Amended in Assembly August 17, 2015

Amended in Senate June 2, 2015

Amended in Senate April 30, 2015

Amended in Senate April 21, 2015

Amended in Senate April 8, 2015

Senate Bill No. 758

Introduced by Senator Block

February 27, 2015

An act to add Article 8 (commencing with Section 347) to Chapter 2.5 of Division 1 of the Water Code, relating to climate change.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 758, as amended, Block. Atmospheric begin delete Rivers Research and Mitigation end delete begin insert Rivers: Research, Mitigation, and Climate Forecasting end insert Program.

Existing law establishes the Department of Water Resources and requires the department to implement various water conservation and flood control programs and projects in the state.

This bill would establish the Atmospheric begin delete Rivers Research and Mitigation end delete begin insert Rivers: Research, Mitigation, and Climate Forecasting end insert Program in the department to, upon appropriation of special fund moneys, research begin insert climate forecasting and end insert the causes and begin delete effects of end delete begin insert impacts that climate change has on end insert atmospheric rivers, begin delete and to take actions to capture water generated by atmospheric rivers to increase the water supply and reliability of water resources in the state and end delete to operate reservoirs in a manner that improves flood protection in the begin delete state. end delete begin insert state, and to reoperate flood control and water storage facilities to capture water generated by atmospheric rivers. end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Article 8 (commencing with Section 347) is added
to Chapter 2.5 of Division 1 of the Water Code, to read:

 

Article 8.  Atmospheric begin delete Rivers Research and Mitigation end delete begin insert Rivers:
Research, Mitigation, and Climate Forecasting end insert

 

347.  

(a) The Atmospheric begin delete Rivers Research and Mitigation end delete
begin insert Rivers: Research, Mitigation, and Climate Forecasting end insert Program
is hereby established in the Department of Water Resources.

(b) Upon appropriation of special fund moneys, including, but
not limited to, private funds, for these purposes, the department
shall begin insert conduct end insert research begin insert relating to climate forecasting and end insert the
causes and begin delete effects of end delete begin insert impacts that climate change has on end insert
atmospheric rivers, and shall take all actions within its existing
authority to begin delete capture water generated by atmospheric rivers in order
to increase the water supply and reliability of water resources in
the state and to end delete operate reservoirs in a manner that improves flood
protection in the begin delete state. end delete begin insert state and to reoperate flood control and
water storage facilities to capture water generated by atmospheric
rivers, thereby increasing water supply, hydropower availability,
and the reliability of water resources in the state. end insert