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Assembly advances temporary SGMA exemption for managed wetlands and small community water systems
Summary
A proposal to temporarily exempt managed wetlands and small community water systems from some Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) pumping reductions and fees advanced out of an Assembly committee after hours of debate between environmental advocates and agricultural groups.
Assemblymember Tim Connolly introduced AB 929 to temporarily exempt small community water systems and managed wetlands from certain pumping reductions and fines under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, and to require groundwater sustainability plans to explicitly assess impacts on these uses.
The bill would exempt the amount of groundwater “historically required” to support small community water systems and to annually flood managed wetlands; any increase beyond historical use would remain subject to GSA regulation. AB 929 also directs groundwater sustainability plans to document impacts on wetlands and small water systems and sunsets the exemption in three years.
Why it matters: Managed wetlands and small disadvantaged systems are often among the most vulnerable water users in overdrafted basins. Supporters said the change would protect habitat and drinking water in places that represent only a small fraction of basin pumping but have outsized ecological and public‑health value.
Supporters, including Audubon California and Community Water Center, argued that many groundwater sustainability plans have not adequately identified managed wetlands or small water systems and that SGMA implementation needs a narrow, time‑limited fix. “This bill temporarily exempt[s] small community water systems and managed wetlands which make up less than 2% of the groundwater use in the Central Valley from pumping reductions and fines under SGMA,” Connolly said during his presentation.
Opponents, led by the California Farm Bureau and the Valley Ag Water Coalition, said the bill risks undermining SGMA’s universal approach to groundwater regulation and could shift costs and pumping reductions to other users. Farm Bureau testimony urged that GSAs — and, when necessary, the State Water Board — already have tools to address gaps in plans.
Committee action: After extended testimony and back‑and‑forth with stakeholders, the Assembly committee voted to pass AB 929 as amended and refer it to the Appropriations Committee. The committee recorded votes during roll call (recorded on the transcript as the measure moving to appropriations).
