Sustainable Groundwater Management Act: groundwater adjudication.

Assembly Member Papan's groundwater management legislation modifies California's adjudication process to align court decisions more closely with sustainable groundwater plans. The bill requires courts to consolidate legal challenges to groundwater sustainability plans with comprehensive basin adjudications, while mandating that sustainable yield determinations receive priority review in these proceedings.

The legislation establishes that court judgments cannot permit groundwater pumping beyond the sustainable yield established in validated groundwater sustainability plans. It defines when a judgment "substantially impairs" sustainable management - specifically when allowing extraction exceeding the basin's sustainable yield as determined by the latest approved plans. The bill also requires courts to consider impacts on small farmers and disadvantaged communities when reviewing proposed judgments.

Under the new provisions, groundwater sustainability agencies must file any plan validation actions within 180 days of adoption. The bill maintains existing requirements that courts consider current sustainability plans before imposing physical solutions and ensures judgments remain consistent with constitutional water rights priorities. These changes aim to create a more coordinated legal framework between groundwater adjudications and the state's sustainable management goals.