Stormwater resource planning.

Existing law, the Stormwater Resource Planning Act, authorizes a city, county, or special district, to develop a stormwater resource plan that meets certain standards. This bill would authorize one or more public agencies to develop a stormwater resource plan. The bill would expand the standards to include dry weather runoff. This bill would require a stormwater resource plan to be submitted to any applicable regional water management group, to identify and prioritize stormwater and dry weather runoff capture projects for implementation in a prescribed quantitative manner, and to prioritize the use of lands or easements in public ownership for stormwater and dry weather runoff projects. This bill would eliminate the requirement that a stormwater resource plan be consistent with any applicable integrated regional water management plan. This bill would require an entity developing a stormwater resource plan to identify in the plan opportunities to use existing publicly owned lands and easements to capture, clean, store, and use stormwater and dry weather runoff either onsite or offsite. This bill would require the State Water Resources Control Board, by July 1, 2016, to establish guidance for purposes of these provisions. This bill would require the development of a stormwater resource plan and compliance with these provisions to receive grants for stormwater and dry weather runoff capture projects from a bond act approved by the voters after January 1, 2014, except as provided. This bill would define dry weather runoff and stormwater for the purposes of the act and conform the definition of stormwater in the Rainwater Capture Act of 2012.