Bill Text: CA AJR38 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Chaptered

California Assembly Joint Resolution 38 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Dams and reservoirs: federal jurisdiction: safety.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 47-20-1)

Status: (Passed) 2018-05-24 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Res. Chapter 76, Statutes of 2018. [AJR38 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AJR38-Chaptered.html

Assembly Joint Resolution No. 38

CHAPTER 76

Relative to dams and reservoirs.

[ Filed with Secretary of State May 24, 2018. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AJR 38, Mathis. Dams and reservoirs: federal jurisdiction: safety.

This measure would urge the Congress of the United States to implement revised dam safety and inspection requirements, with specified components, for all federally operated and regulated dams and reservoirs for the purpose of ensuring public safety.

Fiscal Committee: NO

WHEREAS, The February 7, 2017, failure of the Oroville Dam’s spillways highlighted that more has to be done to ensure we are taking care of our aging flood control infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, As the population continues to grow and Californians rely more and more on an aging infrastructure, ensuring proper inspection and maintenance of critical dams and reservoirs is paramount; and

WHEREAS, Of California’s 1,585 dams, 1,100 were built before 1969 and as the population around many of these dams has increased, dams that were previously designated as low risk have become high risk; and

WHEREAS, The Division of Safety of Dams within the Department of Water Resources regulates and inspects over 1,200 jurisdictional sized dams in California; and

WHEREAS, Recently signed legislation, Chapter 3 of the Statutes of 2018, strengthened California’s dam safety program by codifying a regular inspection schedule for dams and reservoirs, setting standards for what must be done during inspections, and requiring consultation with independent experts to update dam safety inspection and reevaluation protocols; and

WHEREAS, Unfortunately, Chapter 3 of the Statutes of 2018 does not cover 226 dams in California that are under federal jurisdiction; and

WHEREAS, These dams would greatly benefit from a review of operating standards to better incorporate best practices and inspections that include a review of the original design and construction, geotechnical, structural, hydraulic, hydrological, geologic, seismic hazard, monitoring and instrumentation, and overall dam performance; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the Congress of the United States to implement revised dam safety and inspection requirements for all federally operated and regulated dams and reservoirs for the purpose of ensuring public safety; and be it further

Resolved, That the Legislature urges federal dam safety and inspection requirements to require that dams, reservoirs, and other critical structures under federal jurisdiction be inspected at least once per fiscal year, except for low hazard dams that should be inspected once every two fiscal years, to provide that dam inspection reports are public records but that some information may be kept confidential if it highlights a dam’s vulnerability or poses a security threat, and to require that the lead agency of a dam or reservoir revise its existing dam safety protocols to incorporate updated best practices and review those standards at least once every ten years; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the author for appropriate distribution.