CA SB659

Requires the Department of Water Resources to provide actionable recommendations for developing additional groundwater recharge opportunities as part of the 2028 California Water Plan update and every subsequent update thereafter.

Recommendations must identify immediate opportunities and long-term solutions to increase groundwater supply, including estimated recharge volumes, legal requirements, financial incentives, locations for safe drinking water protection, and best practices to prevent groundwater quality degradation.

Department must consult with the State Water Resources Control Board, nine regional water quality control boards, and an expanded advisory committee that may include environmental justice, local water supply, and climate science experts.

Prohibits the bill from limiting surface water storage, affecting existing water rights, or prioritizing one water use over another.

Defines groundwater recharge as water infiltration through human-controlled means including aquifer storage and recovery wells, injection wells, spreading basins, stormwater capture, and flood-managed basins.