Water quality: integrated plan: Salinas Valley.

Under existing law, the State Water Resources Control Board and the California regional water quality control boards prescribe waste discharge requirements in accordance with the federal Clean Water Act and the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act (state act) . The state act imposes various penalties for a violation of its requirements. The state act requires specified penalties be deposited into the Waste Discharge Permit Fund and separately accounted. The state act requires moneys in the fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to be expended by the state board to assist regional boards and prescribed other public agencies in cleaning up or abating the effects of waste on waters of the state or to assist a regional board attempting to remedy a significant unforeseen water pollution problem. This bill would appropriate $2,000,000 to the state board for use by the Greater Monterey County Regional Water Management Group (management group) to develop an integrated plan to address the drinking water and wastewater needs of disadvantaged communities in the Salinas Valley whose waters have been affected by waste discharges, thereby making an appropriation. The bill would require the management group to consult with specified entities and to submit to the Legislature by January 1, 2016, the plan developed by the group. The bill would make specified findings and declarations that the special legislation contained in the act is necessarily applicable only to Monterey County. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.