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AB-367 Clear Lake.(2015-2016)

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Amended  IN  Assembly  April 15, 2015

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2015–2016 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 367

Introduced by Assembly Member Dodd
(Principal coauthor: Senator McGuire)

February 17, 2015

An act relating to Clear Lake, and making an appropriation therefor.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 367, as amended, Dodd. Clear Lake.
Existing law creates in the State Treasury the Fish and Game Preservation Fund, and makes the revenue in the fund available for expenditure, upon appropriation, for particular purposes relating to the protection and preservation of birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, or amphibians. Existing law requires all moneys collected under the provisions of the Fish and Game Code to be deposited in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund, unless otherwise provided.
Existing law requires $2,000,000 from the proceeds of bonds sold pursuant to the Costa-Machado Water Act of 2000 to be allocated, upon appropriation, to the State Water Resources Control Board to rehabilitate and improve the Clear Lake watershed by funding specified projects or activities.
This bill would appropriate $2,400,000 from the Fish and Game Preservation Fund an unspecified fund to the County of Lake for the purposes of restoring Clear Lake wetlands, maintaining the water quality of Clear Lake, preventing the spread of invasive species to Clear Lake, and controlling and eradicating invasive species in Clear Lake.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: YES   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1) Clear Lake, located in the County of Lake, is the largest freshwater lake in California with 68 square miles of surface area.
(2) Clear Lake supports large fish populations including bass, crappie, bluegill, carp, and catfish. In addition to fish, there are year-round populations of ducks, pelicans, grebes, blue herons, egrets, ospreys ospreys, and bald eagles. The lake basin also supports deer, bears, mountain lions, and other animals.
(3) Clear Lake has a problem with the explosive growth of algae blooms, which can create a dangerous condition for fish and wildlife. Cyanobacteria blooms are trapped at the surface of the water and die, creating unsightly slicks and odors. Some algae may produce toxic cyanotoxins that pose a range of health risks to both people and animals.
(4) Algae “mats” along the eastern and southern shores of the lake have sometimes become so thick as to completely block shoreline access and normal recreational use of the lake by residents and visitors. Close contact with cyanobacteria can result in rashes, irritated eyes, and respiratory problems.
(5) Clear Lake is contaminated by heavy metal pollutants, such as mercury from the Superfund site of the Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine site along the southeastern end of the lake.
(6) The State Water Resources Control Board has listed Clear Lake as an impaired water body and has found that the forms of pollution are real and that a great deal of work needs to be done to restore the lake to a healthy balance.
(b) Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature to assist the County of Lake in restoring Clear Lake to healthier conditions so as to protect fish and wildlife as well as to preserve the unique recreational and economic opportunities that the lake provides.

SEC. 2.

 The sum of two million four hundred thousand dollars ($2,400,000) is hereby appropriated from the Fish and Game Preservation Fund____ to the County of Lake for the purposes of restoring Clear Lake wetlands, maintaining the water quality of Clear Lake, preventing the spread of invasive species to Clear Lake, and controlling and eradicating invasive species in Clear Lake.