BILL NUMBER: AB 957AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 26, 2015 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Mathis FEBRUARY 26, 2015 An act toamendadd Section79720 of79767.5 to the Water Code, relating to water. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 957, as amended, Mathis. Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014. Existing law, the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, approved by the voters as Proposition 1 at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election, authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds in the amount of $7,545,000,000 to finance a water quality, supply, and infrastructure improvement program. The bond act provides that the sum of$520,000,000$725,000,000 is to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, forexpenditures, grants, and loans for projects that improve water quality or help provide clean, safe, and reliable drinking water to all Californians.grants or loans for water recycling and advanced treatment technology projects. The bond act requires these water recycling and advanced treatment technology projects to be selected on a competitive basis, considering specified criteria, including, among other criteria, water supply reliability improvement and public health benefits from improved drinking water quality or supply. This bill wouldmake nonsubstantive changes in these provisions.include in the water supply reliability improvement criterion whether the project is proposed by a community that is heavily dependent on groundwater from a basin in overdraft, and would include in the public health benefits criterion whether the project is proposed by a community that has extended, or is in the process of extending, its water service delivery to entities reliant on either contaminated groundwater or groundwater wells that have run dry. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:noyes . State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) Many communities throughout the state are disproportionately impacted by drought because they are heavily dependent or completely reliant on groundwater from basins that are in overdraft and in which the water table declines year after year. (b) The use of recycled water is a cost-effective, reliable method of helping to meet California's water supply needs. (c) Increased use of recycled water in communities that are heavily dependent on groundwater from a basin in overdraft can help reduce strain on the basin and help facilitate groundwater recharge efforts. (d) Use of recycled water in place of drinking water for irrigation and other purposes can help larger communities extend their service delivery area to individuals and smaller communities that lack safe or adequate water supplies. SEC. 2. Section 79767.5 is added to the Water Code , to read: 79767.5. (a) For purposes of subdivision (a) of Section 79767, whether the project is proposed by a community that is heavily dependent on groundwater from a basin in overdraft shall be considered. (b) For purposes of subdivision (c) of Section 79767, whether the project is proposed by a community that has extended, or is in the process of extending, its water service delivery to individuals or communities, or both, reliant on either contaminated groundwater or groundwater wells that have run dry shall be considered. (c) For purposes of this section, "contaminated groundwater" means groundwater that exceeds a primary or secondary drinking water standard, as defined in Section 116275 of the Health and Safety Code.SECTION 1.Section 79720 of the Water Code is amended to read: 79720. Upon appropriation by the Legislature from the fund, the sum of five hundred twenty million dollars ($520,000,000) shall be available for expenditures, grants, and loans for projects that improve water quality or help provide clean, safe, and reliable drinking water to all Californians.