BILL NUMBER: AB 1058	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Smyth

                        FEBRUARY 18, 2011

   An act to amend Section 13971 of the Water Code, relating to
water.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1058, as introduced, Smyth. Clean Water Bond Law of 1970.
   Existing law, the Clean Water Bond Law of 1970, a bond act
approved by the voters at the November 3, 1970, statewide general
election, authorizes the issuance of bonds in the amount of
$250,000,000, to be used for grants and contracts for specified
plans, surveys, research, development, and studies, and water quality
projects. The bond act includes legislative findings and
declarations relative to water quality.
   This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those
legislative findings and declarations.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 13971 of the Water Code is amended to read:
   13971.  The Legislature hereby finds and declares  that
clean   all of the following: 
    (a)     Clean  water, which fosters
the health of the people, the beauty of their environment, the
expansion of industry and agriculture, the enhancement of fish and
wildlife, the improvement of recreational facilities  ,  and
the provision of pure drinking water at a reasonable cost, is an
essential public need.  Although 
    (b)     Although  the State of
California is endowed with abundant lakes and ponds, streams and
rivers, and hundreds of miles of shoreline, as well as large
quantities of underground water, these vast water resources are
threatened by pollution, which, if not checked, will impede the state'
s economic, community  ,  and social growth.  The

    (c)     The  chief cause of pollution
is the discharge of inadequately treated waste into the waters of the
state. Many public agencies have not met the demands for adequate
waste treatment or the control of water pollution because of
inadequate financial resources and  othe   other
 responsibilities.  Increasing 
    (d)     Increasing  population
accompanied by accelerating urbanization, growing demands for water
of high quality, rising costs of construction  ,  and
technological changes mean that  ,  unless the state acts
now  ,  the needs may soar beyond the means available for
public finance. Meeting these needs is a proper purpose of the
federal, state and local governments.  Local 
    (e)     Local  agencies, by reason of
their closeness to the problem, should continue to have primary
responsibility for construction, operation  ,  and
maintenance of the facilities necessary to cleanse our waters.
 Since 
    (f)     Since  water pollution knows
no political boundaries and since the cost of eliminating the
existing backlog of needed facilities and of providing additional
facilities for future needs will be beyond the ability of local
agencies to pay, the state, to meet its responsibility to protect and
promote the health, safety  ,  and welfare of the
inhabitants of the state, should assist in the financing. The federal
government is contributing to the cost of control of water
pollution, and just provision should be made to cooperate with the
United States of America.  It 
    (g)     It  is the intent of this
chapter to provide necessary funds to  insure  
ensure  the full participation by the state under  the
provisions of  Section 8 of the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act (33 U.S.C. 466 et  seq.)   (1970))
 and acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto.