Bill Text: CA AB896 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Flood control: City of Woodland: Lower Cache Creek.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2024-02-01 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB896 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AB896-Amended.html

Amended  IN  Assembly  March 09, 2023

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 896


Introduced by Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry

February 14, 2023


An act to amend Section 10004 of the Water Code, relating to water resources. An act to add Sections 12663.1 and 12663.2 to the Water Code, relating to water.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 896, as amended, Aguiar-Curry. The California Water Plan. Flood control: City of Woodland: Lower Cache Creek.
Existing law provides for state cooperation with the federal government in the construction of specified flood control projects. For certain flood control projects authorized on or after January 1, 2002, or for small flood management projects for which specified findings have been made on or after that date, existing law requires the state to pay 50% of specified nonfederal costs. Existing law authorizes the state to pay up to 70% of those nonfederal costs upon the recommendation of the Department of Water Resources or the Central Valley Flood Protection Board if either entity determines that the project will advance one of several specified objectives. Existing law authorizes a plan of improvement for flood control and water conservation on Cache Creek, including Clear Lake, in the Counties of Yolo and Lake.
This bill would specifically adopt and approve the Lower Cache Creek Flood Risk Management Project, as provided. The bill would also authorize the state to provide funds, up to 99% of the costs, as specified, for the project for flood control on the Lower Cache Creek in the County of Yolo, and would authorize the City of Woodland to receive funds for these purposes under specified conditions. The bill would also authorize the state to authorize funding, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to be used for planning, engineering, designing, mitigation, and constructing the project if the Director of Water Resources makes specified findings.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the City of Woodland.

Existing law requires the Department of Water Resources to update every 5 years the plan for the orderly and coordinated control, protection, conservation, development, and use of the water resources of the state, which is known as The California Water Plan.

This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NOYES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following:
(a) The Lower Cache Creek Project protecting the City of Woodland in the County of Yolo, was authorized by the United States Congress in Section 209 of the Flood Control Act of 1962 (Public Law 87-874), Section 202(a)(11) of the Water Resource Development Act of 2020 (Division AA of Public Law 116-260), and Section 401(2) of the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-263).
(b) The City of Woodland partnering with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Central Valley Flood Protection Board (board), and the Department of Water Resources (department) prepared a feasibility study that concluded the City of Woodland is at risk of flooding in a seven-year flood event. The study proposes a project to meet State Urban Level of Flood Protection requirements.
(c) The recommended project was based on a series of engineering and environmental impact studies prepared by the USACE with the cooperation of the department, the board, and the City of Woodland. These studies supported federal authorization of regional improvements to the Sacramento River Flood Control Project, including federal authorizations in the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-263).
(d) Residents in the floodplain meet the state definition of being an economically disadvantaged community. The project will provide ecological benefits that contribute to the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan’s Conservation Strategy. The City of Woodland’s entire industrial area, which employs over 10,000 people and is a vital part of the region’s food and agricultural economy, is in the floodplain and would benefit from the project.

SEC. 2.

 Section 12663.1 is added to the Water Code, to read:

12663.1.
 The Lower Cache Creek Project along Cache Creek adopted and authorized by the United States Congress in the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-263), is hereby adopted and approved substantially in accordance with the recommendations of the Chief of Engineers of the United States Army Corps of Engineers in the Report entitled “Lower Cache Creek, Yolo County, Woodland and Vicinity, California Final Chiefs Report” and dated June, 21, 2021, at an estimated cost to the state of the sum of one hundred fourteen million six hundred ninety-two thousand five hundred dollars ($114,692,500) that may be appropriated by the Legislature for state participation, upon the recommendation and advice of the department or the board.

SEC. 3.

