An agricultural water management plan shall be adopted in accordance with this chapter. The plan shall do all of the following:
(a) Describe the agricultural water supplier and the service area, including all of the following:
(1) Size of the service area.
(2) Location of the service area and its water management facilities.
(3) Terrain and soils.
(4) Climate.
(5) Operating rules and regulations.
(6) Water delivery measurements or calculations.
(7) Water rate schedules and billing.
(8) Water shortage allocation policies.
(b) Describe the quantity and quality of water resources of the agricultural water supplier, including all of the following:
(1) Surface water supply.
(2) Groundwater supply.
(3) Other water supplies, including recycled water.
(4) Source water quality monitoring practices.
(5) Water uses within the agricultural water supplier’s service area, including all of the following:
(A) Agricultural.
(B) Environmental.
(C) Recreational.
(D) Municipal and industrial.
(E) Groundwater recharge, including estimated flows from deep percolation from irrigation and seepage.
(c) Include an annual water budget based on the quantification of all inflow and outflow components for the service area of the agricultural water supplier. Components of inflow shall include surface inflow, groundwater pumping in the service area, and effective precipitation. Components of outflow shall include surface outflow, deep percolation, and evapotranspiration. An agricultural water supplier shall report the annual water budget on a water-year basis. The department shall provide tools and resources to assist agricultural water suppliers in developing and quantifying components necessary to develop a water budget.
(d) Include an analysis, based on available information, of the effect of climate change on future water supplies.
(e) Describe previous water management activities.
(f) Identify water management objectives based on the water budget to improve water system efficiency or to meet other water management objectives. The agricultural water supplier shall identify, prioritize, and implement actions to reduce water loss, improve water system management, and meet other water management objectives identified in the plan.
(g) Include in the plan information regarding efficient water management practices required pursuant to Section 10608.48.
(h) Quantify the efficiency of agricultural water use within the service area of the agricultural water supplier using the appropriate method or methods from among the four water use efficiency quantification methods developed by the department in the May 8, 2012, report to the Legislature entitled “A Proposed Methodology for Quantifying the Efficiency of Agricultural Water Use.” The agricultural water supplier shall account for all water uses, including crop water use, agronomic water use, environmental water use, and recoverable surface flows.
(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 15, Sec. 15. (AB 1668) Effective January 1, 2019.)