Vineyard & Winery Management

March/April 2015

Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/467731

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 87 of 119

8 8 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | M a r - A p r 2 015 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m n 2014, for the first time in its 164-year history, California enacted a law that comprehen- sively regulates the extraction and use of the state's groundwater. This legislative action came against the dramatic backdrop of California's extended and increasingly severe drought, which has resulted in huge cutbacks in surface water availabil- ity and put a spotlight on the state's strained groundwater supplies. As a result, California's farmers, municipalities, irrigation districts and other water users must adapt to a new, unknown and unpredict- able legal frontier. The new legislation is embod- ied in a package of bills adopted by the California legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 4 . T h e l e g i s l a - tion is not without controversy. Many stakeholders questioned the need for change and highlighted the potential adverse impacts on farmers who were already reel- ing from restricted surface water supplies. Although the water plan- ning, water conservation and habi- tat protection goals that largely prompted this legislation are laud- able, the complicated state/local regulatory scheme and unknown outcomes have created legitimate concern. This article will examine the structure of the new groundwater Gov. Jerry Brown signed groundbreak- ing groundwater legislation – the first in California's history – in September 2014. California Groundwater Users Face Unpredictable Legal Frontier Complicated regulatory scheme and unknown outcomes raise concerns BY S KIP SPA U L D I N G A N D BU Z Z HI N E S

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Vineyard & Winery Management - March/April 2015