Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law Sen. Fran Pavley’s Groundwater Management Act, Senate Bill 226.
The legislation strengthens last year’s landmark Sustainable Groundwater Management Act by providing an expedited, more efficient method for determining the rights of opposing parties to pump groundwater from a shared aquifer.
Quicker “adjudication” of water-related squabbles will speed up the planning process for protecting subterranean basins under the 2014 legislation.
Sen. Fran Pavley
The overhaul of the adjudication process is made possible by pairing the bill by Sen. Fran Pavley of Agoura Hills with a complementary measure, Assembly Bill 1390 by Assemblyman Luis Alejo of Watsonville.
Settling disputes over ownership of subterranean water basins has been a complex and time-consuming task throughout California’s history. Court battles routinely last more than a decade, and one current case in the Antelope Valley has been going on for more than 15 years.
The result of such prolonged legal action is packed courtrooms and massive attorney’s fees.
“That’s good for the lawyers…but it’s also costing a lot of money to the people who have the rights…” said Appellate Court Justice Ronald Robie at a 2014 hearing of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.
“Making groundwater settlements easier to achieve is an essential ingredient for ensuring that the Groundwater Management Act works as planned,” said Pavley. “Among other things, the law requires that each high-and-medium priority basin be run on a sustainable basis.”
Lawsuits over groundwater rights are commonplace and occur when a party contends that it’s being harmed by excessive pumping that lowers water tables, causes soil subsidence, saltwater intrusion and other problems.
SB 226 will reduce needless delays while still protecting the due-process rights of litigants.
Fran Pavley represents western portions of the Santa Clarita Valley in the state Senate.
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1 Comment
Good job!!