Includes counties in the list of governmental entities that are exempt from using water in an active management area for the purpose of filling or refilling large bodies of water for landscape, scenic or recreational purposes. Permits new irrigation grandfathered right owners to receive groundwater from a well located off of the land to which the right is appurtenant or on contiguous irrigation acres. Current statutes provide that an irrigation grandfathered right must be provided water from a well on the irrigation grandfathered right lands. When an owner purchases a portion of an irrigation grandfathered right without an appurtenant well, this owner is required to either drill a new well to serve the parcel, or to retrieve groundwater from the other parcel containing the well, on the condition that the well owner does not withdraw any groundwater for use on their parcel. Requires the director to notify a groundwater withdrawal permit applicant, in writing, of the reasons for denial of the permit.
Current statute provides that the director only return the application to the applicant.
Reconciles dual enactments of a number of sections of statute governing the AWBA by blending the two versions of each section and repealing the section that is not needed. Corrects several incorrect internal references and makes other technical and conforming changes. Eliminates the requirement that notice of an application for a recovery well permit be provided by first class mail to water providers that serve water to land within the area of impact of the stored water and for a recovery well permit within the service area but outside of the area of impact. It also clarifies that notice is to be provided by first class mail to water providers when the proposed recovery well is located within three miles of the exterior boundaries of these entities service area. Allows the AWBA Board to submit a request to the Legislature each year for a general fund appropriation separately from the AWBA's annual report.