Section 16103 Of Chapter 27. California Watershed Improvement Act Of 2009 From California Water Code >> Division 7. >> Chapter 27.
16103
. (a) In addition to making use of other financing mechanisms
that are available to local agencies to fund watershed improvement
plans and plan measures and facilities, a county, city, special
district, or combination thereof may impose fees on activities that
generate or contribute to runoff, stormwater, or surface runoff
pollution, to pay the costs of the preparation of a watershed
improvement plan, and the implementation of a watershed improvement
plan if all of the following requirements are met:
(1) The regional board has approved the watershed improvement
plan.
(2) The entity or entities that develop the watershed improvement
plan make a finding, supported by substantial evidence, that the fee
is reasonably related to the cost of mitigating the actual or
anticipated past, present, or future adverse effects of the
activities of the feepayer. "Activities," for the purposes of this
paragraph, means the operations and existing structures and
improvements subject to regulation under an NPDES permit for
municipal separate storm sewer systems.
(3) The fee is not imposed solely as an incident of property
ownership.
(b) A county, city, special district, or combination thereof may
plan, design, implement, construct, operate, and maintain controls
and facilities to improve water quality, including controls and
facilities related to the infiltration, retention and reuse,
diversion, interception, filtration, or collection of surface runoff,
including urban runoff, stormwater, and other forms of runoff, the
treatment of pollutants in runoff or other waters subject to water
quality regulatory requirements, the return of diverted and treated
waters to receiving water bodies, the enhancement of beneficial uses
of waters of the state, or the beneficial use or reuse of diverted
waters.
(c) The fees authorized under subdivision (a) may be imposed as
user-based or regulatory fees consistent with this chapter.