Bill > SB872

This bill establishes the Delta Levees and Canal Subsidence Fund in the State Treasury to be administered by the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, utilizing both state and non-state moneys to support vital water infrastructure repairs and flood protection. Specifically, the fund finances capital improvements by the Department of Water Resources to restore the original water-carrying capacity of state water conveyance systems—such as aqueducts—that have been compromised by land subsidence, which refers to the sinking of land caused by excessive groundwater pumping. Additionally, the fund supports projects in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (a critically important estuary and hub for California's water system) and the Suisun Marsh to improve aging levees, direct at least 15 percent of those levee funds toward projects recommended by a newly required stakeholder working group, and cover 100 percent of excess maintenance costs for local agencies facing economic hardship when projects protect life, property, water supply, or habitat. The legislation explicitly prohibits using these funds for the design, construction, or maintenance of any new Delta conveyance facilities, and it requires the Department of Water Resources and the secretary to submit regular spending plans and multi-year progress reports to the Legislature.