California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 935

Introduced by Assembly Member Salas

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Atkins, Bigelow, Gray, Olsen, Perea, and Rendon)

(Coauthors: Senators Berryhill, Cannella, Fuller, Galgiani, and Vidak)

February 26, 2015

An act to add Section 10531.7 to the Water Code, relating to integrated regional water management plans.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 935, as introduced, Salas. Integrated Regional Water Management Plans: conveyance projects.

Existing law, the Integrated Regional Water Management Planning Act, authorizes a regional water management group to prepare and adopt an integrated regional water management plan with specified components relating to water supply and water quality. Existing law authorizes the Department of Water Resources to award grants to eligible projects consistent with an adopted integrated regional water management plan.

This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact future legislation that would require the department to provide grants and expenditures, consistent with an integrated regional water management plan, for the planning, design, and construction of local and regional conveyance projects that support regional and interregional connectivity and water management and provide certain benefits.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 10531.7 is added to the Water Code, to
read:

10531.7.  

It is the intent of the Legislature to enact future
legislation that would do all of the following:

(a) Require the Department of Water Resources to provide grants
and expenditures, consistent with an adopted integrated regional
water management plan, for the planning, design, and construction
of local and regional conveyance projects that support regional
and interregional connectivity and water management and that
provide one or more of the following benefits:

(1) Improved regional or interregional water supply and water
supply reliability.

(2) Mitigation of conditions of groundwater overdraft, saline
water intrusion, water quality degradation, or subsidence.

(3) Adaptation to the impacts of hydrologic changes.

(4) Improved water security from drought, natural disasters, or
other events that could interrupt imported water supplies.

(5) Provision of safe drinking water for disadvantaged
communities and economically distressed areas.

(b) Require a cost share of not less than 50 percent of the total
project costs from nonstate sources and authorize the department
to waive or reduce the cost share requirement for projects that
directly benefit a disadvantaged community or an economically
distressed area.