SECTIONS 10900-10904

10900.  This part shall be known and may be cited as theAgricultural Water Suppliers Efficient Water Management PracticesAct.10901.  The Legislature finds and declares as follows: (a) Agriculture is a vital industry in California. (b) The waters of the state are a limited and renewable resource. (c) Agriculture has already implemented many improvements to wateruse efficiency. (d) Implementation of additional water management practices couldfurther improve agricultural water use efficiency in many areas. (e) In many areas agricultural water suppliers are alreadycarrying out water management practices to improve the efficiency ofwater use. (f) Agricultural water suppliers can implement efficient watermanagement practices for the delivery of water and can assist theirusers to improve the efficiency of their use of water.10902.  Unless the context otherwise requires, the definitions inthis section govern construction of this part. (a) "Agricultural water supplier" or "supplier" means a supplier,either publicly or privately owned, supplying water, regardless ofthe basis of right, for agricultural purposes. (b) "Efficient water management practices" means reasonable andeconomically justifiable programs to improve the delivery and use ofwater used for agricultural purposes. (c) "Water conservation" means the reduction of the amount ofwater irretrievably lost to saline sinks, moisture-deficient soils,water surface evaporation, or noncrop evapotranspiration in theprocess of satisfying an existing beneficial use achieved either byimproving the technology or method for diverting, transporting,applying, or recovering the water or by implementation of otherconservation methods.10903.  (a) The department shall establish an advisory committeecomprised of representatives of the California farming community,agricultural water suppliers, the department, the Department of Foodand Agriculture, the University of California, the California StateUniversity, public interest groups, and other interested parties. (b) The department shall periodically review potential efficientwater management practices to determine which are feasible to achievewater conservation, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 10902. (c) The department may carry out cooperative studies of theeffectiveness and efficiency of potential water management practicesand implemented efficient water management practices to provide thebasis for future recommendations. (d) Nothing in this part shall be construed to affect waterrights. (e) The department shall consult with the advisory committee incarrying out its periodic reviews and conducting studies of watermanagement practices as provided in subdivisions (b) and (c).10904.  (a) The department shall offer assistance to agriculturalwater suppliers to implement efficient water management practices toimprove the efficiency of water use. (b) Assistance offered by the department shall include, but not belimited to, technical consultation and training in methods todeliver water to farmers based on their actual water needs,evaluating and recommending improvements to the uniformity with whichwater is applied, advising farmers on the optimum quantities ofwater to apply and when to apply it, and any other technologies ormanagement methods to improve the efficiency of water use.