Amended in Senate July 16, 2015

Amended in Senate June 23, 2015

Amended in Assembly March 26, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 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 Sectionbegin delete 10547.5end deletebegin insert 140end insert to the Water Code, relating tobegin delete integrated regional water management plans.end deletebegin insert water.end insert

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

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

begin insert

Existing law establishes in the Natural Resources Agency the Department of Water Resources, which manages and undertakes planning with regard to water resources in the state.

end insert
begin insert

This bill would require, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the department to provide funding for certain projects.

end insert
begin delete

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.

end delete
begin delete

This bill 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. 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. The bill would require the department, pursuant these provisions, to provide grant funding for certain projects, as specified.

end delete
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This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the specified projects.

end delete

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

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

P2    1begin insert

begin insertSECTION 1.end insert  

end insert

begin insertSection 140 is added to the end insertbegin insertWater Codeend insertbegin insert, to read:end insert

begin insert
2

begin insert140.end insert  

Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the department
3shall provide funding for the following projects:

4(a) A project that substantially conforms to the project
5description for the Reverse Flow Pump-back Facilities on the
6Friant-Kern Canal Restoration Project set forth by the draft
7investment strategy released by the San Joaquin River Restoration
8Program in December 2014.

9(b) A project that substantially conforms to the project
10description for the San Joaquin River Recapture at Patterson
11Irrigation District Conveyed through Delta-Mendota Canal to San
12Luis Reservoir Project set forth by the draft investment strategy
13released by the San Joaquin River Restoration Program in
14December 2014.

end insert
begin delete
15

SECTION 1.  

Section 10547.5 is added to the Water Code, to
16read:

17

10547.5.  

(a) The department shall provide grants and
18expenditures, consistent with an adopted integrated regional water
19management plan, for the planning, design, and construction of
P3    1local and regional conveyance projects that do both of the
2following:

3(1) Support regional and interregional connectivity and water
4management.

5(2) Provide one or more of the following benefits:

6(A) Improved regional or interregional water supply and water
7supply reliability.

8(B) Mitigation of conditions of groundwater overdraft, saline
9water intrusion, water quality degradation, or subsidence.

10(C) Adaption to the impacts of hydrologic changes.

11(D) Improved water security from drought, natural disasters, or
12other events that could interrupt imported water supplies.

13(E) Provision of safe drinking water for disadvantaged
14communities and economically distressed areas.

15(b) A regional water management group that is awarded a grant
16pursuant to subdivision (a) shall provide a cost share of not less
17than 50 percent of the total project costs from nonstate resources.
18The department may waive or reduce this cost share requirement
19for projects that directly benefit a disadvantaged community or an
20economically distressed area.

21(c) The department may adopt regulations to implement the
22provisions of this section in accordance with Chapter 3.5
23(commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title
242 of the Government Code.

25

SEC. 2.  

(a) Pursuant to Section 10547.5 of the Water Code,
26the Department of Water Resources, using moneys appropriated
27to the department for these purposes, shall provide grant funding
28for the following projects:

29(1) A project that substantially conforms to the project
30description for the Reverse Flow Pump-back Facilities on the
31Friant-Kern Canal Restoration Project set forth by the draft
32investment strategy released by the San Joaquin River Restoration
33Program in December 2014.

34(2) A project that substantially conforms to the project
35description for the San Joaquin River Recapture at Patterson
36Irrigation District Conveyed through Delta-Mendota Canal to San
37Luis Reservoir Project set forth by the draft investment strategy
38released by the San Joaquin River Restoration Program in
39December 2014.

P4    1(b) Moneys provided pursuant to this section shall, in
2combination with moneys provided pursuant to the 50-percent cost
3share requirement of subdivision (b) of Section 10547.5 of the
4Water Code, fund the entirety of the projects described in
5subdivision (a).

6

SEC. 3.  

The Legislature finds and declares that a special law
7is necessary and that a general law cannot be made applicable
8within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California
9Constitution because of California’s four-year drought that has
10wreaked havoc on communities, businesses, and agriculture on
11the eastern side of the San Joaquin Valley. The interconnector
12projects described in this act will allow water to be better managed,
13providing relief to the eastern San Joaquin Valley and other areas
14of the state.

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