 Section 12663.2 is added to the Water Code, to read:

12663.2.
 (a) Notwithstanding Section 12585.7, the state may provide funds, up to 99 percent of the costs, for the project for flood control on the Lower Cache Creek in the County of Yolo, that is substantially in accordance with the recommendations of the Chief of Engineers of the United States Army Corps of Engineers in the “Lower Cache Creek, Yolo County, Woodland and Vicinity, California Final Chiefs Report” dated June 21, 2021, as follows:
(1) At an estimated cost to the state of the sum of one hundred fourteen million six hundred ninety-two thousand five hundred dollars ($114,692,500) that may be appropriated for state cooperation by the Legislature upon the recommendations and advice of the department.
(2) Upon a specific written determination by the department that the project meets the requirements of Section 12582.7.
(b) The state assumes no liability for damages that may result from the project by either of the following:
(1) Authorizing the project in accordance with this section.
(2) The appropriation by the Legislature of funds upon the recommendations and advice of the department.
(c) The City of Woodland may receive funds only if it enters into an agreement with the department pursuant to which the City of Woodland agrees to indemnify and hold and save harmless the state, its officers, agents, and employees for any and all liability for damages that may result from the project.
(d) State funding, upon appropriation by the Legislature, may be used for planning, engineering, designing, mitigation, and constructing the project within authorized project boundaries as set forth in the recommendations of the Chief of Engineers of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, as authorized by the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-263) and the additional project features identified in the Woodland Flood Risk Management Project Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and any future supplements or addendums to this EIR. The state may advance funds for the planning, engineering, design, and construction of the authorized project and supplemental features identified in the EIR, and the acquisition of required lands, easements, rights-of-way, utility relocations, disposal sites, and borrow areas for, and mitigation of, the authorized project, as specified in the Army Corps of Engineers report entitled “Lower Cache Creek, Yolo County, Woodland and Vicinity, California Final Interim Feasibility Report Flood Risk Management.” The state shall have the discretion to reduce retention withheld under any cost-share agreement to fund the Lower Cache Creek Flood Risk Management Project to 0 percent and is authorized to advance funding in the absence, in whole or in part, of federal funding, in which case the funding shall not exceed the amount that would be the equivalent nonfederal share if there was federal project funding.
(e) Before any funds appropriated by the Legislature are provided to the flood control project, the director shall find both of the following:
(1) The project qualifies for a 99 percent state cost share based upon the gross calculation of the cumulative benefits the project provides as described in a nonfederal cost-share report submitted to the department for the project.
(2) The project is located in the County of Yolo, contains significant state assets, and economic hardship exists within the benefit area of the project, as demonstrated in a nonfederal cost-share report submitted to the department for the project, and the project would include setback levees.
(f) For purposes of this section, “liability for damages” includes, but is not limited to, liability for damages relating to the construction or operation of the project or the failure of the project to operate as intended.

SEC. 4.

 The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique need to improve flood control on the Lower Cache Creek located in the County of Yolo as described in Section 1 of this act.
SECTION 1.Section 10004 of the Water Code is amended to read:
10004.

(a)The plan for the orderly and coordinated control, protection, conservation, development, and use of the water resources of the state, which is set forth and described in Bulletin No. 1 of the State Water Resources Board titled, “Water Resources of California,” Bulletin No. 2 of the State Water Resources Board titled, “Water Utilization and Requirements of California,” and Bulletin No. 3 of the department titled, “The California Water Plan,” with the necessary amendments, supplements, and additions to the plan, shall be known as “The California Water Plan.”

(b)(1)The department shall update The California Water Plan on or before December 31, 2003, and every five years thereafter. The department shall report the amendments, supplements, and additions included in the updates of The California Water Plan, together with a summary of the department’s conclusions and recommendations, to the Legislature in the session in which the updated plan is issued.

(2)The department shall establish an advisory committee, comprised of representatives of agricultural and urban water suppliers, local government, business, production agriculture, and environmental interests, and other interested parties, to assist the department in updating The California Water Plan. The department shall consult with the advisory committee in carrying out this section. The department shall provide written notice of meetings of the advisory committee to any interested person or entity that requests the notice. The meetings shall be open to the public.

(3)The department shall release a preliminary draft of The California Water Plan, as updated, upon request, to interested persons and entities throughout the state for their review and comments. The department shall provide these persons and entities an opportunity to present written or oral comments on the preliminary draft. The department shall consider these comments in the preparation of the final publication of The California Water Plan, as updated.

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