[env-trinity] California Assembly passes historic groundwater legislation

[Tom Stokely]

http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_26433548/california-assembly-passes-historic-groundwater-legislation?source=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

California Assembly passes historic groundwater legislation
By Jessica Calefati jcalefati at bayareanewsgroup.com
POSTED:   08/29/2014 01:47:40 PM PDT0 COMMENTS

SACRAMENTO -- The state Assembly today narrowly approved a package of bills designed to regulate the pumping of groundwater in California for the first time in state history and make the most significant changes to state water law in 50 years.Democrats acted on the bills over the strong objections of lawmakers from both parties who represent the Central Valley, where farmers who are struggling to survive the current drought have been pumping an increasing amount of groundwater to irrigate their crops."Mark Twain famously said, 'Whisky is for drinking and water is for fighting over.' Certainly we have had our fair share of fights over water," said Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, the sponsor of one bill."But every single member on this floor recognizes we've been overdrafting groundwater in this state — not just this year, not just since the drought started, but for decades," he said.Two of the three bills in the package still need Senate approval, though
 they're expected to pass in the upper house easily.Although landowners who seek to divert water from reservoirs and rivers have been required to get a permit to do so since 1914, farmers and cities who tap underground aquifers have always been allowed to pump as much as they want. As a result, water tables in places such as the San Joaquin Valley and Paso Robles have dropped dangerously low.The bills requires local government officials to bring "high" or "medium" priority groundwater basins up to sustainable levels by 2040. It aims to address the fact that the Central Valley consumes twice as much groundwater as nature is returning through rain and snow, recent studies have found.Still, lawmakers who represent the Central Valley urged their colleagues to oppose the groundwater pumping legislation because it will harm farmers and the thousands of Californians those farmers employ.
Assemblyman Henry Perea, D-Fresno, said the bill aims to change too much, too fast. And Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway, R-Tulare said accused lawmakers who represent areas not affected by the proposed regulations of rushing to judgement on the bill. "A rushed decision in my opinion is never a good decision," Conway said.
Contact Jessica Calefati at 916-441-2101. Follow her at Twitter.com/calefati. Read the Political Blotter at IBAbuzz.com/politics.
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