management plans identifying water demand management measures currently being implemented, or scheduled for implementation, to satisfy the requirements of Section 10826.

§ 10828

Added by Stats. 2009, 7th Ex. Sess., Ch. 4, Sec. 4. (SB 7 7x) Effective February 3, 2010.

(a)Agricultural water suppliers that are required to submit water conservation plans to the United States Bureau of Reclamation pursuant to either the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (Public Law 102-575) or the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982, or both, may submit those water conservation plans to satisfy the requirements of Section 10826, if both of the following apply:

(1)The agricultural water supplier has adopted and submitted the water conservation plan to the United States Bureau of Reclamation within the previous four years.

(2)The United States Bureau of Reclamation has accepted the water conservation plan as

adequate.

(b)This part does not require agricultural water suppliers that are required to submit water conservation plans to the United States Bureau of Reclamation pursuant to either the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (Public Law 102-575) or the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982, or both, to prepare and adopt water conservation plans according to a schedule that is different from that required by the United States Bureau of Reclamation.

§ 10829

Added by Stats. 2009, 7th Ex. Sess., Ch. 4, Sec. 4. (SB 7 7x) Effective February 3, 2010.

An agricultural water supplier may satisfy the requirements of this part by adopting an urban water management plan pursuant to Part 2.6 (commencing with Section 10610) or by participation in areawide, regional, watershed, or basinwide water management planning if those plans meet or exceed the requirements of this part.