California Assembly Bill AB935 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 935AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 16, 2015 AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 23, 2015 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  10547.5   140  to the Water Code, relating to  integrated regional water management plans.   water.  LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 935, as amended, Salas.  Integrated Regional Water Management Plans: conveyance projects: grants and expenditures.   Water projects.   Existing law establishes in the Natural Resources Agency the Department of Water Resources, which manages and undertakes planning with regard to water resources in the state.   This bill would require, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the department to provide funding for certain projects.   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 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. The bill would require the department, pursuant these provisions, to provide grant funding for certain projects, as specified.   This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the specified projects.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   Section 140 is added to the   Water Code   , to read:   140. Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the department shall provide funding for the following projects: (a) A project that substantially conforms to the project description for the Reverse Flow Pump-back Facilities on the Friant-Kern Canal Restoration Project set forth by the draft investment strategy released by the San Joaquin River Restoration Program in December 2014. (b) A project that substantially conforms to the project description for the San Joaquin River Recapture at Patterson Irrigation District Conveyed through Delta-Mendota Canal to San Luis Reservoir Project set forth by the draft investment strategy released by the San Joaquin River Restoration Program in December 2014.   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.   SEC. 2.   (a) Pursuant to Section 10547.5 of the Water Code, the Department of Water Resources, using moneys appropriated to the department for these purposes, shall provide grant funding for the following projects: (1) A project that substantially conforms to the project description for the Reverse Flow Pump-back Facilities on the Friant-Kern Canal Restoration Project set forth by the draft investment strategy released by the San Joaquin River Restoration Program in December 2014. (2) A project that substantially conforms to the project description for the San Joaquin River Recapture at Patterson Irrigation District Conveyed through Delta-Mendota Canal to San Luis Reservoir Project set forth by the draft investment strategy released by the San Joaquin River Restoration Program in December 2014. (b) Moneys provided pursuant to this section shall, in combination with moneys provided pursuant to the 50-percent cost share requirement of subdivision (b) of Section 10547.5 of the Water Code, fund the entirety of the projects described in subdivision (a).   SEC. 3.   The Legislature finds and declares that a special law is necessary and that a general law cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of California's four-year drought that has wreaked havoc on communities, businesses, and agriculture on the eastern side of the San Joaquin Valley. The interconnector projects described in this act will allow water to be better managed, providing relief to the eastern San Joaquin Valley and other areas of the state.