BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



          SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                             Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
                                2015 - 2016  Regular 

          SB 144 (Pan) - Water development projects:  Sacramento-San  
          Joaquin watersheds
          
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          |Version: April 6, 2015          |Policy Vote: N.R. & W. 9 - 0    |
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          |Urgency: No                     |Mandate: No                     |
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          |Hearing Date: April 13, 2015    |Consultant: Marie Liu           |
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          This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.

          Bill  
          Summary:  SB 144 would update the state's authorization for  
          funding local flood control projects in the Natomas Basin.


          Fiscal  
          Impact:  Approximately $40 to $60 million in General Fund for  
          additional state obligations in flood control project costs.


          Background:  Under the State Water Resources Law of 1945, the state may  
          participate in funding local flood control projects that are  
          authorized by the Legislature, authorized by Congress, and meet  
          other specific requirements. Among the local flood control  
          projects that have been authorized by the Legislature are levees  
          in the Natomas Basin that are defined as "the project for flood  
          control along the American and Sacramento Rivers?within the  
          Natomas Basin as described in the final engineer's report date  
          April 19, 2007, adopted by the Sacramento Area Flood Control  
          Agency."








          SB 144 (Pan)                                           Page 1 of  
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          Since the 2007 final engineer report, the project has been  
          further refined to meet higher levee building standards required  
          by the Army Corps of Engineers. These changes are reflected in  
          the 2010 final feasibility study for the American River  
          Watershed, Common Features Project, Natomas Basin. This final  
          feasibility study would need to be referenced in the state's  
          funding authorization for the project in order for the  
          authorization to continue to be applicable. 


          Proposed Law:  
            This bill would include the 2010 final feasibility study in  
          the state's funding authorization of local levees in the Natomas  
          Basin to reflect the project's current design.


          Related  
          Legislation:  AB 1147 (Honda) Chapter 1071, Statutes of 2000  
          provided the original authorization.


          Staff  
          Comments:  The Department of Water Resources estimates that the  
          state's cost share of the updated project will likely increase  
          $40-60 million. However, staff notes that because the project  
          changes were in response to more stringent levee requirements,  
          doing the project as originally authorized is not an option.  
          Therefore not recognizing the latest design of the project would  
          effectively be rejecting the state's original agreement to share  
          in the cost of improving these levees. Staff notes that the bill  
          would also conform state's authorization to the federal  
          authorization.


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