CHAPTER 8. Statewide Water System Operational Improvement and Drought Preparedness [79750. - 79760.]

Cal. Water Code - WAT 8.

in effect

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 79750. Section 79750.

(a) Notwithstanding Section 162, the commission may make the determinations, findings, and recommendations required of it by this chapter independent of the views of the director. All final actions by the commission in implementing this chapter shall be taken by a majority of the members of the commission at a public meeting noticed and held pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). (b) Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the sum of two billion seven hundred million dollars ($2,700,000,000) is hereby continuously appropriated from the fund, without regard to fiscal years, to the commission for public benefits associated with water storage projects that improve the operation of the state water system, are cost effective, and provide a net improvement in ecosystem and water quality conditions, in accordance with this chapter. Funds authorized for, or made available to, the commission pursuant to this chapter shall be available and expended only for the purposes provided in this chapter, and shall not be subject to appropriation or transfer by the Legislature or the Governor for any other purpose. (c) Projects shall be selected by the commission through a competitive public process that ranks potential projects based on the expected return for public investment as measured by the magnitude of the public benefits provided, pursuant to criteria established under this chapter. (d) Any project constructed with funds provided by this chapter shall be subject to Section 11590.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 79751. Section 79751.

Projects for which the public benefits are eligible for funding under this chapter consist of only the following: (a) Surface storage projects identified in the CALFED Bay-Delta Program Record of Decision, dated August 28, 2000, except for projects prohibited by Chapter 1.4 (commencing with Section 5093.50) of Division 5 of the Public Resources Code. (b) Groundwater storage projects and groundwater contamination prevention or remediation projects that provide water storage benefits. (c) Conjunctive use and reservoir reoperation projects. (d) Local and regional surface storage projects that improve the operation of water systems in the state and provide public benefits.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 79752. Section 79752.

A project shall not be funded pursuant to this chapter unless it provides measurable improvements to the Delta ecosystem or to the tributaries to the Delta.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 79753. Section 79753.

(a) Funds allocated pursuant to this chapter may be expended solely for the following public benefits associated with water storage projects: (1) Ecosystem improvements, including changing the timing of water diversions, improvement in flow conditions, temperature, or other benefits that contribute to restoration of aquatic ecosystems and native fish and wildlife, including those ecosystems and fish and wildlife in the Delta. (2) Water quality improvements in the Delta, or in other river systems, that provide significant public trust resources, or that clean up and restore groundwater resources. (3) Flood control benefits, including, but not limited to, increases in flood reservation space in existing reservoirs by exchange for existing or increased water storage capacity in response to the effects of changing hydrology and decreasing snow pack on California’s water and flood management system. (4) Emergency response, including, but not limited to, securing emergency water supplies and flows for dilution and salinity repulsion following a natural disaster or act of terrorism. (5) Recreational purposes, including, but not limited to, those recreational pursuits generally associated with the outdoors. (b) Funds shall not be expended pursuant to this chapter for the costs of environmental mitigation measures or compliance obligations except for those associated with providing the public benefits as described in this section.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 79754. Section 79754.

In consultation with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the state board, and the Department of Water Resources, the commission shall develop and adopt, by regulation, methods for quantification and management of public benefits described in Section 79753 by December 15, 2016. The regulations shall include the priorities and relative environmental value of ecosystem benefits as provided by the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the priorities and relative environmental value of water quality benefits as provided by the state board.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 79755. Section 79755.

