Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Canal Conveyance Capacity Restoration Act.
Section 2. Purposes
The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to address severe subsidence impacts that have substantially reduced the carrying capacity of the water delivery system of the State; and
(2) to provide additional water supply in the State at a relatively low cost per acre-foot to increase—
(A) resiliency to increasingly severe droughts in the State;
(B) groundwater recharge needed to assist in meeting groundwater sustainability goals established under State law; and
(C) the reliability of surface or groundwater supplies, portions of which serve disadvantaged communities.
Section 3. Definitions
In this Act:
(1) Federal pool
The term Federal pool means each of pools 13 through 21 of the San Luis Canal/California Aqueduct, which are owned by the United States and operated by the California Department of Water Resources under the agreement entitled Agreement Between the United States of America and the Department of Water Resources of the State of California for the Construction and Operation of the Joint-Use Facilities of the San Luis Unit and dated December 30, 1961.
(2) Net present value of the local contribution to reimbursable Federal funding
The term net present value of the local contribution to reimbursable Federal funding means, with respect to a project, the amount equal to the difference between—
(A) the total amount of reimbursable Federal funds made available for a project; and
(B) the amount of the present value, as of the date of the calculation, of any interest subsidy provided through the repayment terms to the Treasury over similarly structured municipal bond financing available to the non-Federal entity on the disbursement of the reimbursable Federal funds for the project.
(3) Non-Federal pool
The term non-Federal pool means each of pools 22 through 40 of the California Aqueduct, which are owned by the State and operated by the California Department of Water Resources.
(4) Secretary
The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation.
(5) State
The term State means the State of California.
(a) In general
The Secretary may provide financial assistance for the design, planning, and construction of—
(1) Federal facility improvements to the Friant Division, Central Valley Project, California, under section 10201(a)(1) of the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act (Public Law 111–11; 123 Stat. 1365); and
(2) a project to restore conveyance capacity at, and to mitigate subsidence-related impacts on, the Delta-Mendota Canal, through a partnership with—
(A) a public water agency that contracts for the delivery of Central Valley Project water; or
(B) a local joint powers authority formed under State law by public water agencies that contract for the delivery of Central Valley Project water.
(c) Required determination by Secretary
Federal funds shall not be made available under this Act for a project under subsection (a) unless the Secretary determines that—
(1) there is an adequate non-Federal cost share to match the total amount of federally appropriated financial assistance made available for the project as of the date of the determination of the Secretary; and
(2) the project is designed in a manner—
(A) to satisfy the purposes described in section 2, after taking into account anticipated future subsidence; and
(B) to comply with all applicable requirements of Federal and State law, including part 2.74 of division 6 of the California Water Code (commonly known as the California Sustainable Groundwater Management Act).
(a) In general
The Secretary may provide financial assistance for the design, planning, and construction of projects to restore conveyance capacity at, and to mitigate subsidence-related impacts on, the Federal pool and non-Federal pool.
(b) Non-Federal partners
To carry out this section, the Secretary may enter into partnerships with—
(1) the State; or
(2) a local joint powers authority formed under State law by public water agencies that contract for delivery of water from the Central Valley Project or the State Water Project.
(d) Required determination by Secretary
Federal funds shall not be made available under this Act for a project under subsection (a) unless the Secretary determines, with the concurrence of the Governor of the State, that—
(1) there is an adequate non-Federal cost share to match the total amount of federally appropriated financial assistance made available for the project as of the date of the determination of the Secretary; and
(2) the project is designed in a manner—
(A) to satisfy the purposes described in section 2, after taking into account anticipated future subsidence; and
(B) to comply with all applicable requirements of Federal and State law, including part 2.74 of division 6 of the California Water Code (commonly known as the California Sustainable Groundwater Management Act).
Section 6. Environmental compliance
In carrying out a project under this Act, the Secretary shall comply with applicable environmental laws, including—
(1) the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.);
(2) the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); and
(3) applicable State law.