Any of the following entities may assume responsibility for monitoring and reporting groundwater elevations in all or a part of a basin or subbasin in accordance with this part:

(a) A watermaster or water management engineer appointed by a court or pursuant to statute to administer a final judgment determining rights to groundwater.

(b) (1) A groundwater management agency with statutory authority to manage groundwater pursuant to its principal act that is monitoring groundwater elevations in all or a part of a groundwater basin or subbasin on or before January 1, 2010.

(2) A water replenishment district established pursuant to Division 18 (commencing with Section 60000). This part does not expand or otherwise affect the authority of a water replenishment district relating to monitoring groundwater elevations.

(3) A groundwater sustainability agency with statutory authority to manage groundwater pursuant to Part 2.74 (commencing with Section 10720).

(c) A local agency that is managing all or part of a groundwater basin or subbasin pursuant to Part 2.75 (commencing with Section 10750) and that was monitoring groundwater elevations in all or a part of a groundwater basin or subbasin on or before January 1, 2010, or a local agency or county that is managing all or part of a groundwater basin or subbasin pursuant to any other legally enforceable groundwater management plan with provisions that are substantively similar to those described in that part and that was monitoring groundwater elevations in all or a part of a groundwater basin or subbasin on or before January 1, 2010.

(d) A local agency that is managing all or part of a groundwater basin or subbasin pursuant to an integrated regional water management plan prepared pursuant to Part 2.2 (commencing with Section 10530) that includes a groundwater management component that complies with the requirements of Section 10753.7.

(e) A local agency that has been collecting and reporting groundwater elevations and that does not have an adopted groundwater management plan, if the local agency adopts a groundwater management plan in accordance with Part 2.75 (commencing with Section 10750) by January 1, 2014. The department may authorize the local agency to conduct the monitoring and reporting of groundwater elevations pursuant to this part on an interim basis, until the local agency adopts a groundwater management plan in accordance with Part 2.75 (commencing with Section 10750) or until January 1, 2014, whichever occurs first.

(f) A county that is not managing all or a part of a groundwater basin or subbasin pursuant to a legally enforceable groundwater management plan with provisions that are substantively similar to those described in Part 2.75 (commencing with Section 10750).

(g) A voluntary cooperative groundwater monitoring association formed pursuant to Section 10935.

(Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 346, Sec. 5. (SB 1168) Effective January 1, 2015.)