California adopts statewide regulation of groundwater for first time

SACRAMENTO, Sept. 16 (UPI) —

Legislation regulating California’s groundwater statewide for the first time is a "big deal," Gov. Jerry Brown said as he signed the bills Tuesday.

One bill requires local water agencies to develop management plans, and a second sets rules for when the state can intervene if they fail to do so. A third delays state action in some places where pumping groundwater has affected surface water — a bill designed to ease the concerns of farmers.

"This is a big deal," Brown said. "It’s been known about for decades that underground water has to be managed and regulated in some way."

While other western states adopted statewide regulation, California delayed action. Landowners were allowed to pump as much groundwater as they wished on their own property, although some local agencies have begun imposing regulations.

Brown said the plan is sensitive to local concerns. He described it as "pushing the responsibility to where people really are."

But Paul Wenger, president of the California Farm Bureau Federation, said the legislation may cut the state’s agricultural output. He suggested it "may come to be seen as ‘historic’ for all the wrong reasons."

California has the world’s biggest interconnected water system. Political battles over water have been part of the state’s history for decades, aggravated by a growing population and recently a prolonged drought.