SECTION 1.
(a) The Legislature hereby declares all of the following:(1) The export of water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a critical source of water for the bay area, the central valley, and southern California.
(2) California’s already variable climate is becoming increasingly volatile, with drier dry periods and wetter—but less frequent—wet periods.
(3) California’s infrastructure and regulatory system need to be modernized to adapt to our new climate reality to balance the needs of the people versus the needs of the environment. This will require strategic infrastructure investment in the way we capture, convey, and store water.
(4) Managing water is at the forefront of climate change adaptation in California. With climate change, California is experiencing more frequent and extreme droughts and flooding.
(5) To position California to successfully adapt our water supply system (the State Water Project and Central Valley Project) to cope with climate extremes and increasing hydrologic volatility effecting our major infrastructure and regulatory system which needs to be adaptive for California to continue to provide a reliable water supply while also being protective of the environment.
(6) To be adaptive, real-time monitoring is needed to determine if the protective measures currently in place to protect the species of concern are warranted or may be modified if real-time monitoring of the species of concern determines the protective measure is not warranted due to the absence of the species of concern.
(7) The decline of Delta smelt is largely due to changes in the Delta’s water quality and quantity, as well as habitat degradation.
(8) California’s water conveyance system, which consists of pumps, canals, and aqueducts, has been blamed for exacerbating the Delta smelt’s decline by altering water flows and transporting nonnative species into the Delta.
(9) The declining population of Delta smelt has caused problems for water conveyance in California, as regulatory measures to protect the species have reduced the amount of water available for human use, particularly for agriculture and urban areas.
(b) The Legislature hereby finds all of the following:
(1) Studies have shown that the Delta smelt population has decreased significantly since the 1970s, and the species is now considered to be at risk of extinction.
(2) Changes to water flows, water quality, and habitat conditions caused by the water conveyance system have been identified as major factors contributing to the decline of Delta smelt.
(3) Efforts to restore Delta smelt populations and protect the species from extinction have been ongoing, but their effectiveness has been limited by the ongoing impacts of the water conveyance system and other stressors.
(4) More than 32 trillion gallons of water fell in California over a three-week period through a series of atmospheric river storms. On average, 11 inches of rain fell across the entire state.
(5) California’s major reservoirs are below normal levels. Before the storms, 81 percent of the state was in severe drought.
(6) Ground water plays an important part in the state’s water grid accounting from 40 percent to 60 percent of the state’s water supply.
(7) California’s mountain regions have two, and in some places three, times the average snowpack that will eventually melt and fill our waterways.
(8) Calendar-based schedules may not accurately reflect the actual presence or absence of protected species since they do not provide real-time data on compliance with permit conditions.
(9) Calendar-based schedules are not flexible enough to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Real-time monitoring can provide more detailed information about the hydrological conditions that will allow for better management of water resources.