ARTICLE 1. Declaration of Policy [13700. - 13701.]

Cal. Water Code - WAT 1.

in effect

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 13700. Section 13700.

The Legislature finds that the greater portion of the water used in this state is obtained from underground sources and that those waters are subject to impairment in quality and purity, causing detriment to the health, safety and welfare of the people of the state. The Legislature therefore declares that the people of the state have a primary interest in the location, construction, maintenance, abandonment, and destruction of water wells, cathodic protection wells, groundwater monitoring wells, and geothermal heat exchange wells, which activities directly affect the quality and purity of underground waters.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 13701. Section 13701.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) Improperly constructed and abandoned water wells, cathodic protection wells, groundwater monitoring wells, and geothermal heat exchange wells can allow contaminated water on the surface to flow down the well casing, thereby contaminating the usable groundwater. (b) Improperly constructed and abandoned water wells, cathodic protection wells, groundwater monitoring wells, and geothermal heat exchange wells can allow unusable or low quality groundwater from one groundwater level to flow along the well casing to usable groundwater levels, thereby contaminating the usable groundwater. (c) Contamination of groundwater poses serious public health and economic problems for many areas of the state.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026