Sustainable groundwater management: managed wetlands.

Assembly Member Connolly's groundwater management legislation creates new protections for disadvantaged communities and managed wetlands under California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. The bill prohibits groundwater sustainability agencies from imposing extraction limits or fees on small community water systems serving disadvantaged communities and managed wetland areas, provided their water usage remains within historical levels.

The legislation establishes formal definitions for "managed wetlands" and "small community water systems" while requiring groundwater sustainability plans to assess impacts on these entities. Managed wetlands include publicly or privately owned properties that receive supplemental flooding for wildlife habitat, such as state wildlife areas, national wildlife refuges, and certain conservation easements. Small community water systems are defined as those serving up to 3,300 connections or 10,000 people.

Under the bill's provisions, groundwater sustainability agencies retain authority to regulate extraction and impose fees if water usage exceeds historical levels. Agencies may also implement corrective actions, in cooperation with wetland managers, if wetland water use directly causes undesirable effects like land subsidence or water quality degradation. The changes include sunset provisions, with key protections set to expire on January 1, 2029, unless extended by future legislation.