Surface mining: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

Assembly Member Wallis proposes extending the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California's (MWD) authority to operate under a master reclamation plan for surface mining operations through January 1, 2051, maintaining the current regulatory framework that would otherwise expire in 2026.

The master reclamation plan covers MWD's surface mining operations across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties. Under this framework, the State Mining and Geology Board serves as lead agency for mining operations, while MWD retains lead agency status for environmental reviews. The plan must identify each mining site's location and include maintenance measures for idle periods. The board may inspect idle sites every two calendar years, and MWD must submit annual reports with details for each operation.

The bill's findings note MWD's service area encompasses 26 member agencies serving approximately 19 million people. These findings state that unified oversight through the Department of Conservation, rather than multiple counties, allows consistent application of surface mining regulations across MWD's multi-county infrastructure system. Local agencies maintain authority to levy fees and assessments to cover any additional administrative costs, with no state reimbursement required.