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (c), no funds allocated pursuant to this chapter may be allocated for a project before December 15, 2016, and until the commission approves the project based on the commission’s determination that all of the following have occurred: (1) The commission has adopted the regulations specified in Section 79754 and specifically quantified and made public the cost of the public benefits associated with the project. (2) The project applicant has entered into a contract with each party that will derive benefits, other than public benefits, as defined in Section 79753, from the project that ensures the party will pay its share of the total costs of the project. The benefits available to a party shall be consistent with that party’s share of total project costs. (3) The project applicant has entered into a contract with each public agency identified in Section 79754 that administers the public benefits, after that agency makes a finding that the public benefits of the project for which that agency is responsible meet all the requirements of this chapter, to ensure that the public contribution of funds pursuant to this chapter achieves the public benefits identified for the project. (4) The commission has held a public hearing for the purposes of providing an opportunity for the public to review and comment on the information required to be prepared pursuant to this subdivision. (5) All of the following additional conditions are met: (A) Feasibility studies have been completed. (B) The commission has found and determined that the project is feasible, is consistent with all applicable laws and regulations, and will advance the long-term objectives of restoring ecological health and improving water management for beneficial uses of the Delta. (C) All environmental documentation associated with the project has been completed, and all other federal, state, and local approvals, certifications, and agreements required to be completed have been obtained. (b) The commission shall submit to the Legislature its findings for each of the criteria identified in subdivision (a) for a project funded pursuant to this chapter. (c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), funds may be made available under this chapter for the completion of environmental documentation and permitting of a project.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 79756. Section 79756.

(a) The public benefit cost share of a project funded pursuant to this chapter, other than a project described in subdivision (c) of Section 79751, shall not exceed 50 percent of the total costs of any project funded under this chapter. (b) No project may be funded unless it provides ecosystem improvements as described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 79753 that are at least 50 percent of total public benefits of the project funded under this chapter.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 79757. Section 79757.

(a) A project is not eligible for funding under this chapter unless, by January 1, 2022, all of the following conditions are met: (1) All feasibility studies are complete and draft environmental documentation is available for public review. (2) The commission makes a finding that the project is feasible, and will advance the long-term objectives of restoring ecological health and improving water management for beneficial uses of the Delta. (3) The director receives commitments for not less than 75 percent of the nonpublic benefit cost share of the project. (b) If compliance with subdivision (a) is delayed by litigation or failure to promulgate regulations, the date in subdivision (a) shall be extended by the commission for a time period that is equal to the time period of the delay, and funding under this chapter that has been dedicated to the project shall be encumbered until the time at which the litigation is completed or the regulations have been promulgated.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 79758. Section 79758.

Surface storage projects funded pursuant to this chapter and described in subdivision (a) of Section 79751 may be made a unit of the Central Valley Project as provided in Section 11290 and may be financed, acquired, constructed, operated, and maintained pursuant to Part 3 (commencing with Section 11100) of Division 6.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 79759. Section 79759.

(a) The funds allocated for the design, acquisition, and construction of surface storage projects identified in the CALFED Bay-Delta Record of Decision, dated August 28, 2000, pursuant to this chapter may be provided for those purposes to local joint powers authorities formed by irrigation districts and other local water districts and local governments within the applicable hydrologic region to design, acquire, and construct those projects. (b) The joint powers authorities described in subdivision (a) may include in their membership governmental partners that are not located within their respective hydrologic regions in financing the surface storage projects, including, as appropriate, cost share participation or equity participation. Notwithstanding Section 6525 of the Government Code, the joint powers agencies described in subdivision (a) shall not include in their membership any for-profit corporation or any mutual water company whose shareholders and members include a for-profit corporation or any other private entity. The department shall be an ex officio member of each joint powers authority subject to this section, but the department shall not control the governance, management, or operation of the surface water storage projects. (c) A joint powers authority subject to this section shall own, govern, manage, and operate a surface water storage project, subject to the requirement that the ownership, governance, management, and operation of the surface water storage project shall advance the purposes set forth in this chapter.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 79760. Section 79760.

(a) In approving the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, the people were informed and hereby declare that the provisions of this chapter are necessary, integral, and essential to meeting the single object or work of the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014. As such, any amendment of the provisions of this chapter by the Legislature without voter approval would frustrate the scheme and design that induced voter approval of this act. The people therefore find and declare that any amendment of the provisions of this chapter by the Legislature shall require an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the membership in each house of the Legislature and voter approval. (b) This section shall not govern or be used as authority for determining whether the amendment of any other provision of this act not contained in this chapter would constitute a substantial change in the scheme and design of this act requiring voter approval.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026