(a) The San Joaquin Valley Drainage Relief Program is hereby established in the department.

(b) The department shall carry out the program and may develop, in consultation with the state board, the Department of Conservation, and the Department of Fish and Game, a land retirement demonstration program.

Terms Used In California Water Code 14903

  • Program: means the San Joaquin Valley Drainage Relief Program. See California Water Code 14902
  • Retirement land: means the lands recommended for retirement in the management plan, other irrigated agricultural lands characterized by low productivity, poor drainability, and high levels of dissolved selenium in shallow groundwater, or lands that contribute to agricultural subsurface drainage problems. See California Water Code 14902
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Water Code 18
  • State board: means the State Water Resources Control Board. See California Water Code 13050

(c) The department may adopt regulations to carry out the program.

(d) The purpose of the program is to encourage the cessation of irrigation of retirement land and to otherwise assist in the resolution of the agricultural subsurface drainage problems in the San Joaquin Valley through the coordinated efforts of federal, state, and local agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private landowners who elect to participate in the program.

(Added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 959, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1993. Section operative July 1, 1993, pursuant to Section 14920.)