California Assembly Bill AB935 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 935AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 26, 2015 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Salas (Coauthors: Assembly Members Atkins, Bigelow, Gray, Olsen, Perea, and Rendon) (Coauthors: Senators Berryhill, Cannella, Fuller, Galgiani, and Vidak) FEBRUARY 26, 2015 An act to add Section  10531.7   10547.5  to the Water Code, relating to integrated regional water management plans. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 935, as amended, Salas. Integrated Regional Water Management Plans: conveyance  projects.   projects: grants and expenditures.  Existing law, the Integrated Regional Water Management Planning Act, authorizes a regional water management group to prepare and adopt an integrated regional water management plan with specified components relating to water supply and water quality. Existing law authorizes the Department of Water Resources to award grants to eligible projects consistent with an adopted integrated regional water management plan. This bill would  declare the intent of the Legislature to enact future legislation that would  require the department to provide grants and expenditures, consistent with an integrated regional water management plan, for the planning, design, and construction of local and regional conveyance projects that support regional and interregional connectivity and water management and provide certain benefits.  The bill would require a regional management group that is awarded a grant pursuant to these provisions to provide a cost share of not less than 50% of the total project costs from nonstate resources and would authorize the department to waive or reduce this requirement for projects that directly benefit a disadvantaged community or an economically distressed area. The bill would authorize the department to adopt regulations to implement these provisions.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  no   yes  . State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   Section 10547.5 is added to the   Water Code   , to read:   10547.5. (a) The department shall provide grants and expenditures, consistent with an adopted integrated regional water management plan, for the planning, design, and construction of local and regional conveyance projects that do both of the following: (1) Support regional and interregional connectivity and water management. (2) Provide one or more of the following benefits: (A) Improved regional or interregional water supply and water supply reliability. (B) Mitigation of conditions of groundwater overdraft, saline water intrusion, water quality degradation, or subsidence. (C) Adaption to the impacts of hydrologic changes. (D) Improved water security from drought, natural disasters, or other events that could interrupt imported water supplies. (E) Provision of safe drinking water for disadvantaged communities and economically distressed areas. (b) A regional water management group that is awarded a grant pursuant to subdivision (a) shall provide a cost share of not less than 50 percent of the total project costs from nonstate resources. The department may waive or reduce this cost share requirement for projects that directly benefit a disadvantaged community or an economically distressed area. (c) The department may adopt regulations to implement the provisions of this section in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.  SECTION 1.   Section 10531.7 is added to the Water Code, to read: 10531.7. It is the intent of the Legislature to enact future legislation that would do all of the following: (a) Require the Department of Water Resources to provide grants and expenditures, consistent with an adopted integrated regional water management plan, for the planning, design, and construction of local and regional conveyance projects that support regional and interregional connectivity and water management and that provide one or more of the following benefits: (1) Improved regional or interregional water supply and water supply reliability. (2) Mitigation of conditions of groundwater overdraft, saline water intrusion, water quality degradation, or subsidence. (3) Adaptation to the impacts of hydrologic changes. (4) Improved water security from drought, natural disasters, or other events that could interrupt imported water supplies. (5) Provision of safe drinking water for disadvantaged communities and economically distressed areas. (b) Require a cost share of not less than 50 percent of the total project costs from nonstate sources and authorize the department to waive or reduce the cost share requirement for projects that directly benefit a disadvantaged community or an economically distressed area.