2-1506.

Water Sustainability Fund; goals; legislative findings.

(1) The goals of the Water Sustainability Fund are to: (a) Provide financial assistance to programs, projects, or activities that increase aquifer recharge, reduce aquifer depletion, and increase streamflow; (b) remediate or mitigate threats to drinking water; (c) promote the goals and objectives of approved integrated management plans or ground water management plans; (d) contribute to multiple water supply management goals including flood control, reducing threats to property damage, agricultural uses, municipal and industrial uses, recreational benefits, wildlife habitat, conservation, and preservation of water resources; (e) assist municipalities with the cost of constructing, upgrading, developing, and replacing sewer infrastructure facilities as part of a combined sewer overflow project; (f) provide increased water productivity and enhance water quality; (g) use the most cost-effective solutions available; and (h) comply with interstate compacts, decrees, other state contracts and agreements and federal law.

(2) The Legislature finds that the goals of the Water Sustainability Fund can be met by equally considering programs, projects, or activities in the following categories: (a) Research, data, and modeling; (b) rehabilitation or restoration of water supply infrastructure, new water supply infrastructure, or water supply infrastructure maintenance or flood prevention for protection of critical infrastructure; (c) conjunctive management, storage, and integrated management of ground water and surface water; and (d) compliance with interstate compacts or agreements or other formal state contracts or agreements or federal law.