Bill > AB639

This bill amends the California Water Code to expand exceptions to the legal definition of a "dam" by adding a new category of barriers that will not be considered dams. Specifically, the bill excludes weirs (specialized agricultural water delivery structures with removable flashboards or gates that regulate water flow) from dam classification, but only for nine specifically named weirs: Peoples Weir, Reynolds Weir, Last Chance Weir, Lemoore Diversion Weir, Island Weir, Crescent Weir, Stinson Weir, Empire Weir No. 1, and Empire Weir No. 2. To qualify for this exception, the weir must not impound water above a levee's top and must maintain at least three feet of freeboard (the distance between the water surface and the top of the levee). The bill defines a weir as an agricultural water delivery structure that can have mechanically or manually removable flashboards or gates, serves to regulate water flow in a stream, and functions as part of a federal flood control system. This modification continues the existing practice of providing certain exceptions to dam regulations for smaller barriers or water management structures.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Budget and Finance

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB639