Chapter 5. Funding For Qualified Projects And Programs of California Water Code >> Division 6. >> Part 2.2. >> Chapter 5.

When selecting projects and programs pursuant to Division 24 (commencing with Section 78500), Division 26 (commencing with Section 79000), Division 26.5 (commencing with Section 79500), or pursuant to any grant funding authorized on or after January 1, 2009, for water management activities, the department, the board, the State Department of Public Health, and the California Bay-Delta Authority or its successor, as appropriate, shall include in any set of criteria used to select projects and programs for funding, a criterion that provides a preference for regional projects or programs.

For grant applications that include areas that have nitrate, arsenic, perchlorate, or hexavalent chromium contamination, the regional water management group shall include in the grant application information regarding how a project or projects in the application help to address the contamination or an explanation why the application does not include that kind of project or projects.

When selecting projects pursuant to Section 75026 of the Public Resources Code or for other funds that are or may become available for integrated regional water management plan implementation, the department shall consider for grant applications that include areas that have nitrate, arsenic, perchlorate, or hexavalent chromium contamination, whether the regional water management group has included projects that help address the impacts caused by nitrate, arsenic, perchlorate, or hexavalent chromium contamination, including projects that provide safe drinking water to small disadvantaged communities.

An integrated regional water management plan prepared pursuant to this part shall be eligible for funding pursuant to Section 75026 of the Public Resources Code, and for any funding authorized on or after January 1, 2009, that is allocated specifically for implementation of integrated regional water management.

This part does not prohibit the department from implementing Section 75026 of the Public Resources Code by using existing integrated regional water management guidelines in accordance with subdivision (d) of Section 75026 of the Public Resources Code.