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AB-599 Groundwater contamination: quality monitoring program.(2001-2002)

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AB599:v90#DOCUMENT

Assembly Bill No. 599
CHAPTER 522

An act to add Part 2.76 (commencing with Section 10780) to Division 6 of the Water Code, relating to water.

[ Filed with Secretary of State  October 05, 2001. Approved by Governor  October 04, 2001. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 599, Liu. Groundwater contamination: quality monitoring program.
Existing law declares that groundwater is a valuable natural resource in the state and should be managed to ensure its safe production and its quality. Existing law authorizes specified local agencies to adopt and implement groundwater management plans.
This bill would require the State Water Resources Control Board to integrate existing monitoring programs and design new program elements, as necessary, for the purpose of establishing a comprehensive monitoring program capable of assessing each groundwater basin in the state through direct and other statistically reliable sampling approaches, and to create an interagency task force to identify actions necessary to establish the monitoring program and to identify measures that would increase coordination among state and federal agencies that collect groundwater contamination information. The bill would require the state board to convene a described advisory committee to the task force. The bill would require the state board, in consultation with other specified agencies, to submit to the Governor and the Legislature, on or before March 1, 2003, a report that includes a description of a comprehensive groundwater quality monitoring program for the state.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 The Legislature finds and declares the following:
(a) The importance of maintaining and monitoring a safe groundwater supply in this state for purposes of maintaining a healthy environment and a safe supply of drinking water cannot be minimized.
(b) The lack of information about groundwater contamination greatly impairs the ability of regulators and the public to protect and restore the state’s groundwater basins.
(c) The Groundwater Quality Monitoring Act of 2001 enacted by this act is necessary to protect and restore groundwater as a valuable natural resource in California.

SEC. 2.

 Part 2.76 (commencing with Section 10780) is added to Division 6 of the Water Code, to read:

PART 2.76. GROUNDWATER QUALITY MONITORING

10780.
 This part shall be known and may be cited as the Groundwater Quality Monitoring Act of 2001.

10781.
 In order to improve comprehensive groundwater monitoring and increase the availability to the public of information about groundwater contamination, the state board, in consultation with other responsible agencies, as specified in this section, shall do all of the following:
(a) Integrate existing monitoring programs and design new program elements as necessary to establish a comprehensive monitoring program capable of assessing each groundwater basin in the state through direct and other statistically reliable sampling approaches. The interagency task force established pursuant to subdivision (b) shall determine the constituents to be included in the monitoring program. In designing the comprehensive monitoring program, the state board, among other things, shall integrate projects established in response to the Supplemental Report of the 1999 Budget Act, strive to take advantage of and incorporate existing data whenever possible, and prioritize groundwater basins that supply drinking water.
(b) (1) Create an interagency task force for all of the following purposes:
(A) Identifying actions necessary to establish the monitoring program.
(B) Identifying measures to increase coordination among state and federal agencies that collect information regarding groundwater contamination in the state.
(C) Designing a database capable of supporting the monitoring program that is compatible with the state board’s geotracker database.
(D) Assessing the scope and nature of necessary monitoring enhancements.
(E) Identifying the cost of any recommended measures.
(F) Identifying the means by which to make monitoring information available to the public.
(2) The interagency task force shall consist of a representative of each of the following entities:
(A) The state board.
(B) The department.
(C) The State Department of Health Services.
(D) The Department of Pesticide Regulation.
(E) The Department of Toxic Substances Control.
(F) The Department of Food and Agriculture.
(c) Convene an advisory committee to the interagency task force, with a membership that includes all of the following:
(1) Two representatives of appropriate federal agencies, if those agencies wish to participate.
(2) Two representatives of public water systems, one of which shall be a representative of a retail water supplier.
(3) Two representatives of environmental organizations.
(4) Two representatives of the business community.
(5) One representative of a local agency that is currently implementing a plan pursuant to Part 2.75 (commencing with Section 10750).
(6) Two representatives of agriculture.
(7) Two representatives from groundwater management entities.
(d) (1) The members of the advisory committee may receive a per diem allowance for each day’s attendance at a meeting of the advisory committee.
(2) The members of the advisory committee may be reimbursed for actual and necessary travel expenses incurred in connection with their official duties.

10782.
 On or before March 1, 2003, the state board, in consultation with the other task force agencies specified in Section 10781, shall report to the Governor and the Legislature. The multiagency report shall include all of the following:
(a) A detailed description of a comprehensive groundwater quality monitoring program for California that accomplishes the goals and objectives of the act adding this part.
(b) A description of how the program takes maximum advantage of existing information and an assessment of additional monitoring necessary to support the program.
(c) A specific set of recommendations for coordinating and, as necessary, restructuring existing monitoring programs to efficiently achieve the goals of this part.
(d) An estimate of funding necessary to implement the comprehensive program and the factual basis for the estimate.
(e) Recommendations with regard to an ongoing source of funds to pay for the program.
(f) A ranked list of actions that, if implemented independently, would increase the effectiveness of monitoring efforts.

10782.3.
 The state board shall use existing resources to carry out this part, and the operation of the program set forth in this part shall not supplant the operation of any other program required to be undertaken by the state board.