AB 1649, as amended, Salas. State water policy: priority: surface water storage projects and joint powers authorities.
Existing law establishes various state water policies, including that the protection of the public interest in the development of the water resources of the state is of vital concern to the people of the state and that the state shall determine in what way the water of the state, both surface and underground, should be developed for the greatest public benefit.
This bill would require the Department of Water Resources to develop a state water policy that gives priority to the formation of joint powers authorities that are formed to address critical surface water storage needs and to funding of the joint powers authorities’ surface water projects. The bill would make findings and declarations of the Legislature, including, but not limited to, that, of the water storage projects available, the Temperance Flat Dam and Sites Reservoir will meet statewide goals and provide specified public benefits to the greatest extent.
Vote: begin delete2⁄3 end deletebegin insertmajorityend insert.
Appropriation: no.
Fiscal committee: yes.
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) According to the United States Drought Monitor, over 90
4percent of California is in “Severe Drought,” raising concerns over
5water supply dependability and underscoring the need for
6immediate statewide action.
7(b) On November 4, 2014, voters approved Proposition 1, the
8Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of
92014, which authorizes $7,545,000,000 in general obligation bonds
10to finance a water quality, supply, and infrastructure improvement
11program, and continuously appropriates from the revenue of
those
12bonds $2,700,000,000 for water storage projects, including, but
13not limited to, dams and reservoirs.
14(c) With the promise of increased water storage, voters approved
15Proposition 1 by 67 percent. The argument in favor of Proposition
161 in the state’s official voter information guide states “Proposition
171 invests in new storage increasing the amount of water that can
18be stored during wet years for the dry years that will continue to
19challenge California.”
20(d) Expanding and improving California’s water storage capacity
21is long overdue. The last time California saw significant state and
22federal investments in the state’s water storage and delivery system
23was in the 1960s, when the state’s population stood at 16 million.
24Today, that same system supports 38 million individuals and will
25
need to support 50 million by 2050.
26(e) Statewide water storage goals, as outlined in Chapter 8 of
27Proposition 1 (Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 79750) of
28Division 26.7 of the Water Code), are necessary to update
29California’s aging water infrastructure, provide reliable water
30supply for the public and our agricultural economy, and protect
31the environmental health of the Delta.
P3 1(f) A water storage project may only be funded by Chapter 8 of
2Proposition 1 (Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 79750) of
3Division 26.7 of the Water Code) if it provides specified public
4benefits, including: ecosystem improvements; water quality
5improvements to the Delta and river systems that provide public
6trust resources or restore groundwater resources; flood control
7benefits, including
increases in reservoir storage capacity in
8response to decreasing snow pack; emergency response, including
9securing emergency water supplies for salinity repulsion; and
10recreational purposes.
11(g) Of the water storage projects available, the Temperance Flat
12Dam and Sites Reservoir will meet statewide goals and provide
13all of these public benefits to the greatest extent. These projects
14will allow California to store more water in years of high rainfall,
15which will ease pressures placed on the Delta and groundwater
16supply during years of prolonged drought, and facilitate the storage
17of snow melt and timed releases of water to improve flow
18conditions and water temperatures.
Section 114 is added to the Water Code, to read:
No later thanbegin delete 60 days after the effective date of the act begin insert April 30, 2017,end insert the department shall
21which added this section,end delete
22develop a state water policy that gives priority to the formation of
23joint powers authorities that are formed to address critical surface
24water storage needs and to the funding of the joint powers
25authorities’ surface water storage projects.
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