BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 834
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 834 (Wolk)
As Amended June 29, 2011
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :24-14
WATER, PARKS & WILDLIFE 9-3
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|Ayes:|Huffman, Blumenfield, | | |
| |Campos, Fong, Gatto, | | |
| |Roger Hern�ndez, Hueso, | | |
| |Lara, Yamada | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Halderman, Jones, Olsen | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires that an Integrated Regional Water Management Plan
(IRWMP) that is voluntarily drafted so as to meet certain minimum
requirements in order to be eligible for state funding must, for a
region that depends on water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
(Delta), also include an identification of the way the IRWMP will
reduce reliance on the Delta through investments in regional
self-reliance. Specifically, this bill :
1)Makes legislative findings reflecting that the state has adopted
the coequal goals for the Delta of providing a more reliable water
supply and protecting, restoring, and enhancing the Delta
ecosystem and that those coequal goals shall be achieved in a way
that respects the unique cultural, recreational, natural resource
and agricultural values of the Delta.
2)Makes further findings that it is the policy of the state to
reduce reliance on the Delta in meeting California's future water
needs through a statewide strategy of investing in improved
regional supplies, conservation, and water use efficiency.
3)Specifies that the minimum content of an IRWMP eligible for state
funding, for a region that depends on water from the Delta, must
also include an identification of the way the IRWMP will reduce
reliance on the Delta and increase regional self-reliance.
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EXISTING LAW:
1)Adopts coequal goals for the Delta of providing a more reliable
water supply and protecting, restoring, and enhancing the Delta
ecosystem and that those coequal goals shall be achieved in a way
that respects the unique cultural, recreational, natural resource
and agricultural values of the Delta.
2)States it is the policy of California to reduce reliance on the
Delta in meeting California's future water supply needs through a
statewide strategy of investing in improved regional supplies,
conservation, and water use efficiency. States that regional
self-reliance shall be improved through investments in water use
efficiency, water recycling, advanced water technologies, local
and regional water supply projects, and improved regional
coordination of local and regional water supply efforts.
3)Requires that IRWMPs must address the following, at a minimum, in
order to be eligible for
state funding for water projects and programs that implement the
IRWMP:
a) Protection and improvement of water supply reliability,
including agricultural and urban water use efficiency;
b) Identification and consideration of drinking water quality;
c) Protection and improvement of water quality;
d) Identification of any significant threats to groundwater;
e) Protection, restoration, and improvement of stewardship of
aquatic, riparian, and watershed resources;
f) Protection of groundwater resources from contamination; and,
g) Identification and consideration of disadvantaged
communities' water needs.
SB 834
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FISCAL EFFECT : Nonfiscal
COMMENTS : Under the Integrated Regional Water Management Planning
Act of 2002, a regional water management group is authorized, but
not required, to prepare and adopt an IRWMP. However, past bond
propositions, such as Proposition 50 in 2002 and Proposition 84 in
2006, have included sections that made funding for water projects
and programs contingent on consistency with an IRWMP.
In November of 2009, the Legislature convened during the Seventh
Extraordinary Session and enacted a comprehensive package of
legislation to address pressing California water issues, including
the continuing crisis in the Delta related to oversubscription of
Delta water supplies, crashing populations of native fish species,
and the unreliability of the state's Delta exports. SB 1 (Simitian)
Chapter 5, Statutes of 2009-10 Seventh Extraordinary Session, was
part of the five-bill package that resulted. SB 1 X7 (Simitian)
covered a range of Delta governance issues, among them adopting the
coequal goals for the Delta and making it the state's policy to
reduce reliance on the Delta through an investment in regional
self-reliance. The package also included SB 8 (Steinberg) Chapter
2, Statutes of 2009-10 Seventh Extraordinary Session, relating to
water diversions and use and budget. Among its provisions, SB 8 X7
(Steinberg) specified that $250 million of Proposition 84 funding
for integrated regional water management grants and expenditures was
for programs and projects that, when implemented, will help reduce
dependence on the Delta for water supply.
As stated by the author, this bill will utilize IRWMPs as a tool to
implement the recently adopted state policy of reducing reliance on
freshwater exported from the Delta and ensures that state
investments in regional water supply reliability are directed to the
most efficient and strategic projects. Supporters point out that
while Water Code Section 85021 sets forth a policy of reduced Delta
reliance and improved regional self-sufficiency, current law does
not specifically require any actions to be taken to support this
policy and there is no mechanism requiring any region to report on
its progress towards meeting that goal.
Opponents of this bill who rely on the Delta for export water
supplies object to state requirements dictating the contents of a
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local plan in order to secure state grants and loans and believe
this bill may remove their ability to rely on IRWMP cost-sharing
opportunities to move new Delta water into their service areas.
Opponents of the bill who are located wholly within the upstream
Delta watershed are concerned that any new surface storage or
diversion projects to meet future water supply needs must
necessarily result in increased reliance on the Delta and that this
bill could make them ineligible for state funds to implement those
projects.
Analysis Prepared by : Tina Cannon Leahy / W., P. & W. / (916)
319-2096
FN:
0001443