BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



          SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND WATER
                             Senator Fran Pavley, Chair
                                2015 - 2016  Regular 

          Bill No:            SB 144          Hearing Date:    March 24,  
          2015
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Author:    |Pan                    |           |                 |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Version:   |January 27, 2015                                     |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Urgency:   |No                     |Fiscal:    |Yes              |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Consultant:|Dennis O'Connor                                      |
          |           |                                                     |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          
            Subject:  Water development projects:  Sacramento-San Joaquin  
                                     watersheds

          BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW
          Under the State Water Resources Law of 1945, the state may  
          participate in funding local flood control projects that are  
          authorized by the legislature and that meet other specific  
          requirements.  One requirement is that the project must be  
          authorized by Congress.

          Among the local flood control projects that have been authorized  
          by the Legislature is "The project for flood control along the  
          American and Sacramento Rivers ? within the Natomas Basin as  
          described in the final engineer's report dated April 19, 2007,  
          adopted by the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency."

          This project has been further refined in the "2010 final  
          feasibility study for the American River Watershed, Common  
          Features Project, Natomas Basin, adopted by Congress in Section  
          7002 of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014."

          PROPOSED LAW
          This bill would update the current authorization for this  
          project to reflect the current definition of the project.  The  
          bill would also make numerous technical, non substantive changes  
          to the authorizing statutes.

          ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT
          According to the Sponsor, SB 144 "would ensure that the historic  







          SB 144 (Pan)                                            Page 2  
          of ?
          
          
          Federal-State-local cost-sharing partnership is continued and  
          construction moves forward as quickly as possible.  The  
          constructed Projects will increase the ability of the existing  
          flood control system to protect heavily urbanized areas within  
          the City of Sacramento and the Counties of Sacramento, Yolo and  
          Sutter.  And, as evidenced by the Environmental impact Reports  
          that certified these projects, they will do so without altering  
          or otherwise impairing the designed flows and surface  
          elevations."

          ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION: None Received
          
          COMMENTS: None

          SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS : None
          
          SUPPORT:
          Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency - Sponsor
          Association of California Water Agencies
          OPPOSITION: None Received