State Water Resources Control Board: desalination plant: feasibility study.

(1) Existing law requires the Department of Water Resources, not later than July 1, 2004, to report to the Legislature on potential opportunities and impediments for using seawater and brackish water desalination, and to examine what role, if any, the state should play in furthering the use of desalination technology. Existing law requires the department to convene a Water Desalination Task Force, composed of representatives from listed agencies and interest groups, to advise the department in carrying out these duties and in making recommendations to the Legislature. This bill would repeal those provisions. (2) Existing law establishes, within the California Environmental Protection Agency, the State Water Resources Control Board. The state board exercises the adjudicatory and regulatory functions of the state in the field of water resources. This bill would request the California Council on Science and Technology, in consultation with the department and state board, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose, to undertake and complete a study of the potential for drought-resilient water supplies to meet the current and future water demand in the San Francisco Bay area, as specified. If the California Council on Science and Technology agrees to undertake and complete the study, the bill would require the study to be completed by January 1, 2025, and to be transmitted to the department, the board, and the Legislature.