AB 1585 Assembly Bill

BILL NUMBER: AB 1585	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  FEBRUARY 8, 2016

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Alejo
   (Principal coauthor: Senator Cannella)
   (Coauthor: Senator Monning)

                        JANUARY 6, 2016

   An act relating to water resources,  making an appropriation
therefor,  and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect
immediately.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1585, as amended, Alejo. Monterey County Water Resources
Agency:  water conveyance.   Lake Nacimiento and
Lake San Antonio. 
   Existing law establishes the Monterey County Water Resources
Agency as a flood control and water agency within the County of
Monterey. Existing law authorizes the agency to award a design-build
contract for the combined design and construction of a project to
connect Lake San Antonio, located in the County of Monterey, and Lake
Nacimiento, located in the County of San Luis Obispo, with an
underground tunnel or pipeline for the purpose of maximizing water
storage, supply, and groundwater recharge.
   This bill would  require no less than  
appropriate  $25,000,000 from an unspecified source  to
be allocated, upon appropriation by the Legislature,  to the
agency for the purpose of constructing a water conveyance tunnel
between Lake Nacimiento and Lake San  Antonio,  
Antonio and spillway modifications at Lake San Ant   onio,
 as specified.
   This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to
the necessity of a special statute for the Monterey County Water
Resources Agency.
   This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as
an urgency statute.
   Vote: 2/3. Appropriation:  no   yes  .
Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares as follows:
   (a) Over the past four years, California has grappled with one of
the worst ongoing droughts in the state's history. 
   (b) The state is riddled with water supply and water quality
challenges posed by the relentless drought and is now facing weather
forecasts of one of the most powerful El Niño storms ever recorded.
 
   (c) A major flood event in California has the potential to
devastate communities and regional agriculture-based economies and
seriously impact the state's economy.  
   (d) In Monterey County alone, agriculture generates eight billion
one hundred twenty million dollars ($8,120,000,000) into the local
economy and supports more than 76,000 jobs. An additional 20,352 jobs
are created as a direct result of the industry.  
   (b) 
    (e)  The Monterey County Water Resources Agency manages
Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio, two reservoirs that 
provide water supply,   supply water for consumption and
groundwater recharge and provide  flood control, 
prevention of salt water intrusion,  and recreation in the
Salinas Valley. 
   (c) 
    (   f)  Lake Nacimiento's watershed fills
 the Lake Nacimiento   its  reservoir
nearly three times faster than Lake San Antonio's watershed fills
 that reservoir. The Monterey County Water Resources Agency
often releases water from Lake Nacimiento because it reaches its
capacity,   its reservoir, often causing water in Lake
Nacimiento to exceed capacity and overflow from the spillway to 
 the ocean,  even when Lake San Antonio still has 
excess storage available.   available storage capacity.
 
   (d) 
    (   g)  The Monterey County Water Resources
Agency is planning to  build a tunnel or pipeline between
Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio to redirect water from Lake
Nacimiento that would otherwise be released out to sea and use it to
fill excess capacity in Lake San Antonio.   correct
these wasteful and potentially harmful consequences by constructing
both of the following:  
   (1) A tunnel or pipeline between Lake Nacimiento and Lake San
Antonio that has the potential to reduce water overflow events by 60
percent.  
   (2) Spillway modifications at Lake San Antonio to increase storage
by approximately 60,000 acre feet.  
   (e) The interlake tunnel project 
    (h)     These two projects  will
mitigate the impact of the drought and improve the economic viability
of the Salinas Valley, the environmental sustainability of the
region, and agricultural production. 
   (f) 
    (i)  The Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio region
scores 40 percent to 50 percent as a disadvantaged community under
CalEnviroScreen. 
   (g) The state is riddled with water supply and water quality
challenges posed by the relentless drought and is now facing weather
forecasts of one of the most powerful El Niño storms ever recorded.
 
   (h) A major flood event in California has the potential to
devastate communities, regional agriculture-based economies, and
seriously impact the state's economy.  
   (i) In Monterey County alone, agriculture generates eight billion
one hundred twenty million dollars ($8,120,000,000) into the local
economy and supports more than 76,000 jobs. An additional 20,352 jobs
are created as a direct result of the prosperous industry. Flooding
of our agricultural lands could put all of that into jeopardy.

   (j) Given the Salinas Valley's economic contribution to the state'
s agricultural economy and the stress the El Niño storms will put on
the region, the Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio areas are
considered distressed communities and therefore are a priority for
state funding.
  SEC. 2.   Upon appropriation by the Legislature, no less
than twenty-five   Twenty-five  million dollars
($25,000,000) from ____  shall be allocated   is
hereby appropriated  to the Monterey County Water Resources
Agency for the purpose of  constructing a water conveyance
tunnel,   constructing,  in accordance with the
design-build process authorized by Section 11.1 of the Monterey
County Water Resources Agency Act (Chapter 1159 of the Statutes of
1990, as amended by Chapter 865 of the Statutes of 2014), 
between Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio within zone 2c 
 both of the following  in order to maximize water storage,
water supply, and groundwater recharge at the lakes, within the
Salinas River groundwater basin, and the Salinas  Valley.
  Valley:  
   (a) A water conveyance tunnel between Lake Nacimiento and Lake San
Antonio within zone 2c.  
   (b) Spillway modifications at Lake San Antonio to increase storage
by approximately 60,000 acre feet. 
  SEC. 3.  The Legislature finds and declares that a special law is
necessary and that a general law cannot be made applicable within the
meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution
because of the emergency circumstances of the ongoing drought and the
benefits  this project between   these projects
involving  Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio managed by the
Monterey County Water Resources Agency will provide to the region.
  SEC. 4.  This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the
meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate
effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
   In order to responsibly store water during California's prolonged
 drought and   drought,  to protect the
Salinas Valley from  flooding   flooding, and to
protect water supply, water quality, distressed communities, and
urban and rural property and structures  during a historic El
Niño weather pattern, it is necessary that this act take effect
immediately.