This post was originally published on this site
Our office will publish shorter, more focused budget analyses over the next few months. In most cases, rather than sending out an announcement for each publication, we will provide periodic updates with the key takeaways from recent pieces. All of our 2023-24 budget analyses to date can be found here.
The 2023-24 Budget: Department of Water Resources
- Governor’s Budget Proposes $175 Million in 2023-24 for Flood Management. Of the total, $119 million would support numerous Central Valley flood projects and studies, most conducted with the federal government. Another $41 million would support Delta levee projects, along with $16 million for flood management activities.
- Proposes $14 Million in 2023-24 and Ongoing for Continued Implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Proposed funding would support 11 new positions and backfill expiring bond funding for 29 existing positions to support ongoing SGMA implementation and enhanced, centralized data collection and analyses.
- Recommend Legislature Consider Approving These Proposals. Although the state is experiencing a budget problem and these proposals represent new General Fund spending, the value and importance of the proposed activities might outweigh these budget trade-offs. The flood funding would help protect public safety and draw down federal funds, and the SGMA funding would help the state work toward statewide groundwater sustainability.
