SECTIONS 10540-10543 - California Statutes

WATER CODE

SECTION 10540-10543

10540. (a) A regional water management group may prepare and adopt
an integrated regional water management plan in accordance with this
part.
(b) A regional water management group may coordinate its planning
activities to address or incorporate all or part of any of the
following actions of its members into its plan:
(1) Groundwater management planning pursuant to Part 2.75
(commencing with Section 10750) or other specific groundwater
management authority.
(2) Urban water management planning pursuant to Part 2.6
(commencing with Section 10610).
(3) The preparation of a water supply assessment required pursuant
to Part 2.10 (commencing with Section 10910).
(4) Agricultural water management planning pursuant to Part 2.8
(commencing with Section 10800).
(5) City and county general planning pursuant to Section 65350 of
the Government Code.
(6) Stormwater resource planning that is undertaken pursuant to
Part 2.3 (commencing with Section 10560).
(7) Other water resource management planning, including flood
protection, watershed management planning, and multipurpose program
planning.
(c) At a minimum, all plans shall address all of the following:
(1) Protection and improvement of water supply reliability,
including identification of feasible agricultural and urban water use
efficiency strategies.
(2) Identification and consideration of the drinking water quality
of communities within the area of the plan.
(3) Protection and improvement of water quality within the area of
the plan, consistent with the relevant basin plan.
(4) Identification of any significant threats to groundwater
resources from overdrafting.
(5) Protection, restoration, and improvement of stewardship of
aquatic, riparian, and watershed resources within the region.
(6) Protection of groundwater resources from contamination.
(7) Identification and consideration of the water-related needs of
disadvantaged communities in the area within the boundaries of the
plan.
(d) This section does not obligate a local agency to fund the
implementation of any project or program.

10541. (a) The department shall develop project solicitation and
evaluation guidelines for the application of funds made available
pursuant to Section 75026 of the Public Resources Code, to enable
broad and diverse participation in integrated regional water
management plan development and refinement.
(b) The department shall conduct two public meetings to consider
public comments prior to finalizing the guidelines. The department
shall publish the draft solicitation and evaluation guidelines on its
Internet Web site at least 30 days before the public meetings. One
meeting shall be conducted at a location in northern California and
one meeting shall be conducted at a location in southern California.
Upon adoption, the department shall transmit copies of the guidelines
to the fiscal committees and the appropriate policy committees of
the Legislature. To the extent feasible, each state agency shall
provide outreach to disadvantaged communities to promote access to
and participation in those meetings.
(c) The department shall consult with the board, the California
regional water quality control boards, the State Department of Public
Health, the Department of Fish and Game, the California Bay-Delta
Authority or its successor, and other state agencies with water
management responsibility and authority in the development of the
guidelines.
(d) The department may periodically review and update the
guidelines to accommodate changes in funding sources, statutory
requirements, new commonly accepted management practices, and changes
in state water management policy. Any guideline changes shall be
made with appropriate consultation with other state agencies and
public review pursuant to subdivisions (b) and (c).
(e) The guidelines shall require that integrated regional water
management plans include all of the following:
(1) Consideration of all of the resource management strategies
identified in the California Water Plan, as updated by department
Bulletin No. 160-2005 and future updates.
(2) Consideration of objectives in the appropriate basin plan or
plans and strategies to meet applicable water quality standards.
(3) Description of the major water-related objectives and
conflicts within a region.
(4) Measurable regional objectives and criteria for developing
regional project priorities.
(5) An integrated, collaborative, multibenefit approach to
selection and design of projects and programs.
(6) Identification and consideration of the water-related needs of
disadvantaged communities in the area within the boundaries of the
plan.
(7) Performance measures and monitoring to demonstrate progress
toward meeting regional objectives.
(8) A plan for implementation and financing of identified projects
and programs.
(9) Consideration of greenhouse gas emissions of identified
programs and projects.
(10) Evaluation of the adaptability to climate change of water
management systems in the region.
(11) Documentation of data and technical analyses used in the
development of the plan.
(12) A process to disseminate data and information related to the
development and implementation of the plan.
(13) A process to coordinate water management projects and
activities of participating local agencies and local stakeholders to
avoid conflicts and take advantage of efficiencies.
(14) Any other matters identified by the department.
(f) The guidelines shall include standards for identifying a
region for the purpose of developing or modifying an integrated
regional water management plan. At a minimum, a region shall be a
contiguous geographic area encompassing the service areas of multiple
local agencies, and shall be defined to maximize opportunities for
integration of water management activities. The department shall
develop a process to approve the composition of a region for the
purposes of Sections 75026, 75027, and 75028 of the Public Resources
Code.
(g) The guidelines shall require that the development and
implementation of an integrated regional water management plan
include a public process that provides outreach and an opportunity to
participate in plan development and implementation to appropriate
local agencies and stakeholders, as applicable to the region,
including all of the following:
(1) Wholesale and retail water purveyors, including a local
agency, mutual water company, or a water corporation as defined in
Section 241 of the Public Utilities Code.
(2) Wastewater agencies.
(3) Flood control agencies.
(4) Municipal and county governments and special districts.
(5) Electrical corporations, as defined in Section 218 of the
Public Utilities Code.
(6) Native American tribes that have lands within the region.
(7) Self-supplied water users, including agricultural, industrial,
residential, park districts, school districts, colleges and
universities, and others.
(8) Environmental stewardship organizations, including watershed
groups, fishing groups, land conservancies, and environmental groups.
(9) Community organizations, including landowner organizations,
taxpayer groups, and recreational interests.
(10) Industry organizations representing agriculture, developers,
and other industries appropriate to the region.
(11) State, federal, and regional agencies or universities, with
specific responsibilities or knowledge within the region.
(12) Disadvantaged community members and representatives,
including environmental justice organizations, neighborhood councils,
and social justice organizations.
(13) Any other interested groups appropriate to the region.
(h) The guidelines shall require integrated regional water
management plans to be developed through a collaborative process that
makes public both of the following:
(1) The process by which decisions are made in consultation with
the persons or entities identified in subdivision (g).
(2) The manner in which a balance of interested persons or
entities representing different sectors and interests listed in
subdivision (g) have been or will be engaged in the process described
in this subdivision, regardless of their ability to contribute
financially to the plan.
(i) The guidelines shall provide for a process for the
development, periodic review, updating, and amending of integrated
regional water management plans. The department shall establish
eligibility requirements for the project funding, that provide
sufficient time for the updating of plans as necessary to reflect
changes in the guidelines.

10543. (a) A regional water management group proposing to prepare
an integrated regional water management plan shall publish a notice
of intention to prepare the plan in accordance with Section 6066 of
the Government Code.
(b) For the purposes of carrying out this part, the regional water
management group shall make available to the public the
documentation prepared pursuant to subdivision (g) of Section 10541
describing the manner in which interested parties may participate in
developing the integrated regional water management plan.
(c) Upon the completion of the integrated regional water
management plan, the regional water management group shall publish a
notice of intention to adopt the plan in accordance with Section 6066
of the Government Code and shall adopt the plan in a public meeting
of its governing board.