Amended in Assembly March 26, 2015

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 begin delete 10531.7 end delete begin insert 10547.5 end insert to the Water Code, relating to integrated regional water management plans.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 935, as amended, Salas. Integrated Regional Water Management Plans: conveyance begin delete projects. end delete begin insert projects: grants and expenditures. end insert

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 begin delete declare the intent of the Legislature to enact future legislation that would end delete 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. begin insert The bill would require a regional management group that is awarded a grant pursuant to these provisions to provide a cost share of not less than 50% of the total project costs from nonstate resources and would authorize the department to waive or reduce this requirement for projects that directly benefit a disadvantaged community or an economically distressed area. The bill would authorize the department to adopt regulations to implement these provisions. end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  begin delete no end delete begin insert yes end insert . State-mandated local program: no.

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

begin insert

begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 10547.5 is added to the end insert begin insert Water Code end insert begin insert , to
read: end insert

begin insert

begin insert 10547.5. end insert   

(a) The department shall 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 do both of the
following:

(1) Support regional and interregional connectivity and water
management.

(2) Provide one or more of the following benefits:

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

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

(C) Adaption to the impacts of hydrologic changes.

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

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

(b) A regional water management group that is awarded a grant
pursuant to subdivision (a) shall provide a cost share of not less
than 50 percent of the total project costs from nonstate resources.
The department may waive or reduce this cost share requirement
for projects that directly benefit a disadvantaged community or
an economically distressed area.

(c) The department may adopt regulations to implement the
provisions of this section in accordance with Chapter 3.5
(commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title
2 of the Government Code.

end insert

begin delete

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.

end delete