Sustainable Groundwater Management Act: groundwater adjudication.
- Requires courts to prioritize sustainable groundwater yield determinations before other issues in basin adjudications.
- Mandates consolidation of legal actions against groundwater agencies when basins are being adjudicated.
- Prohibits courts from allowing more groundwater pumping than the sustainable yield set in validated management plans.
- Requires courts to consider impacts on small farmers and disadvantaged communities in water rights decisions.
Assembly Member Papan's groundwater management legislation modifies California's judicial procedures for groundwater basin adjudications to align more closely with the state's sustainable groundwater planning framework. The bill requires courts to consolidate legal challenges to groundwater sustainability plans with comprehensive basin adjudications and mandates that sustainable yield determinations receive priority consideration in these proceedings.
The legislation establishes new parameters for court judgments in groundwater cases, prohibiting rulings that would allow pumping to exceed sustainable yield levels established in validated groundwater sustainability plans. It defines when a judgment "substantially impairs" agencies' ability to achieve sustainable management - specifically, if the ruling permits extraction beyond the basin's sustainable yield as determined through the planning process. Courts must also consider existing sustainability plans before imposing physical solutions in adjudication cases.
For groundwater sustainability agencies, the bill adjusts the timeline for filing plan validation actions to within 180 days of adoption while limiting courts' ability to review technical determinations delegated to state agencies. The measure maintains requirements that judgments account for small farmers and disadvantaged communities while adding provisions for adopting stipulated agreements supported by a majority of groundwater users in a basin.
These changes aim to coordinate California's parallel systems of groundwater rights adjudication and sustainability planning. The bill's procedural modifications seek to prevent conflicting determinations about sustainable basin management while preserving established water rights priorities and constitutional principles.
This bill was recently introduced. Email the authors to let them know what you think about it.
Introduced By
Latest Voting History
 Diane PapanD Assembly Member | Bill Author |  Not Contacted | |
 Jeff GonzalezR Assembly Member | Committee Member | Not Contacted |
| Bill Number | Title | Introduced Date | Status | Link to Bill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
AB-1466 | Groundwater adjudication: burden of proof. | February 2025 | Introduced | |
AB-779 | Groundwater: adjudication. | February 2023 | Passed | |
AB-560 | Sustainable Groundwater Management Act: groundwater adjudication. | February 2023 | Failed | |
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act: groundwater adjudication. | February 2015 | Passed |
- Requires courts to prioritize sustainable groundwater yield determinations before other issues in basin adjudications.
- Mandates consolidation of legal actions against groundwater agencies when basins are being adjudicated.
- Prohibits courts from allowing more groundwater pumping than the sustainable yield set in validated management plans.
- Requires courts to consider impacts on small farmers and disadvantaged communities in water rights decisions.
This bill was recently introduced. Email the authors to let them know what you think about it.
Introduced By
Assembly Member Papan's groundwater management legislation modifies California's judicial procedures for groundwater basin adjudications to align more closely with the state's sustainable groundwater planning framework. The bill requires courts to consolidate legal challenges to groundwater sustainability plans with comprehensive basin adjudications and mandates that sustainable yield determinations receive priority consideration in these proceedings.
The legislation establishes new parameters for court judgments in groundwater cases, prohibiting rulings that would allow pumping to exceed sustainable yield levels established in validated groundwater sustainability plans. It defines when a judgment "substantially impairs" agencies' ability to achieve sustainable management - specifically, if the ruling permits extraction beyond the basin's sustainable yield as determined through the planning process. Courts must also consider existing sustainability plans before imposing physical solutions in adjudication cases.
For groundwater sustainability agencies, the bill adjusts the timeline for filing plan validation actions to within 180 days of adoption while limiting courts' ability to review technical determinations delegated to state agencies. The measure maintains requirements that judgments account for small farmers and disadvantaged communities while adding provisions for adopting stipulated agreements supported by a majority of groundwater users in a basin.
These changes aim to coordinate California's parallel systems of groundwater rights adjudication and sustainability planning. The bill's procedural modifications seek to prevent conflicting determinations about sustainable basin management while preserving established water rights priorities and constitutional principles.
Latest Voting History
Diane PapanD Assembly Member | Bill Author | Not Contacted | |
Jeff GonzalezR Assembly Member | Committee Member | Not Contacted |
| Bill Number | Title | Introduced Date | Status | Link to Bill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
AB-1466 | Groundwater adjudication: burden of proof. | February 2025 | Introduced | |
AB-779 | Groundwater: adjudication. | February 2023 | Passed | |
AB-560 | Sustainable Groundwater Management Act: groundwater adjudication. | February 2023 | Failed | |
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act: groundwater adjudication. | February 2015 | Passed |