BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 939
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Date of Hearing: April 13, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 939 (V. Manuel Perez) - As Amended: March 30, 2011
Policy Committee: Environmental
Safety and Toxic Materials Vote: 5-1
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill makes technical changes to statute governing the New
River Improvement Project. The bill also directs the
California-Mexico Border Relations Council to establish the New
River Water Quality, Public Health, and River Parkway
Development Program to coordinate the funding for, and
implementation of, the recommendations from the New River
strategic plan and the programs and projects identified by the
council. Finally, the bill directs state agencies that fund the
activities of the New River Improvement Project to work to align
contractual and administrative requirements for financial
assistance.
FISCAL EFFECT
Minor, absorbable state costs to the California Environmental
Protection Agency, the State Water Resources Control Board and
other state agencies that might provide funding to the project
to align contractual and administrative requirements for
financial assistance.
COMMENTS
1)Rational. The author contends this bill is necessary to make
technical corrections to existing statute and to ensure that
cleanup efforts for the New River are well coordinated.
2)Background. The New River is one of the dirtiest rivers in
America. According to the SWRCB, the river carries urban
runoff, untreated and partially treated municipal wastes,
untreated and partially treated industrial wastes, and
AB 939
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agricultural runoff from the Mexicali Valley into the United
States. By the time the New River reaches the Salton Sea,
about two-thirds of its flow consists of wastewater.
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, Mexico. In 1975, the population of
Mexicali population jumped to over 100,000 people. The
present population of Mexicali is nearing 1 million.
Recent growth in Mexicali industry is also a significant
source of New River pollution. In the mid-1980s 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.
To address New River Pollution and cleanup, statute
established in 2007 the California-Mexico Border Relations
Council, consisting of the chairs of several state agencies
and chaired by the Secretary for Environmental Protection.
Statute directed the council to develop a strategic plan to
guide the implementation of the New River Improvement Project.
3)Related Legislation.
a) SB 387 (Ducheny, Chapter 112, Statutes of 2005)
authorized 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.
b) AB 1079 (V. Manuel Pérez, Chapter 382, Statutes of 2010)
established the New River Public Health Improvement Project
for restoration and enhancement of the New River channel to
protect human health and the natural environment. The bill
directed the California-Mexico Border Relations Council to
develop a strategic plan to guide the implementation of the
New River Improvement Project.
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4)Support . This bill is supported by the Calexico New River
Committee, a group of residents and officials in the Calexico
area concerned about pollution in the New River and advocating
for its cleanup.
5)There is no registered opposition to this bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081