1610.

 (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), this chapter does not apply to any of the following:

(1) Immediate emergency work necessary to protect life or property.

(2) Immediate emergency repairs to public service facilities necessary to maintain service as a result of a disaster in an area in which a state of emergency has been proclaimed by the Governor pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 8550) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

(3) Emergency projects undertaken, carried out, or approved by a state or local governmental agency to maintain, repair, or restore an existing highway, as defined in Section 360 of the Vehicle Code, within the existing right-of-way of the highway, that has been damaged as a result of fire, flood, storm, earthquake, land subsidence, gradual earth movement, or landslide, within one year of the damage. Work needed in the vicinity above and below a highway may be conducted outside of the existing right-of-way if it is needed to stop ongoing or recurring mudslides, landslides, or erosion that pose an immediate threat to the highway, or to restore those roadways damaged by mudslides, landslides, or erosion to their predamage condition and functionality. This paragraph does not exempt from this chapter any project undertaken, carried out, or approved by a state or local governmental agency to expand or widen a highway damaged by fire, flood, storm, earthquake, land subsidence, gradual earth movement, or landslide. The exception provided in this paragraph does not apply to a highway designated as an official state scenic highway pursuant to Section 262 of the Streets and Highways Code.

(4) The temporary operation of existing infrastructure or temporary pumps being used to divert flood stage and monitor stage flows, as identified by the California Nevada River Forecast Center or the State Water Resources Control Board, or near-flood stage flows, which are defined to mean that flood stage flows are forecast within 10 days, to beneficial groundwater recharge as long as all of the following conditions are met:

(A) The diversions cease when the flows are no longer flood stage stage, near-flood stage, or monitor stage within the State Water Resources Control Board permitted flows.

(B) Diverted water is not diverted or applied to any of the following:

(i) Dairy land application areas.

(ii) Any agricultural field where pesticide or fertilizer application has occurred in the last 30 days.

(iii) Any area that could cause damage to critical levees, infrastructure, wastewater and water systems, drinking water wells or drinking water supplies, or exacerbate the threat of flood and other health and safety concerns.

(iv) Any area that has not been in active irrigated agricultural cultivation within the past three years, including grazing lands, annual grasslands, and natural habitats. This limitation does not apply to facilities already constructed for the purpose of groundwater recharge or managed wetlands.

(C) The diversion utilizes all of the following:

(i) Existing diversion infrastructure or temporary pumps.

(ii) Existing groundwater recharge locations, where available.

(iii) No new permanent infrastructure or permanent construction.

(iv) Simple screens installed on pump intakes to minimize the impact of diversion to salmon and other aquatic life.

(D) Applicable fees are paid, pursuant to Section 1609.

(b) The entity performing the emergency work or other necessary work described in subdivision (a) shall notify the department of the work, in writing, within 14 days of beginning the work. Any work described in the notification that does not meet the criteria for the emergency work or other necessary work described in subdivision (a) is a violation of this chapter if the entity did not first notify the department in accordance with Section 1602 or 1611.