Transfers of water: agricultural use to municipal use.

Existing law authorizes the transfer or exchange of certain water or water rights upon approval by the State Water Resources Control Board of a petition to transfer the water or water rights. Under existing law, the Department of Water Resources administers water supply contracts pursuant to which water suppliers (contractors) are supplied water from the State Water Resources Development System (State Water Project) , in accordance with the California Water Resources Development Bond Act and other provisions of law. This bill would prohibit the department, with respect to a contractual entitlement to water from the State Water Project, and the state board, with respect to any other transfer of water or water rights, from approving the transfer of surface water or water rights, or a portion of a contractual entitlement to water from the State Water Project, from agricultural use to municipal use for a period of 20 years or more, unless the water user provides to the department or the state board, as applicable, a written evaluation of the economic, social, and environmental effects of the transfer upon the service area from which the water is to be transferred. The bill would prohibit a water user from replacing specified surface water that is transferred from agricultural use to municipal use with groundwater, unless the groundwater basin of the service area from which the water is to be transferred is monitored in accordance with specified requirements. The bill would require the department and the state board to charge specified fees to a water user that is subject to these provisions.