California Code, Water Code - WAT § 79181

(a) A project undertaken pursuant to this article shall fully protect and preserve the groundwater rights of the overlying landowners and shall fully protect and preserve the water rights of the project participants. The department shall not provide funding for a project unless it determines that the project will be designed and operated in a manner that ensures that other users of the same or a hydrologically related aquifer will not suffer any unreasonable diminution of the quantity or quality of their groundwater supplies or incur additional uncompensated expense as a result of the implementation of the project.

(b) For the purposes of receiving funding for a conjunctive use project pursuant to this article, the applicant shall be required to do both of the following:

(c) Persons and agencies participating in the project may not assert a claim or file a cause of action against an overlying landowner who is not exceeding either of the following:

(d) The overlying landowners may not assert a claim or file a cause of action against the persons or agencies participating in the project if the project is implemented in compliance with this section, except as provided by contract between the project participants.

(e) Nothing in this article modifies state law with regard to groundwater rights, regulation, or management.