SB 5

Bill Subjects

Abstract

(1) Existing law generally prohibits the state, or a county, city, district, or other political subdivision, or any public officer or body acting in its official capacity on behalf of any of those entities, from being required to pay any fee for the performance of an official service. Existing law exempts from this provision any fee or charge for official services required pursuant to specified provisions of law relating to water use or water quality. This bill would expand the exemption to other provisions relating to water use, including provisions that require the payment of fees to the State Water Resources Control Board for official services relating to statements of water diversion. (2) Existing law authorizes the State Water Resources Control Board to investigate all streams, stream systems, lakes, or other bodies of water, take testimony relating to the rights to water or the use of water, and ascertain whether water filed upon or attempted to be appropriated is appropriated under the laws of the state. Existing law requires the board to take appropriate actions to prevent waste or the unreasonable use of water. Under existing law, the board makes determinations with regard to the availability of recycled water. This bill would authorize the board, in conducting an investigation or proceeding for these purposes, to order any person or entity that diverts water or uses water to submit any technical or monitoring report related to the diversion or use of water by that person or entity. The bill would authorize the board, in connection with the investigation or proceeding, to inspect the facilities of any person or entity to determine compliance with specified water use requirements. (3) Existing law authorizes the State Water Resources Control Board, upon the submission of a petition signed by a claimant to water of any stream system requesting a determination of rights among the claimants to that water, to enter an order granting the petition. After granting the petition, the board is required to investigate the stream system to gather information necessary to make a determination of the water rights of that stream system. This bill would authorize the board to initiate a determination of rights under its own motion if after a hearing it finds, based on substantial evidence, that the public interest and necessity will be served by a determination of rights. (4) Existing law declares that the diversion or use of water other than as authorized by specified provisions of law is a trespass. Existing law authorizes the administrative imposition of civil liability by the board for a trespass in an amount not to exceed $500 for each day in which the trespass occurs. Moneys generated by the imposition of civil liability under these provisions are deposited in the Water Rights Fund. This bill would provide that a person or entity committing a trespass may be liable in an amount not to exceed the sum of $1,000 or $5,000 for each day in which the trespass occurs, as specified, or the highest market value of the water, whichever is the greater amount. The moneys would be required to be deposited in the Water Rights Fund, as specified. The bill would establish the Water Rights Protection Subaccount in the Water Rights Fund. Specified penalties would be required to be deposited in the subaccount. The bill would state legislative intent regarding the expenditure of the moneys in the subaccount. (5) Existing law, with certain exceptions, requires each person who diverts water after December 31, 1965, to file with the State Water Resources Control Board a prescribed statement of diversion and use. Existing law requires a statement to include specified information, including, on and after January 1, 2012, monthly records of water diversions. Under existing law, the monthly record requirement does not apply to a surface water diversion with a combined diversion capacity from a natural channel that is less than 50 cubic feet per second or to diverters using siphons in the tidal zone. Existing law subjects a person who makes a material misstatement in connection with the filing of the diversion and use statements to administratively imposed civil penalties in the amount of $500 for each violation. This bill would revise the types of water diversions for which the reporting requirement does not apply, including, among other diversions, a diversion that occurs before January 1, 2009, if certain requirements are met. The bill would delete exceptions to the monthly record requirement, and revise requirements relating to the contents of the statement of diversions and use. The bill would subject a person to civil liability if that person fails to file, as required, a diversion and use statement for a diversion or use that occurs after January 1, 2009, tampers with any measuring device, or makes a material misstatement in connection with the filing of a diversion and use statement. The board would be authorized to impose the civil liability in accordance with a specified schedule. Funds recovered pursuant to these provisions would be required to be deposited in the Water Rights Fund, as specified. The bill would authorize the board and the Department of Water Resources to adopt emergency regulations for the electronic filing of reports of water diversion or use that are required to be filed with those respective state agencies under specified statutory provisions. The bill would establish a rebuttable presumption, in any proceeding before the board in which it is alleged that an appropriative right has ceased or is subject to prescribed action, that no use required to be included in a statement of diversion and use occurred unless that use is included in a statement that is submitted to the board within a specified time period. The bill would require a person who files a statement of diversion and use, and certain petitions involving a change in a water right, to pay an annual fee, for deposit in the Water Rights Fund. The bill would include as recoverable costs, for which the board may be reimbursed from the fund upon appropriation therefor, costs incurred in connection with carrying out requirements relating to the statements of diversion and use and the performance of duties under the public trust doctrine and provisions that require the reasonable use of water. (6) Existing law authorizes the State Water Resources Control Board to issue a cease and desist order against a person who is violating, or threatening to violate, certain requirements, including requirements set forth in a decision or order relating to the unauthorized use of water. Any person who violates a cease and desist order may be liable in an amount not to exceed $1,000 for each day in which the violation occurs. Revenue generated from these penalties is deposited in the Water Rights Fund. This bill would increase, as specified, the civil penalties that apply to a person who violates a cease and desist order. The bill would impose civil liability, in an amount not to exceed $500 for each day in which a violation occurs, for a failure to comply with various reporting or monitoring requirements, including requirements imposed pursuant to the public trust doctrine. The bill would authorize the board to impose additional civil liability, in an amount not to exceed $500 for each day in which a violation occurs, for the violation of a permit, license, certificate, or registration, or an order or regulation involving the unreasonable use of water. Funds derived from the imposition of these civil penalties would be deposited in the Water Rights Fund, as specified. The bill would require that, in a proceeding before the board in which it is alleged that an appropriative water right has ceased, or is subject to prescribed action, there would be a rebuttable presumption that no use occurred on or after January 1, 2009, unless that diversion or use was reported to the board within 6 months after it is required to be filed with the board. (7) The Budget Act of 2009 made appropriations for the support of the State Water Resources Control Board for the 2009–10 fiscal year, with certain payments from the Water Rights Fund. This bill would amend and supplement the Budget Act of 2009 by making an additional appropriation from the fund to support water rights enforcement. The bill would, commencing with the 2010–11 fiscal year, continuously appropriate $3,750,000 on an annual basis only from fee revenue in the fund to the board for the purpose of funding permanent water rights enforcement positions. (8) This bill would take effect only if SB 1, SB 6, and 7 of the 2009–10 7th Extraordinary Session of the Legislative are enacted and become effective.