AB 615, as introduced, Rendon. The Center for Community Water Projects.
Existing law provides various technical assistance opportunities to disadvantaged communities for projects relating to groundwater sustainability, clean drinking water, and water recycling and advanced treatment water technology projects.
This bill would establish The Center for Community Water Projects, to be administered by the Division of Financial Assistance within the State Water Resources Control Board. The bill would declare the purpose of the center is to provide a centralized, multidisciplinary technical assistance program for disadvantaged communities and to assist those communities in designing and building clean and sustainable water projects. The bill would require the Division of Financial Assistance to provide a broad range of technical assistance to disadvantaged communities, as specified, to coordinate with other entities, and to contract with third party technical assistance provides, as necessary. The bill would authorize the center to receive funding from both public and private sources.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 12949.70) is
2added to Part 6 of Division 6 of the Water Code, to read:
3
There is hereby established The Center for
7Community Water Projects, which shall be administered by the
8Division of Financial Assistance within the State Water Resources
9Control Board, and whose purpose is to provide a centralized,
10multidisciplinary technical assistance program for disadvantaged
11communities and to assist those communities in designing and
12building clean and sustainable water projects.
For purposes of this chapter, “disadvantaged
14community” has the meaning set forth in subdivision (a) of Section
1579505.5, as it may be amended.
In administering the program, the division shall do
17all of the following:
18(a) Provide a broad range of technical assistance to
19disadvantaged communities, including, but not limited to,
20engineering, operations, ecological, public finance, and economic
21assistance, that would help those communities achieve the goals
22described in Section 12949.70. The division shall also take into
23account cultural and sociological considerations when providing
24technical assistance to disadvantaged communities.
25(b) Coordinate, to the extent possible and applicable, with other
26entities, including, but not limited to, the California State
27University and any of its institutions, the University of California
28and any of its
campuses, the Department of Water Resources, and
29the State Department of Public Health.
30(c) Contract with third party technical assistance providers as
31necessary.
The Center for Community Water Projects may
33receive funding from public and private sources, including, but
34not limited to, the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure
35Improvement Act of 2014 (Division 26.7 (commencing with
36Section 79700)).
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