Plain English Breakdown
The official text confirms the two-year evaluation timeline and joint submission requirements as part of 'existing law' that this bill references, rather than new mandates created solely by AB-709.
AB-709: Updating Groundwater Plan Rules
This law clarifies that agencies managing groundwater can change their coordination agreements after the state reviews and assesses their plans.
What This Bill Does
- Requires local agencies to submit groundwater sustainability plans to the Department of Water Resources for review upon adoption.
- Mandates a joint submission when multiple agencies cover an entire basin with separate plans, including the plans, an explanation of how they meet act provisions, and their coordination agreement.
- Sets a rule that the department must evaluate each plan within two years of receiving it and issue an assessment.
- Allows agencies to amend their coordination agreements after the state issues its assessment.
Who It Names or Affects
- Groundwater sustainability agencies managing high- or medium-priority basins.
- The Department of Water Resources, which reviews and assesses the plans.
Terms To Know
- Groundwater Sustainability Plan
- A plan required by law to manage groundwater in high- or medium-priority basins.
- Coordination Agreement
- An agreement between multiple agencies working together on the same groundwater basin.
Limits and Unknowns
- The law only applies to basins labeled as high- or medium-priority by the Department of Water Resources.
- This bill clarifies existing rules but does not change other requirements for submitting plans or meeting state standards.