SECTIONS 10780-10782.3 - California Statutes

WATER CODE

SECTION 10780-10782.3

10780. This part shall be known and may be cited as the Groundwater
Quality Monitoring Act of 2001.

10781. In order to improve comprehensive groundwater monitoring and
increase the availability to the public of information about
groundwater contamination, the state board, in consultation with
other responsible agencies, as specified in this section, shall do
all of the following:
(a) Integrate existing monitoring programs and design new program
elements as necessary to establish a comprehensive monitoring program
capable of assessing each groundwater basin in the state through
direct and other statistically reliable sampling approaches. The
interagency task force established pursuant to subdivision (b) shall
determine the constituents to be included in the monitoring program.
In designing the comprehensive monitoring program, the state board,
among other things, shall integrate projects established in response
to the Supplemental Report of the 1999 Budget Act, strive to take
advantage of and incorporate existing data whenever possible, and
prioritize groundwater basins that supply drinking water.
(b) (1) Create an interagency task force for all of the following
purposes:
(A) Identifying actions necessary to establish the monitoring
program.
(B) Identifying measures to increase coordination among state and
federal agencies that collect information regarding groundwater
contamination in the state.
(C) Designing a database capable of supporting the monitoring
program that is compatible with the state board's geotracker
database.
(D) Assessing the scope and nature of necessary monitoring
enhancements.
(E) Identifying the cost of any recommended measures.
(F) Identifying the means by which to make monitoring information
available to the public.
(2) The interagency task force shall consist of a representative
of each of the following entities:
(A) The state board.
(B) The department.
(C) The State Department of Health Services.
(D) The Department of Pesticide Regulation.
(E) The Department of Toxic Substances Control.
(F) The Department of Food and Agriculture.
(c) Convene an advisory committee to the interagency task force,
with a membership that includes all of the following:
(1) Two representatives of appropriate federal agencies, if those
agencies wish to participate.
(2) Two representatives of public water systems, one of which
shall be a representative of a retail water supplier.
(3) Two representatives of environmental organizations.
(4) Two representatives of the business community.
(5) One representative of a local agency that is currently
implementing a plan pursuant to Part 2.75 (commencing with Section
10750).
(6) Two representatives of agriculture.
(7) Two representatives from groundwater management entities.
(d) (1) The members of the advisory committee may receive a per
diem allowance for each day's attendance at a meeting of the advisory
committee.
(2) The members of the advisory committee may be reimbursed for
actual and necessary travel expenses incurred in connection with
their official duties.

10782. (a) On or before June 1, 2009, the state board shall do both
of the following:
(1) Identify and recommend to the Legislature funding options to
extend, until January 1, 2024, the comprehensive monitoring program
established in accordance with Section 10781.
(2) Make recommendations to enhance the public accessibility of
information on groundwater conditions.
(b) On or before January 1, 2012, the state board, in consultation
with the State Department of Public Health, the Department of Water
Resources, the Department of Pesticide Regulation, the Office of
Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and any other agencies as
appropriate, shall submit to the Legislature a report that does all
of the following:
(1) Identifies communities that rely on contaminated groundwater
as a primary source of drinking water.
(2) Identifies in the groundwater sources for the communities
described in paragraph (1) the principal contaminants and other
constituents of concern, as identified by the state board, affecting
that groundwater and contamination levels.
(3) Identifies potential solutions and funding sources to clean up
or treat groundwater or to provide alternative water supplies to
ensure the provision of safe drinking water to communities identified
in paragraph (1).
(c) The state board shall provide an opportunity for public
comment on the report required pursuant to subdivision (b), prior to
finalizing the report and submitting it to the Legislature.

10782.3. The state board shall use existing resources to carry out
this part, and the operation of the program set forth in this part
shall not supplant the operation of any other program required to be
undertaken by the state board.