This part shall be known and may be cited as the Agricultural Water Suppliers Efficient Water Management Practices Act.
Part 2.9EFFICIENT WATER MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR AGRICULTURAL WATER SUPPLIERS
Section § 10900
This law is officially called the Agricultural Water Suppliers Efficient Water Management Practices Act. It deals with guidelines and practices for effectively managing water used by agricultural suppliers.
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Section § 10901
This section recognizes the importance of agriculture in California and acknowledges that state water resources are both limited and renewable. It highlights efforts already made by agriculture to improve water use efficiency and suggests that adopting more water management practices could enhance efficiency further. Agricultural water suppliers are noted for their role in implementing these practices and assisting users to optimize water use.
The Legislature finds and declares as follows:
(a)CA Water Code § 10901(a) Agriculture is a vital industry in California.
(b)CA Water Code § 10901(b) The waters of the state are a limited and renewable resource.
(c)CA Water Code § 10901(c) Agriculture has already implemented many improvements to water use efficiency.
(d)CA Water Code § 10901(d) Implementation of additional water management practices could further improve agricultural water use efficiency in many areas.
(e)CA Water Code § 10901(e) In many areas agricultural water suppliers are already carrying out water management practices to improve the efficiency of water use.
(f)CA Water Code § 10901(f) Agricultural water suppliers can implement efficient water management practices for the delivery of water and can assist their users to improve the efficiency of their use of water.
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Section § 10902
This section provides definitions for terms used in the context of agricultural water usage in California.
An 'agricultural water supplier' is any entity, public or private, that provides water specifically for farming. 'Efficient water management practices' are programs aimed at reasonably improving how water is delivered and used by farmers, ensuring these practices are economically justifiable. 'Water conservation' involves reducing water loss through various methods, such as improving technology or implementing new techniques, to better fulfill existing agricultural water demands without unnecessary wastage.
Unless the context otherwise requires, the definitions in this section govern construction of this part.
(a)CA Water Code § 10902(a) “Agricultural water supplier” or “supplier” means a supplier, either publicly or privately owned, supplying water, regardless of the basis of right, for agricultural purposes.
(b)CA Water Code § 10902(b) “Efficient water management practices” means reasonable and economically justifiable programs to improve the delivery and use of water used for agricultural purposes.
(c)CA Water Code § 10902(c) “Water conservation” means the reduction of the amount of water irretrievably lost to saline sinks, moisture-deficient soils, water surface evaporation, or noncrop evapotranspiration in the process of satisfying an existing beneficial use achieved either by improving the technology or method for diverting, transporting, applying, or recovering the water or by implementation of other conservation methods.
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Section § 10903
This law mandates the creation of an advisory committee to oversee water management practices in California. The committee includes members from various sectors like farming, education, and public interest groups. The goal is to periodically review and determine effective water conservation practices. The department can conduct studies to evaluate the effectiveness of these practices, but this won't change any existing water rights. The committee's input is important for these reviews and studies.
(a)CA Water Code § 10903(a) The department shall establish an advisory committee comprised of representatives of the California farming community, agricultural water suppliers, the department, the Department of Food and Agriculture, the University of California, the California State University, public interest groups, and other interested parties.
(b)CA Water Code § 10903(b) The department shall periodically review potential efficient water management practices to determine which are feasible to achieve water conservation, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 10902.
(c)CA Water Code § 10903(c) The department may carry out cooperative studies of the effectiveness and efficiency of potential water management practices and implemented efficient water management practices to provide the basis for future recommendations.
(d)CA Water Code § 10903(d) Nothing in this part shall be construed to affect water rights.
(e)CA Water Code § 10903(e) The department shall consult with the advisory committee in carrying out its periodic reviews and conducting studies of water management practices as provided in subdivisions (b) and (c).
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Section § 10904
This law section outlines that the department must help agricultural water suppliers use water more efficiently. They do this by offering technical consultation and training to help farmers figure out how much water they actually need, improve how water is applied, and determine the best times and amounts for watering. The goal is to enhance overall water use efficiency.
(a)CA Water Code § 10904(a) The department shall offer assistance to agricultural water suppliers to implement efficient water management practices to improve the efficiency of water use.
(b)CA Water Code § 10904(b) Assistance offered by the department shall include, but not be limited to, technical consultation and training in methods to deliver water to farmers based on their actual water needs, evaluating and recommending improvements to the uniformity with which water is applied, advising farmers on the optimum quantities of water to apply and when to apply it, and any other technologies or management methods to improve the efficiency of water use.
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