PART 8. PROJECT LEVEE UPGRADES [9650. - 9651.]

Cal. Water Code - WAT 8.

in effect

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 9650. Section 9650.

(a) (1) Commencing July 1, 2008, the allocation or expenditure of funds by the state for the upgrade of a project levee, if that upgrade is authorized on or after July 1, 2008, that protects an area in which more than 1,000 people reside shall be subject to a requirement that the local agency responsible for the operation and maintenance of the project levee and any city or county protected by the project levee, including a charter city or charter county, enter into an agreement to adopt a safety plan within two years. If a city or county is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the project levee, the governing body shall approve a resolution committing to the preparation of a safety plan within two years. (2) The local entity responsible for the operation and maintenance of the project levee shall submit a copy of the safety plan to the department and the Central Valley Flood Protection Board. (b) The safety plan, at a minimum, shall include all of the following elements: (1) A flood preparedness plan that includes storage of materials that can be used to reinforce or protect a levee when a risk of failure exists. (2) A levee patrol plan for high water situations. (3) A flood-fight plan for the period before state or federal agencies assume control over the flood fight. (4) An evacuation plan that includes a system for adequately warning the general public in the event of a levee failure, and a plan for the evacuation of every affected school, residential care facility for the elderly, and long-term health care facility. (5) A floodwater removal plan. (6) A requirement, to the extent reasonable, that either of the following applies to a new building in which the inhabitants are expected to be essential service providers: (A) The building is located outside an area that may be flooded. (B) The building is designed to be operable shortly after the floodwater is removed. (c) The safety plan shall be integrated into any other local agency emergency plan and shall be coordinated with the state emergency plan. (d) This section does not require the adoption of an element of the safety plan that was adopted previously and remains in effect.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 9651. Section 9651.

Unless the context requires otherwise, the definitions set forth in this section govern the construction of this part. (a) “Emergency plan” and “state emergency plan” have the meanings set forth in subdivisions (a) and (b), respectively, of Section 8560 of the Government Code. (b) “Essential service providers” includes, but is not limited to, hospitals, fire stations, police stations, and jails. (c) “Long-term health care facility” has the same meaning as defined in Section 1418 of the Health and Safety Code. (d) “Project levee” means any levee that is part of the facilities of the State Plan of Flood Control. (e) “Residential care facility for the elderly” has the same meaning as defined in Section 1569.2 of the Health and Safety Code. (f) “School” means a public or private preschool, elementary school, or secondary school or institution. (g) “State Plan of Flood Control” means the state and federal flood control works, lands, programs, plans, policies, conditions, and mode of maintenance and operations of the Sacramento River Flood Control Project described in Section 8350, and of flood control projects in the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River watersheds authorized pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 12648) of Chapter 2 of Part 6 of Division 6 for which the board or the department has provided the assurances of nonfederal cooperation to the United States, and those facilities identified in Section 8361. (h) (1) “Upgrade of a project levee” means installing a levee underseepage control system, increasing the height or bulk of a levee, installing a slurry wall or sheet pile into the levee, rebuilding a levee because of internal geotechnical flaws, or adding a stability berm. (2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), an upgrade of a project levee does not include any action undertaken on an emergency basis.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026