Drought Legislation Details

Sonora, CA — Over the weekend, Governor Jerry Brown signed California’s $687-million dollar drought relief legislation.

Governor Brown said, “This legislation marks a crucial step, but Californians must continue to take every action possible to conserve water.”

The Governor’s Office reports that the legislation includes the following items:

Enhancing Water Conservation and Improving Water Supplies

• $549 million from the accelerated expenditure of voter-approved bonds, Proposition 84 and Proposition 1E, in the form of infrastructure grants for local and regional projects that are already planned or partially completed to increase local reliability, including recapturing of storm water, expanding the use and distribution of recycled water, enhancing the management and recharging of groundwater storage and strengthening water conservation.

• $30 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) for direct expenditures and grants to state and local agencies to improve water use efficiency, save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from state and local water transportation and management systems.

• $14 million for groundwater management across the state, including assistance to disadvantaged communities with groundwater contamination exacerbated by the drought.

• $10 million from the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Fund for the California Department of Food and Agriculture to invest in irrigation and water pumping systems that reduce water use, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

• $15 million from the General Fund for Emergency Drinking Water Fund to address emergency water shortages due to drought.

• $13 million from the General Fund to augment the California Conservation Corps and local community conservation corps to expand water use efficiency and conservation activities and to reduce fuel loads to prevent catastrophic fires.

Assisting Californians Disproportionately Impacted by the Drought

• $25.3 million from the General Fund for food assistance, which will be structured to maximize the potential federal drought assistance that can be provided to provide food assistance to those impacted by the drought.

• $21 million from the General Fund and federal funds for housing related assistance for individuals impacted by the drought.