Bill > AB1466

This bill modifies California's legal procedures for groundwater adjudication (the legal process of determining water rights in a specific groundwater basin) by introducing several key changes. First, the bill provides courts with more flexible options for handling small water users, allowing them to either exempt these users from full proceedings or process their claims separately to reduce their participation burden. The bill also establishes a presumption of accuracy for initial disclosures by parties claiming less than 100 acre-feet of annual water extraction, shifting the burden of proof to any party challenging those claims. Additionally, in basins with approved groundwater sustainability plans, the bill requires courts to request technical reports from groundwater sustainability agencies that describe the water use of parties not already involved in the proceeding, and these reports will be considered prima facie evidence of the physical facts they describe. The bill further specifies that in judicial reviews of groundwater sustainability agency actions, the party challenging the agency's action will bear the burden of proof using a substantial evidence standard. These changes aim to streamline groundwater rights adjudication, reduce administrative burdens on small water users, and provide more structured processes for determining water rights in California's groundwater basins.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Budget and Finance, Justice

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1466