BILL NUMBER: AB 1242	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  JULY 16, 2015
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 5, 2015

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Gray

                        FEBRUARY 27, 2015

   An act to add Section 13145.5 to the Water Code, relating to water
quality.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1242, as amended, Gray. Water quality:  impacts on
groundwater: instream flows.   groundwater impacts.

   Existing law establishes the State Water Resources Control Board
and the 9 California regional water quality control boards as the
principal state agencies with authority over matters relating to
water quality. Existing law requires the state board to formulate and
adopt state policy for water quality control. Existing law requires
each regional board to formulate and adopt water quality control
plans for all areas within the region and prohibits a water quality
control plan, or a revision of the plan, adopted by a regional board,
from becoming effective unless it is approved by the state board.
   Existing law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, requires
all groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins
by the Department of Water Resources that are designated as basins
subject to critical conditions of overdraft to be managed under a
groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater
sustainability plans by January 31, 2020, and requires all other
groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins to
be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated
groundwater sustainability plans by January 31, 2022, except as
specified.
   This bill would require the state  board to take into
consideration any applicable groundwater sustainability plan or
alternative   board,  in formulating state policy
for water quality control and adopting or approving a water quality
control  plan that affects a groundwater basin. This bill
would require the state board to identify projects for fish recovery
that may be undertaken in lieu of instream flows before adopting or
approving water quality objectives or a program of implementation
that requires instream flows for protection of instream beneficial
uses.   plan, to take into consideration, consistent
with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act,
any applicable groundwater sustainability plan or alternative and
available information and data regarding the impacts of groundwater
use and management on beneficial uses of surface waters. 
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 13145.5 is added to the Water Code, to read:
   13145.5.   (a)    In formulating
state policy for water quality control and adopting or approving a
water quality control  plan that affects a groundwater basin,
  plan,  the state board shall take into 
consideration   consideration, consistent with the
requirements of Division 13 (commencing   with Section
21000) of the Public Resources Code,  any applicable groundwater
sustainability plan or alternative adopted or approved under Part
2.74 (commencing with Section 10720) of Division  6.
  6 and available information and data regarding the
impacts of groundwater use and management on beneficial uses of
surface waters.  
   (b) Before adopting or approving water quality objectives or a
program of implementation that requires instream flows for protection
of instream beneficial uses, the state board shall identify projects
for fish recovery that may be undertaken in lieu of instream flows.