In February 2004, the Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Committee considered a proposal to develop an Integrated Regional Water Management Plan in the Bay Area. A portion of Proposition 50 bond funds approved in 2002 included a requirement that projects had to be consistent with an adopted Integrated Regional Water Management Plan. In response to this requirement, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) began an effort to engage Bay Area water agencies, local government representatives, environmental groups and other stakeholders to develop an IRWMP. ABAG staff prepared a Letter of Mutual Understanding (LOMU) that was non-binding and outlined a way for agencies to collaborate in the development of an IRWMP.
On March 23, 2004, the Board approved the LOMU and the Flood Control District’s participation in developing a Bay Area IRWMP. The Board limited district financial commitment in proportion to other agency staff efforts and authorized no other financial commitment. Over the course of the next two years, the Bay Area IRWMP was developed and on December 5, 2006, the Board of Supervisors approved the Plan. The IRWMP included all of the Flood Control District’s major projects at the time. The Board approved Flood Control District funding participation in the amount of $10,000 and authorized the District to participate in an effort to form an association of flood protection agencies in the Bay Area in further support of regional planning.
On September 11, 2007, the Board approved an agreement with the State Coastal Conservancy and other Bay Area water agencies to collect $100,000 and disburse the funds as needed to manage the Bay Area IRWMP. These funds were collected to pay for the administrative costs to manage the IRWMP Coordinating Committee, such as updating the website, developing project lists, adding projects to the plan, meeting agendas and minutes. The Flood Control District’s share of funding in that agreement was $3,700. The original $100,000 has recently been depleted and is being replenished through an agreement with the Marin Municipal Water District. The board approved that agreement on September 14, 2010. The Flood Control District’s share of funding in this new agreement will be $3,000 to $5,000 depending on how the Bay Area flood protection agencies decide to calculate the proportionate share of each agency.
Regional water management planning has been a requirement in every subsequent water bond measure since 2002. It is also reflected in legislation recently passed and is a primary goal of the State in water planning and allocation of funds. As a result, IRWMP’s around the State have matured and have become well established. When the IRWMP was originally proposed, the Board’s funding allocations were limited due to the newness of the concept of integrated regional water management planning. At that time the policy and planning activities to be implemented by the IRWMP were unclear. However, now that the IRWMP is firmly established and recognized by the State the recommendation is to budget Flood Control District participation on an annual basis with approval through the annual budget process rather than as a specific Board action. The Flood Control District budget will be based on the proposed IRWMP policy and planning activities for the year, which will continue to be reported to the Board’s Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Committee.
The release of bond funds from the State for grant purposes has been very slow the last two years due to the economic down turn. When the economy turns around significant amounts of pent up bond funds will be released and Bay Area flood protection agencies will need to react quickly to effectively compete for those funds. This will involve updating the IRWMP project list, writing grant applications and conducting subregional outreach. These are all activities that would be covered in the Flood Control District annual budget for Board approval.
Budgeting of Flood Control District participation in the IRWMP would be subject to ongoing individual Board approval.