AB 2480, as amended, Bloom. Source watersheds: financing.
Existing law establishes various state water policies, including the policy that the Legislature consider other works as may be necessary to develop water to satisfy the requirements of the watershed in which water originates whenever the Legislature authorizes the construction or acquisition of a project that will develop water for use outside that watershed, as specified.
This bill would declare it to be state policy that source watersheds are recognized and defined as integral components of California’s water infrastructure. The bill would state the particular importance to maintaining the reliability of California’s water supplybegin insert as climate change advancesend insert of the source watersheds that supply thebegin insert
Shasta and Oroville reservoirs of theend insert State Waterbegin delete Project and the federal Central Valley Project and, to the extent feasible,end deletebegin insert Project. The billend insert would require the maintenance and repair of these watersheds to receive financing consideration on the same basisbegin delete withend deletebegin insert asend insert otherbegin insert State Water Projectend insert water collection and treatmentbegin delete infrastructure,end deletebegin insert
infrastructureend insert and would specify that the maintenance and repair activities that are eligible are limited tobegin delete certainend deletebegin insert specifiedend insert
forest ecosystembegin delete managementend deletebegin insert restoration and conservationend insert activities.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 108.5 is added to the Water Code, to
2read:
(a) It is hereby declared to be the established policy of
4the state that source watersheds are recognized and defined as
5integral components of California’s water infrastructure.
6(b) begin insert(1)end insertbegin insert end insert The source watersheds that supply thebegin delete state and federally begin insert Shasta and Oroville reservoirs ofend insert
the State Water
7operated systems,end delete
8Projectbegin delete and the federal Central Valley Project, collectively provide
980 percent of state reservoir capacity
andend delete
10importance to maintaining the reliability of California’s water
11begin delete supply. To the extent feasible, theend deletebegin insert supply as climate change
12advances. Theend insert maintenance and repair of these watershedsbegin delete and shall receive financing consideration on the
13associated projectsend delete
14same basisbegin delete withend deletebegin insert asend insert otherbegin insert State Water Projectend insert water collection and
15treatment infrastructure.
16
(2) Nothing in this section is intended to modify existing grant
17programs or guidelines or constrain financing for source
18watersheds supplying local, state, or federal water systems.
19(c) Eligible maintenance and repair activities pursuant to this
20section are limited to the following forest ecosystembegin delete managementend delete
21begin insert restoration and conservationend insert activities:
22(1) Upland vegetation management to restore the watershed’s
23productivity and resiliency.
24(2) Wet and dry meadow restoration.
25(3) Road removal and repair.
26(4) Stream channel restoration.
27(5) Conservation of private forests to preserve watershed
28integrity through permanent prevention ofbegin insert land useend insert conversion
P3 1andbegin delete degradation,end deletebegin insert improved land management,end insert achievedbegin delete throughend delete
2begin insert through, and secured with,end insert conservation
easements.
3(6) Other projects with a demonstrated likelihood of increasing
4conditions for water and snow attraction, retention, and release
5under changing climate conditions.
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