department shall provide written notice of meetings of the advisory committee to any interested person or entity that requests the notice. The meetings shall be open to the public.

persons and entities an opportunity to present written or oral comments on the preliminary draft. The department shall consider these comments in the preparation of the final publication of The California Water Plan, as updated.

and demand management activities that may be pursued in order to meet the future water needs of the state and the water supply targets developed by the department. The department shall also include a discussion of the potential for alternative water pricing policies to change current and projected uses. The department shall include in the plan a discussion of the potential advantages and disadvantages of each strategy and an identification of all federal and state permits, approvals, or entitlements that are anticipated to be required in order to implement the various components of the strategy.

maximize geographic distribution, to ensure that regions of the state that have been impacted the most by drought, flood, and other weather extremes are included, and to ensure the workshops are accessible to communities with minority populations, communities with low-income populations, or both.

The department’s discussion shall rely on the best available peer-reviewed scientific information.

discussion, if appropriate, existing studies or planning documents that quantify the costs and impacts to the state if there are inadequate water supplies to meet sustainable demands for all sectors.

compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, in the session in which the updated plan is issued.

target shall consider the identified and future water needs for all beneficial uses, including, but not limited to, urban uses, agricultural uses, recreational uses, tribal uses, and the environment, recognize the impacts of climate change on the state’s water resources, ensure

safe drinking water for all Californians, and reflect statewide, regional, and local planning efforts. In establishing the long-term supply target, the department shall analyze current and future water needs trends, including identifying additional water necessary to sustain public trust resources. Nothing in this paragraph shall require the state water board or regional boards to update water quality control plans in order for the department to update the required planning target described in subdivision (f).

department shall release a preliminary draft of the assumptions and other estimates upon which the study will be based, to interested persons and entities throughout the state for their review and comments. The department shall provide these persons and entities an opportunity to present written or oral comments on the preliminary draft. The department shall consider these documents when adopting the final assumptions and estimates for the study. For the purpose of carrying out this subdivision, the department shall release, at a minimum, assumptions and other estimates relating to all of the following:

unimpaired streamflow, depletions, and consumptive uses.

The department may incorporate by reference the State Water Resources Control Board’s Drinking Water Needs Assessment or other available relevant assessments or reports.

to develop additional groundwater recharge opportunities that increase the recharge of the state’s groundwater basins without reducing the amount of water available for environmental purposes or any other purpose allowed under state law.

The recommendations shall include all of the following:

description of how groundwater recharge at those locations can protect access to safe drinking water and provide water quality benefits.

(ii) Mapping that identifies areas where recharge is unlikely to degrade groundwater quality based on consideration of the quality and composition of the source water, the qualities of the soil upon which recharge will occur, and the proximity to drinking water wells.

shall, to the extent feasible, evaluate the

potential economic and noneconomic costs and benefits of implementing the

recommendations.

a process where water moves down from the ground surface or the bottom of a waterway and infiltrates an underlying aquifer. Groundwater recharge

actions include increasing the amount of raw, treated, or recycled water in the groundwater basins through human-controlled means, including, but not limited to, use of aquifer storage and recovery wells, injection wells, surface spreading basins, field flooding, stormwater capture, flood managed basins, and in-lieu recharge.

The department or, at the department’s request, the California Water Commission, shall conduct a series of hearings with interested persons, organizations, local, state, and federal agencies, and representatives of the diverse geographical areas and interests of the state.

Prior to holding a hearing pursuant to Section 10005.1, the department shall give notice by mail of the hearing to persons and entities which have requested notice and have provided their name and address to the department.

The provisions of this part do not repeal or modify any of the provisions of Part 3 of this division.

Notwithstanding anything contained in this part, all applications heretofore filed by the Department of Finance or by the Department of Water Resources under Part 2 of Division 6 shall remain valid and shall retain and have the status and priority accorded to such applications as now or hereafter provided in said Part 2.

The Legislature hereby finds and declares that agreements which provide for the transfer of water from the federal Central Valley Project to public entities supplying water for domestic or irrigation use offer potential benefits to California’s hard-pressed farmers and to California’s water-dependent urban areas.

It is the intent of the Legislature that these contracts be entered into for the purposes of strengthening California’s economy, serving the public, and protecting the environment.

The director shall continue to pursue negotiations with the United States Bureau of Reclamation to contract for the interim rights to stored water from the federal Central Valley Project for use in the State Water Resources Development System by state water supply contractors.

The director shall pursue discussions with the United States Bureau of Reclamation to permit persons and public entities which have entitlements to water from the federal Central Valley Project, to enter into legally binding contracts with any public entity which supplies water for domestic use, irrigation use, or environmental protection in this state for the transfer of federal water entitlements during times of shortage.