Plain English Breakdown
The official text states an intent to enact future legislation but does not define what those laws will contain.
Update and Exemption for San Francisco Bay/Delta Water Quality Plan
This law requires the State Water Resources Control Board to update a water quality plan covering specific Delta areas by August 31, 2026, while exempting it from certain steps in preparing an environmental document.
What This Bill Does
- Requires the board to adopt an updated Bay-Delta Plan that addresses the Sacramento River and its tributaries, eastside Delta tributaries, and the Delta by August 31, 2026.
- Exempts the board from preparing a specified draft substitute environmental document required under existing law.
- Removes requirements to provide public review of this specific draft or send it to other state agencies.
- Removes the requirement for the board to include written or oral responses to comments on this specific draft.
- States that the Legislature intends to pass future laws related to this water quality plan.
Who It Names or Affects
- The State Water Resources Control Board
- Agencies and people involved in reviewing environmental documents for the Bay-Delta Plan
Terms To Know
- Bay-Delta Plan
- A water quality control plan for the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary.
- CEQA
- The California Environmental Quality Act, which sets rules for environmental reviews of projects.
- Substitute environmental document
- A written plan containing environmental information that can replace a full environmental impact report in some cases.
Limits and Unknowns
- The bill does not specify the exact content of the future legislation mentioned.
- Existing law makes bond funds available for implementing an updated Bay-Delta Plan, but this bill does not list specific funding amounts or new allocations.
- The effective date is not provided in the source material.