SECTIONS 5808-5808.2 - California Statutes

PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE

SECTION 5808-5808.2

5808. This chapter shall be known, and may be cited, as the
California Watershed Protection and Restoration Act.

5808.1. The Legislature finds and declares the following:
(a) In addition to the statutory and regulatory policies and
programs established pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act (33
U.S.C. Sec. 1251 et seq.), Division 20.4 (commencing with Section
30901), and Chapter 1.696 (commencing with Section 5096.600) of
Division 5, Division 7 (commencing with Section 13000) and Division
26.5 (commencing with Section 79500) of the Water Code, and other
statutes and regulations affecting watershed planning and protection,
efforts to conserve, maintain, restore, protect, enhance, and
utilize California's rivers and streams for habitat, recreation,
water supply, public health, economic development, and other purposes
have a greater likelihood of being successful when governments,
including federal and tribal governments, work in partnership with
citizens in an effort to combine community resources, local
initiative, and state agency support.
(b) The Legislature enacted Assembly Bill 2117 of the 1999-2000
Regular Session (Ch. 735, Stats. 2000) to require the California
Environmental Protection Agency and the Resources Agency to evaluate
how effective voluntary, community-based, collaborative watershed
efforts or partnerships are in contributing to the protection and
enhancement of California's natural resources, and what the state can
do to assist them.
(c) The agencies produced a Report to the Legislature: Addressing
the Need to Protect California's Watersheds--Working with Local
Partnerships, April 2002.
(d) The recommendations of that report form the basis and factual
support for promoting and encouraging local partnerships in watershed
restoration, protection, and management as one of the nonregulatory
means of improving watersheds.
(e) It is the intent of the Legislature that this act will bring
more understanding to government agencies of the nature, scope, and
complexity of working on a watershed basis at the local and regional
level.
(f) To the extent consistent with the federal Clean Water Act (33
U.S.C. Sec. 1251 et seq.), Division 20.4 (commencing with Section
30901) and Chapter 1.696 (commencing with Section 5096.600) of
Division 5, Division 7 (commencing with Section 13000) and Division
26.5 (commencing with Section 79500) of the Water Code, and other
statutes and regulations affecting watershed planning and protection,
the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Resources
Agency are encouraged to provide assistance and grants under this
chapter in a uniform and predictable manner to those who choose to
participate in the important work of watershed restoration and
enhancement pursuant to this chapter.

5808.2. (a) In addition to the statutory and regulatory policies
and programs established pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act (33
U.S.C. Sec. 1251 et seq.), Division 20.4 (commencing with Section
30901) and Chapter 1.696 (commencing with Section 5096.600) of
Division 5, Division 7 (commencing with Section 13000) and Division
26.5 (commencing with Section 79500) of the Water Code, and other
statutes and regulations affecting watershed planning and protection,
voluntary local collaborative partnerships that assist in improving
the condition of the watershed as expeditiously as possible are in
the state's interest in terms of effectiveness, citizen involvement,
and community responsibility.
(b) The use of local and regional watershed level planning and
management can be an efficient and effective mechanism to improve the
condition of the watershed.
(c) To the extent consistent with the federal Clean Water Act (33
U.S.C. Sec. 1251 et seq.), Division 20.4 (commencing with Section
30901) and Chapter 1.696 (commencing with Section 5096.600) of
Division 5, Division 7 (commencing with Section 13000) and Division
26.5 (commencing with Section 79500) of the Water Code, and other
statutes and regulations affecting watershed planning and protection,
the memorandum of understanding required under Section 30946,
guidelines adopted by state agencies for use by local watershed
partnerships shall provide flexible mechanisms to achieve
quantifiable, and monitored watershed objectives.
(d) In addition to the statutory and regulatory policies and
programs established pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act (33
U.S.C. Sec. 1251 et seq.), Division 20.4 (commencing with Section
30901) and Chapter 1.696 (commencing with Section 5096.600) of
Division 5, Division 7 (commencing with Section 13000) and Division
26.5 (commencing with Section 79500) of the Water Code, and other
statutes and regulations affecting watershed planning and protection,
local governments, special districts, and other interested parties
may participate in local watershed partnerships in order to ensure
efficient, long-lasting, and effective watershed restoration and
management and to improve the watershed.
(e) To the extent funds that are available for the purposes in
subdivision (d), state agencies with jurisdiction over watershed
planning and protection may provide technical assistance to watershed
management partnerships through training, advice, and manuals
describing assessments, plans, and monitoring activities that are
consistent with watershed protection laws and regulations.