Municipal water districts: water service: Indian tribes.

Existing law, the Municipal Water District Law of 1911, provides for the formation of municipal water districts and grants to those districts specified powers. Existing law permits a district to acquire, control, distribute, store, spread, sink, treat, purify, recycle, recapture, and salvage any water for the beneficial use of the district, its inhabitants, or the owners of rights to water in the district. Existing law authorizes a district to sell water under its control, without preference, to cities, other public corporations and agencies, and persons, within the district for use within the district. Existing law authorizes a district to sell or otherwise dispose of water above that required by consumers within the district to any persons, public corporations or agencies, or other consumers. This bill, upon the request of an Indian tribe and the satisfaction of certain conditions, would require a district to provide service of water at substantially the same terms applicable to the customers of the district to an Indian tribe's lands that are not within a district, as prescribed, if the Indian tribe's lands meet certain requirements and the Indian tribe satisfies prescribed conditions. The bill would deem the service areas of a district and of any public agencies providing water to the district for all purposes to include an Indian tribe's land for a prescribed period of time if the district provides service of water to the Indian tribe's lands under these provisions. By imposing new duties on a municipal water district, this bill would create a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.