Water: Urban Water Community Drought Relief program: Small Community Drought Relief program: high fire hazard and very high fire hazard severity zones.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on specific requirements for local agencies regarding wildfire zone designation, only that they must designate such zones based on recommendations from the State Fire Marshal.

Water Relief Programs for Drought and Wildfires

This law establishes two programs to provide grants for immediate drought relief and wildfire risk reduction in high fire hazard areas.

What This Bill Does

• Establishes the Urban Water Community Drought Relief program to offer grants for interim or immediate drought relief.
• Creates the Small Community Drought Relief program to provide similar assistance, focusing on smaller towns.
• Authorizes funding for projects that reduce wildfire risks in high fire hazard severity zones through water delivery system improvements.

Who It Names or Affects

• Communities facing drought conditions
• Small towns needing immediate relief from water shortages
• Areas designated as having high or very high fire hazard severity

Terms To Know

Fire Hazard Severity Zone

An area identified by the State Fire Marshal based on its risk of wildfires.

Drought Relief Program

A program that provides financial support to communities affected by drought conditions.

Limits and Unknowns

• The programs will only operate if there is a specific budget allocation.
• It does not specify how much money each program will receive or when the funding will be available.

Official Summary Text

SB 746, as amended, Alvarado-Gil.
Water: Urban Water Community Drought Relief program: Small Community Drought Relief program: high fire hazard and very high fire hazard severity zones.
Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to identify areas in the state as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on consistent statewide criteria and based on the severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in those areas. Existing law requires a local agency to designate, by ordinance, moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones in its jurisdiction within 120 days of receiving recommendations from the State Fire Marshal, as provided.
Existing law authorizes specified state agencies, including the Department of Water Resources, subject to an appropriation, to make grants and direct expenditures for interim or immediate relief in response to conditions arising from a drought scenario to address immediate impacts on human health and safety or on fish and wildlife resources or to provide water to
persons or communities that lose or are threatened with the loss or contamination of water supplies.
This bill would establish in the department the Urban Water Community Drought Relief program and the Small Community Drought Relief program to provide grants for similar interim or immediate drought relief. These programs, upon a specified appropriation, would authorize funding for benefits in addition to drought relief, including, among other projects, projects that reduce the risk of wildfire for entire neighborhoods and communities through water delivery system improvements for fire suppression purposes in high fire hazard severity zone communities or very high fire hazard severity zone communities, as designated by the State Fire Marshal or by a local agency.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF