DISCOVERY BAY — Two bills that would protect Delta levees and ratepayers were passed in the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee on Tuesday.
Assemblyman Jim Frazier’s two bills — AB 732 and AB 791 — passed through their first hurdle. AB 732, which extends reimbursements for levee maintenance, passed on a 11-to-4 vote. AB 791, which requires Delta project leads to provide anticipated rate information, passed 8 to 7.
Currently, 75 percent of maintenance costs for levees in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is reimbursed through the Delta Levees Subvention Program. That reimbursement is set to drop down to 50 percent in 2018. AB 732 will extend that 75 percent reimbursement indefinitely. The bill passed through committee by a 10-to-4 vote.
“When millions of Californians rely on fresh water, it can’t be emphasized enough how fragile the Delta ecosystem is. Just one levee failure could raise the salinity of the Delta, wash out nearby roads, or ruin vital agricultural land. We practically saw that exact scenario with Tyler Island and the millions in emergency costs,” said Frazier, D-Oakley. “In future drought years, the WaterFix Project is only going to exacerbate those concerns when there’s bound to be debt financing and greater environmental concerns.”
If passed, AB 791 would require a breakdown of all the costs for each water contractor entering into contracts on the WaterFix Project. The bill would require each contractor to provide details on what benefits they will receive “based on the proportion the contractor has financed of the new Delta conveyance facility.”
Both bills will now head to their next stage, the Assembly Committee on Appropriations.
