Bill Text: CA AB1596 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Watershed, Clean Beaches, and Water Quality Act: beaches: water quality.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2024-02-01 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB1596 Detail]
Download: California-2023-AB1596-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 1596
| Introduced by Assembly Member Alvarez |
February 17, 2023 |
An act to add Section 30909.5 to the Public Resources Code, relating to beaches.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1596, as introduced, Alvarez.
Watershed, Clean Beaches, and Water Quality Act: beaches: water quality.
Existing law, the Watershed, Clean Beaches, and Water Quality Act, among other things, provides that it is the intent of the Legislature that the purpose of maintaining clean beaches, clean water, and an integrated and coordinated watershed program is to protect beaches, coastal waters, rivers, lakes, and streams from contaminants, pollution, and other environmental threats. The act requires the State Water Resources Control Board, in consultation with the State Coastal Conservancy, to award grants to public agencies and nonprofit organizations for projects designed to improve water quality at public beaches, as specified.
This bill would require the board, to the extent feasible, to identify and implement projects to improve beach access and address ocean water quality on public beaches that experience significant restrictions of use, as defined,
due to bacteria levels that exceed public health standards, whether the source is from urban runoff or transboundary flows.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 30909.5 is added to the Public Resources Code, Immediately following Section 30909, to read:30909.5.
(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to ensure the water quality at all California public beaches is safe such that the beaches are accessible for safe recreation, and that beaches do not experience any restrictions of use due to bacteriological levels that exceed health standards.(b) The board shall, to the extent feasible, identify and implement projects to improve beach access and address ocean water quality on public beaches that experience significant restrictions of use due to bacteria levels that exceed public health standards, whether the source is from urban runoff or transboundary flows.
(c) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) “Public health standards” means the same bacteriological standards specified in Section 7958 of Chapter 5 of Division 1 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations.
(2) “Significant restriction of use” means a use restriction on a public beach imposed for 120 days or more each year for the past 3 years.
