SECTIONS 13700-13701 - California Statutes

WATER CODE

SECTION 13700-13701

13700. The Legislature finds that the greater portion of the water
used in this state is obtained from underground sources and that
those waters are subject to impairment in quality and purity, causing
detriment to the health, safety and welfare of the people of the
state. The Legislature therefore declares that the people of the
state have a primary interest in the location, construction,
maintenance, abandonment, and destruction of water wells, cathodic
protection wells, groundwater monitoring wells, and geothermal heat
exchange wells, which activities directly affect the quality and
purity of underground waters.

13701. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) Improperly constructed and abandoned water wells, cathodic
protection wells, groundwater monitoring wells, and geothermal heat
exchange wells can allow contaminated water on the surface to flow
down the well casing, thereby contaminating the usable groundwater.
(b) Improperly constructed and abandoned water wells, cathodic
protection wells, groundwater monitoring wells, and geothermal heat
exchange wells can allow unusable or low quality groundwater from one
groundwater level to flow along the well casing to usable
groundwater levels, thereby contaminating the usable groundwater.
(c) Contamination of groundwater poses serious public health and
economic problems for many areas of the state.