BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2501
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 30, 2008
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mark Leno, Chair
AB 2501 (Wolk) - As Amended: April 17, 2008
Policy Committee: Water, Parks &
Wildlife Vote: 9-4
Natural Resources 6-2
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to
include climate change analyses in all of its water management
reports and plans and appropriates $610,160,000 of available
bond proceeds to fund a variety of water-related projects.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Moderate GF costs, in the range of $500,000 in 2008-09 and $1
million annually thereafter, to DWR to develop information on
non-State Water Project (SWP) hydrological basins and to
prepare a report quantifying the energy savings and greenhouse
gas emission reductions associated with water supply
development.
2)Moderate GF costs, in the range of $100,000 in 2008-09 and
$200,000 annually thereafter, to the State Water Resources
Control Board (SWRCB) to provide its input on the energy
savings and greenhouse gas quantification.
3)Moderate GF costs, in the range of $250,000 primarily in
2009-10, to the SWRCB to establish groundwater contamination
pilot projects in the Tulare Lake Basin and the Salinas
Valley, to establish an interagency task force, and to report
to the Legislature.
4)Appropriates $610,160,000 from bond proceeds authorized by
Prop 1E ($204 million), Prop 84 ($402.4 million), and Prop
50 ($3.76 million). This appropriation, to the extent it
results in already authorized bonds being sold, results in an
AB 2501
Page 2
increase in the annual GF debt service requirement of about
$40 million.
SUMMARY CONTINUED
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires DWR to include a climate change analysis in its
biennial report regarding SWP delivery capability, the
quintennially-produced California Water Plan (Bulletin 160),
all Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta reports, the State Plan of
Flood Control, and California Groundwater (Bulletin 118).
2)Requires DWR, by July 1, 2009, to review or develop climate
change information for the state and each hydrologic basin for
use by the state and local agencies and to make this
information available on the DWR website.
3)Prohibits DWR, for integrated regional water management plans
submitted after January 1, 2011, from providing grant funds to
an applicant unless that applicant's plan considered related
climate change impacts.
4)Requires urban water suppliers and agricultural water
suppliers, when updating their water management plans, to
include information on climate change impacts to their water
supply.
5)Requires DWR, by January 1, 2010, to report to the governor
and the Legislature energy savings and greenhouse gas emission
reductions associated with water supply development.
6)Requires the SWRCB and regional water boards, when updating
their water quality control plans, to consider related climate
change impacts.
7)Appropriates $610,160,000 from three already authorized
general obligation resources bonds, as follows:
a) Disaster Preparedness and Flood Prevention Bond Act of
2006 (Prop 1E)
i To DWR to acquire, design, and construct essential
emergency preparedness supplies and projects to reduce
the risk of levee failure in the delta ($54 million).
AB 2501
Page 3
ii To DWR for grants for stormwater flood management
projects that reduce the risk of flood damage and provide
other benefits ($150 million).
b) Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood
Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006
(Prop 84)
i To the Department of Public Health (DPH) for grants
for small community drinking water system infrastructure
improvements and related actions to meet safe drinking
water standards ($50 million).
ii To DPH for grants for projects to prevent or reduce
the contamination of groundwater that serves as a source
of drinking water ($50.4 million).
iii To DWR for planning grants and local groundwater
assistance grants ($40 million).
iv To DWR for drinking water intake facility projects
to improve the quality of drinking water supplies from
the delta ($55 million).
v To DWR and the Central Valley Flood Protection
(CVFP) Board to improve the department's ability to
respond to levee breaches and to reduce the potential for
levee failure ($60 million).
vi To DWR and the CVFP Board to acquire, preserve,
protect, and restore delta resources by funding projects
that improve the stability of the delta levee system,
reduce land subsidence, and assist in restoring the delta
ecosystem ($100 million).
vii To DWR to complete the planning and feasibility
studies associated with new surface storage under the
California Bay-Delta Program ($12 million).
viii To DWR for planning and feasibility studies to
identify potential options for the reoperation of the
state's flood protection and water supply systems to
optimize the use of existing facilities and groundwater
storage capacity ($15 million).
AB 2501
Page 4
ix To DWR to begin addressing how the state water
system should respond to climate change ($10 million).
x To DWR for planning and feasibility studies to
implement Delta Vision ($10 million).
c) Water Security, Clean Drinking Water, Coastal and Beach
Protection Act of 2002 (Prop 50) .
To DWR for planning and feasibility studies associated with
surface storage under the California Bay-Delta Program
($3.76 million).
8)Requires the SWRCB to develop pilot projects in the Tulare
Lake Basin and the Salinas Valley that focus on nitrate
contamination.
COMMENTS
1)Rationales . The author believes that climate change will have
major impacts on the state's overall efforts to manage water
supply and water quality, and that these impacts will vary
significantly from region to region and basin to basin. The
combined effect of changes to annual snow pack, the levels,
forms and timing of precipitation, the ability of current
water storage and flood control facilities to protect property
and public safety, and the options available to enhance water
supply and reduce water demand will require the state and each
local water supplier to integrate these potential impacts into
their water management plans.
With regard to the $610,160,000 appropriation of resources
bond proceeds, the author contends that prompt progress needs
to be made on planning, designing, and completing projects
that enhance flood protection and the supply and quality of
water, especially as they relate to the delta. The author
argues bond proceeds should be appropriated outside the Budget
Act.
2)Prior Legislation . In 2007, AB 224 (Wolk) would have required
many of the same climate change actions to be undertaken by
DWR and SB 1002 (Perata) would have appropriated $610,890,000
of various resources bond proceeds for water-related projects
and would have established the Tulare Lake Basin and Salinas
AB 2501
Page 5
Valley pilot projects. AB 224 was held on the Senate
Appropriations Committee suspense file, while SB 1002 was
vetoed by the governor, who did not support the appropriations
without a more comprehensive water supply package, including
new GO bond authorizations, being passed by the Legislature.
Analysis Prepared by : Steve Archibald / APPR. / (916)
319-2081