BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 939
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Date of Hearing: April 5, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY AND TOXIC MATERIALS
Bob Wieckowski, Chair
AB 939 (V. Manuel Perez) - As Amended: March 30, 2011
SUBJECT : New River Water Quality
SUMMARY : Makes technical corrections to the existing the New
River Improvement Project (NRIP). Specifically, this bill :
1)Applies the existing definitions that govern the creation and
operation of the NRIP to the broader provisions of the Code
that govern the protection of the environment and public
health at the California-Mexico border.
2)Establishes a New River Water Quality, Public Health, and
River Parkway Development program to coordinate implementation
of the NRIP.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes the California- Mexico Border Relations Council,
the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) and
the City of Calexico to develop a strategic plan for the NRIP.
The NRIP is defined to mean a project to monitor, remediate,
and enhance New River water quality in the County of Imperial
to protect human health, and develop a river parkway suitable
for public use and enjoyment.
2)Authorizes the City of Calexico to undertake a project for the
cleanup and encasement of the New River within its city limits
as part of a pollution cleanup measure and to protect human
health.
3)Establishes the California Border Environmental and Public
Health Protection Fund to provide technical assistance for
local governments and specified organizations for the purpose
of identifying and resolving problems affecting the public
health or environmental quality in the California-Baja
California border region.
FISCAL EFFECT : Not Known.
COMMENTS :
AB 939
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The New River - one of the most polluted rivers in the United
States: According to the State Water Resources Control Board,
"The New River carries urban runoff, untreated and partially
treated municipal wastes, untreated and partially treated
industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff from the Mexicali
Valley into the United States. By the time the New River
reaches the Salton Sea, about 2/3 of its flow consists of
wastewater in the form of agricultural runoff from Imperial
County."
The New River has been recognized as a significant pollution
problem since at least the late 1940s, primarily because of its
extremely high concentrations of fecal coliform bacteria and
offensive odor. In 1955, it was estimated that raw sewage from
approximately 25,000 people was being discharged into the New
River from Mexicali. In 1975, the population jumped to over
100,000 people. The present population of Mexicali is reported
as 764,902 by Mexico, but some believe it is close to 1 million.
A focal point of early complaints regarding New River pollution
was odor. In the early fifties, the odor of the river near the
boundary, particularly at night, was oftentimes overpowering.
Beginning around 1956, the flows of the New River at the
boundary increased considerably due to development of
agricultural drainage return flows from Mexicali Valley. This
dilution water temporarily alleviated the odor problem, but in
the sixties the problem became increasingly noticeable as sewage
loading increased with the population. Similarly, due to the
recent industrial growth in Mexicali, industry is now also a
significant source of New River pollution. In the mid 1980's
the extent of the problem was finally recognized, and Mexico and
the United States began to work cooperatively to address New
River pollution from Mexico.
Prior legislation:
SB 387 (Ducheny) Chapter 112, Statutes of 2005, authorizes the
City of Calexico to undertake a comprehensive project for the
cleanup and encasement of the New River within its city limits
as part of a pollution cleanup measure and to protect human
health.
AB 1079 (V.M. Perez) Chapter 382, Statutes of 2009, established
the NRIP to study, monitor, remediate, and enhance New River
water quality in the County of Imperial to protect human health
AB 939
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and develop a river parkway suitable for public use and
enjoyment.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Calexico New River Committee
Opposition
None Received
Analysis Prepared by : Bob Fredenburg / E.S. & T.M. / (916)
319-3965