Dams and reservoirs: inspections and reporting.

Existing law requires the Department of Water Resources, from time to time, to make inspections of dams and reservoirs at state expense for the purpose of determining their safety. This bill would repeal those provisions and instead would require the department to inspect dams, reservoirs, and appurtenant structures once per fiscal year with the exception of low hazard potential dams which the bill would require to receive inspections at least every 2 fiscal years, as specified. The bill would require the owner of a dam to operate critical outlet and spillway control features on an annual basis and to demonstrate their full operability in the presence of the department every 3 years or as directed by the department. The bill would provide that the dam inspection reports are public records subject to the California Public Records Act and would authorize the department to withhold from public release sensitive data, images, or other information, as prescribed, if the department includes in the public release a statement of findings that the withheld information would disclose a dam's vulnerability or pose a security threat. The bill would require the Division of Safety of Dams, in consultation with independent, national dam safety and dam safety risk management organizations to, on or before January 1, 2019, and every 10 years thereafter, propose amendments to its dam safety inspection and reevaluation protocols to incorporate updated best practices, including risk management, to ensure public safety. The bill would require the department to provide on its Internet Web site the dam safety inspection and reevaluation protocols, notice of the Division of Safety of Dams' intent to update the protocols, a schedule for the update, and any updates to the protocols. The bill would require the department to report to the Governor and the Legislature on amendments developed pursuant to these provisions and to notify dam owners and the Legislature of the division's intent to update dam safety inspection and reevaluation protocols prior to amending the protocols. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.