Today's Law As Amended


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AB-2053 Freshwater and Estuarine Harmful Algal Bloom Program.(2017-2018)



As Amends the Law Today


SECTION 1.
 The Legislature finds and declares both of the following:
(a) Cyanobacteria are small microbes that live in nearly every habitat on land and in the water. They have existed for millions of years as essential components of freshwater ecosystems and form the foundation of most aquatic food chains. However, when environmental conditions favor cyanobacteria growth, they can multiply very rapidly, creating nuisance blooms. When these nuisance blooms are dominated by toxin-producing cyanobacteria, they are referred to as harmful algal blooms. In recent years, harmful algal blooms are increasing in incidence, duration, and toxicity statewide and, as a result, health impacts on humans, domestic animals, dogs and livestock in particular, and wildlife are increasing in prevalence.
(b) Increased prevalence of harmful algal blooms has been attributed to various anthropogenic factors, the most significant of which include degradation of watersheds, nutrient loading, hydrologic alteration, and impacts from climate change. Toxins from harmful algal blooms, both benthic and planktonic, can accumulate in recreational and drinking bodies of water and can be transported hundreds of miles from freshwater to estuarine and marine environments where they accumulate in marine shellfish.

SEC. 2.

 Section 13182 is added to the Water Code, to read:

13182.
 To protect water quality and public health from harmful algal blooms, the state board shall establish a Freshwater and Estuarine Harmful Algal Bloom Program and, in consultation with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, State Department of Public Health, Department of Water Resources, Department of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Parks and Recreation, other appropriate state and federal agencies, and California Native American tribes, as defined in Section 21073 of the Public Resources Code, shall do all of the following:
(a) Coordinate immediate and long-term event incident response, including notification to state and local decisionmakers and the public regarding where harmful algal blooms are occurring, waters at risk of developing harmful algal blooms, and threats posed by harmful algal blooms.
(b) Conduct and support field assessment and ambient monitoring to evaluate harmful algal bloom extent, status, and trends at the state, regional, watershed, and site-specific waterbody scales.
(c) Determine the regions, watersheds, or waterbodies experiencing or at risk of experiencing harmful algal blooms to prioritize those regions, watersheds, or waterbodies for assessment, monitoring, remediation, and risk management.
(d) Conduct applied research and develop tools for decision-support.
(e) Provide outreach and education, and maintain a centralized Internet Web site for information and data related to harmful algal blooms.