BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 2662 Page 1 ASSEMBLY THIRD READING AB 2662 (Gatto) As Introduced February 21, 2014 Majority vote WATER, PARKS & WILDLIFE 11-2 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Ayes:|Rendon, Bocanegra, Fong, | | | | |Frazier, Beth Gaines, | | | | |Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, | | | | |Gray, Rodriguez, Yamada | | | | | | | | |-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------| |Nays:|Dahle, Patterson | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY : Requires that if the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) drains Silver Lake Reservoir it must refill it to 80% capacity within 18 months or pay a $100,000 per week civil penalty to the City of Los Angeles to mitigate effects on the Silver Lake neighborhood. FISCAL EFFECT : None. This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the Legislative Counsel. COMMENTS : LADWP states that the Silver Lake Reservoir Complex Storage Replacement Project is necessary to comply with updated United States (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency water quality regulations. In 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ruled that all open air reservoirs must either be treated for microbial pathogens or covered to protect against contamination. In response, LADWP developed a proposal to decommission Silver Lake Reservoir during an 18-month period by draining it, disconnecting it from the LADWP drinking water system, and building a covered reservoir in Griffith Park. The author states that draining Silver Lake Reservoir will affect recreation and aesthetics in the Silver Lake neighborhood and that, in addition, it will also affect migratory birds as the reservoir is also a refuge that supports a large population of waterfowl and a rookery of Great Blue Heron. AB 2662 Page 2 Analysis Prepared by : Tina Cannon Leahy / W., P. & W. / (916) 319-2096 FN: 0003250