BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2422
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Date of Hearing: May 9, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 2422 (Berryhill) - As Amended: March 29, 2012
Policy Committee: Water, Parks and
Wildlife Vote: 7-3
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to
complete an expedited evaluation and feasibility study of the
Western Delta Intakes Concept (WDIC) - a large scalable intake
facility on the publicly owned land of Sherman Island in the
Western Delta to allow in-Delta water storage. The bill
appropriates $750,000 in Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and
Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of
2006 (Proposition 84) bond funding for DWR to undertake the
study.
The bill further requires DWR to submit the report to the
Legislature by January 1, 2014, and, if the department finds the
project feasible, to recommend specific facilities to be
constructed and potential funding sources.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)One-time appropriation of $750,000 to DWR to complete the
expedited evaluation and feasibility study (Proposition 84
bond funds).
2)Potential cost pressure of an unknown amount, but potentially
in the millions of dollars, to fund specific projects, should
DWR find the WDIC project feasible.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale. The author contends it appropriate to consider the
feasibility of WDIC in order assess its potential to improve
fish health, water quality and the manner in which water is
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moved through the Delta, and appropriate to do so using bond
monies designate for that general purpose.
2)Background. SBX7 1 (Chapter 5, Statutes of 2009, Simitian)
codified the coequal goals of providing a more reliable water
supply for California while protecting, restoring, and
enhancing the Delta ecosystem. SBX7 1 calls for the Delta
Stewardship Council, created by SBX7 1, to adopt a "Delta
Plan," a comprehensive, long-term management plan for the
Delta.
SBX7 1 also called for the council to consider a plan for
Delta water conveyance developed by the Bay Delta Conservation
Plan (BDCP)-a stakeholder-driven process to develop a
conservation plan upon which an official state Delta plan
could be built. SBX7 1 specifies the council is to adopt the
BDCP only if BDCP has considered, among other things, "a
reasonable range of Delta conveyance alternatives, including
through-Delta, dual conveyance, and isolated conveyance
alternatives and including further capacity and design options
of a lined canal, an unlined canal, and pipelines. As noted in
the policy analysis, SBX7 1 did not specify that the
statutorily-mandated BDCP options were the maximum number of
storage and conveyance investigations that should occur in the
Delta or that should receive consideration and analysis.
Proposition 84 of 2006 makes $65 million available to DWR for
planning and feasibility studies related to the existing and
potential future needs for California's water supply,
conveyance and flood control systems.
3)Support. This bill is supported by Food and Water Watch, a
group that advocates to ensure food is safe, accessible and
sustainably produced.
4)Opposition. This bill is opposed by a long list of water
import agencies, who contend the BDCP process is considering
multiple alternative methods of conveying water through the
Delta and that adding yet another project for consideration
will divert attention and resources.
Analysis Prepared by : Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081
AB 2422
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