SB 208: Integrated regional water management plans: grants: advanced payment.

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 provides that an integrated regional water management plan is eligible for funding allocated specifically for implementation of integrated regional water management.

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 act provides that the sum of $810,000,000 is to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for expenditures on, and competitive grants and loans to, projects that are included in and implemented in an adopted integrated regional water management plan and respond to climate change and contribute to regional water security.

This bill would require a regional water management group, within 90 days of notice that a grant has been awarded, to provide the Department of Water Resources with a list of projects to be funded by the grant funds where the project proponent is a nonprofit organization, as defined, or a disadvantaged community, as defined, or the project benefits a disadvantaged community. This bill would require the department, within 60 days of receiving the project information, to provide advanced payment of 50% of the grant award for those projects that satisfy specified criteria and would require the advanced funds to be handled, as prescribed. This bill would authorize the department to adopt additional requirements for the recipient regarding the use of the advanced payment to ensure that the funds are used properly. This bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2025.