Chapter 2.5. Adjudications To Protect The Quality Of Ground Water of California Water Code >> Division 2. >> Part 3. >> Chapter 2.5.

After the department has submitted to the board recommendations for the protection of the quality of ground water pursuant to Section 12617.1 or 12923.1 of this code, or in reliance upon investigation by any governmental agency, the board may file an action in the superior court to restrict pumping, or to impose physical solutions, or both, to the extent necessary to prevent destruction of or irreparable injury to the quality of such water. In such action, all of the claimants to the use of the affected water known to the board, except claimants to the use of minor quantities of water as defined in Section 2102, shall be named as defendants. In any watershed or ground water basin wherein (a) all or substantially all of the rights to water have been adjudicated and the court has retained continuing jurisdiction arising from the adjudication, or (b) wherein such action is pending, any such proceedings by the board shall be undertaken only by intervention by the board in such existing action.

(a) Before filing or intervening in any such action the board shall hold a public hearing on the necessity for restricting ground water pumping or for a physical solution in order to protect the quality of water from destruction or irreparable injury. The board shall serve notice of such hearing as provided in Section 6066 of the Government Code and shall mail a copy of such notice to each producer of ground water within the area proposed for investigation, to the extent that such producers of ground water are known to the board, at least 15 days prior to the date of such hearing, except that notice need not be mailed to producers of minor quantities of water as defined in Section 2102.
  (b) In the event the board decides that the rights to the use of the ground water must be adjudicated in order to require the restriction of pumping or physical solution necessary to preserve it from destruction or irreparable injury to quality, the board shall first determine whether any local public agency overlying all or a part of the ground water basin will undertake such adjudication of water rights. If such local agency commences an adjudication, the board shall take no further action, except that the board may, through the Attorney General, become a party to such action.
  (c) In the event no local agency commences such action within 90 days after notice of the decision of the board, the board shall file such action.

As used in this article, "minor quantities of water" refers to the extraction by any person of not to exceed 10 acre-feet of ground water annually.