AB 957, as amended, Mathis. Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014.
Existing law, the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, approved by the voters as Proposition 1 at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election, authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds in the amount of $7,545,000,000 to finance a water quality, supply, and infrastructure improvement program. The bond act provides that the sum ofbegin delete $520,000,000end deletebegin insert $725,000,000end insert is to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, forbegin delete expenditures, grants, and loans for projects that improve water quality or help provide clean, safe, and reliable drinking water to all Californians.end deletebegin insert
grants or loans for water recycling and advanced treatment technology projects. The bond act requires these water recycling and advanced treatment technology projects to be selected on a competitive basis, considering specified criteria, including, among other criteria, water supply reliability improvement and public health benefits from improved drinking water quality or supply.end insert
This bill wouldbegin delete make nonsubstantive changes in these provisions.end deletebegin insert include in the water supply reliability improvement criterion whether the project is proposed by a community that is heavily dependent on groundwater from a basin in overdraft, and would include in the public health benefits criterion whether the project is proposed by a community that has extended, or is in the process of
extending, its water service delivery to entities reliant on either contaminated groundwater or groundwater wells that have run dry.end insert
Vote: majority.
Appropriation: no.
Fiscal committee: begin deleteno end deletebegin insertyesend insert.
State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(a) Many communities throughout the state are
4disproportionately impacted by drought because they are heavily
5dependent or completely reliant on groundwater from basins that
6are in overdraft and in which the water table declines year after
7year.
8(b) The use of recycled water is a cost-effective, reliable method
9of helping to meet California’s water supply needs.
10(c) Increased use of recycled water in communities that are
11heavily dependent on groundwater from a basin in overdraft can
12help reduce strain on the basin and help facilitate groundwater
13recharge efforts.
14(d) Use of recycled water in place of drinking water for
15irrigation and other purposes can help larger communities extend
16their service delivery area to individuals and smaller communities
17that lack safe or adequate water supplies.
begin insertSection 79767.5 is added to the end insertbegin insertWater Codeend insertbegin insert, to read:end insert
begin insert(a) For purposes of subdivision (a) of Section 79767,
20whether the project is proposed by a community that is heavily
21dependent on groundwater from a basin in overdraft shall be
22considered.
23(b) For purposes of subdivision (c) of Section 79767, whether
24the project is proposed by a community that has extended, or is in
25the process of extending, its water service delivery to individuals
26or communities, or both, reliant on either contaminated
27groundwater or groundwater wells that have run dry shall be
28considered.
29(c) For purposes of this section, “contaminated groundwater”
30means groundwater that exceeds a primary or secondary drinking
P3 1water standard, as defined in Section 116275 of
the Health and
2Safety Code.
Section 79720 of the Water Code is amended to
4read:
Upon appropriation by the Legislature from the fund,
6the sum of five hundred twenty million dollars ($520,000,000)
7shall be available for expenditures, grants, and loans for projects
8that improve water quality or help provide clean, safe, and reliable
9drinking water to all Californians.
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