SB 844 Summary

• Establishes three new safe drinking water fees on agricultural producers (2019-2035) to fund nitrate groundwater remediation: fertilizer licensees pay $0.008 per dollar of noncommercial fertilizer sales and $0.004 per dollar of packaged fertilizer sales; dairy handlers deduct $0.01355 per hundredweight of milk from producer payments; and nondairy confined animal facility owners pay $1,000-$12,000 annually depending on number of facilities.

• Reduces fee amounts beginning in 2034-2036: fertilizer fees drop to $0.004 and $0.002 per dollar; dairy fees reduce to $0.00678 per hundredweight; and nondairy facility fees drop to $500-$6,000 annually.

• Collects all fees into the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund and transfers $3.658 million from the Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Fund as a repayable loan for administrative implementation costs.

• Prohibits state and regional water boards from enforcing nitrate-related water quality violations against compliant agricultural operations until January 1, 2029 (extended through 2034 for pollution/nuisance claims only), while maintaining their authority to require monitoring and best management practices.

• Requires the State Water Resources Control Board to conduct a public review by January 1, 2028 to assess progress on nitrate groundwater objectives and compliance with implementation timelines.