BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 935
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 28, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WATER, PARKS, AND WILDLIFE
Marc Levine, Chair
AB 935
(Salas) - As Amended March 26, 2015
SUBJECT: Integrated Regional Water Management Plans:
conveyance projects: grants and expenditures
SUMMARY: Requires the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to
provide grants and expenditures for the planning, design, and
construction of local and regional conveyance projects that
support regional and interregional connectivity and other listed
benefits. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires DWR to provide grants and expenditures for local and
regional conveyance projects that are consistent with an
adopted integrated regional water management plan (IRWM) and
also provide one or more of the following:
a) Improve regional or interregional water supply
reliability.
b) Mitigate conditions of groundwater overdraft,
groundwater quality, or land subsidence.
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c) Adapt to the impacts of hydrologic changes.
d) Improve water security from drought, natural disasters,
and other events that interrupt water supplies.
e) Provide safe drinking water for disadvantaged
communities and economically distressed areas.
2)Requires a local cost-share of not less than 50% unless the
area is a disadvantaged community or an economically
distressed area.
3)Authorizes DWR to adopt regulations to the implement the
regional conveyance grant and expenditure program.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Authorizes $7.545 billion in general obligation funding for
water-related projects and programs in Proposition 1, the Safe
Drinking Water, Quality, and Infrastructure Act of 2014 (Prop.
1) includes, among other funding:
a) $2.7 billion for surface and groundwater storage
projects, continuously appropriated to the California Water
Commission; and,
b) $810 million for IRWM projects, including regional water
conveyance facilities that improve integration of separate
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water systems.
2)Prop. 1 defines a disadvantaged community as a community with
an annual median household income that is less than 80 % of
the statewide annual median household income.
3)Prop. 1 defines an economically distressed area as the
following:
a) A municipality with a population of 20,000 persons or
less or a rural county, or a reasonably isolated and
divisible segment of a larger municipality where the
segment of the population is 20,000 persons or less;
b) The area has an annual median household income that is
less than 85% of the statewide median household income;
and,
c) DWR finds the area has one or more of the following
conditions: is in financial hardship; unemployed at a rate
that is 2% higher than the statewide average; or, has a low
population density.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS: This bill would require DWR to fund conveyance
projects, as specified.
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1)Author's statement: The author states that conveyance is
necessary in order to fully realize the benefits of virtually
every type of local water management, such as desalination,
recycling, use efficiency, and storage projects. The author
notes that the water bond has money allocated in it for
surface water storage and groundwater storage projects and
that, in order to create the greatest possible statewide
benefit, it will be necessary to have adequate connections
between both.
2)Prior and related legislation:
AB 1471 (Rendon), Chapter 188, Statutes of 2014 placed
Proposition 1 on the November 2014 ballot where it passed with
over 67% of the vote.
3)Supporting arguments: Supporters state that this bill could
help benefit agencies in terms of the study, design, and
construction of a physical connection to the State Water
Project and that this bill would provide for up to a 50% state
match for the total project costs.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
Desert Water Agency
Opposition
AB 935
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None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Tina Cannon Leahy / W., P., & W. / (916)
319-2096