The Legislature finds and declares as follows:

(a) There is a lack of local water projects in certain areas of the state where the demands of a growing population could exceed water supplies which could threaten the public health and impede economic and social growth.

(b) It is in the interest of the state to provide financial assistance to local agencies for the development of local water resources necessary to meet requirements for domestic, agricultural, and other uses.

(c) The participation of the state and the State Water Resources Development System in the construction and operation of local water projects in those areas is desirable to further the development, control, and conservation of the water resources of the state.

(d) Voluntary, cost-effective capital outlay water conservation programs can help meet growing demand for clean and abundant water supplies.

(e) Recharging groundwater basins is an effective way to maximize the availability of scarce water supplies throughout the state through the efficient management of recharge and extraction activities in groundwater basins, and by reversing the effects of historical overdraft.

(Added by Stats. 1988, Ch. 46, Sec. 1. Approved in Proposition 82 at the November 8, 1988, election.)