Section 8611 Of Article 1. General Powers From California Water Code >> Division 5. >> Part 4. >> Chapter 3. >> Article 1.
8611
. (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), prior to
construction at a site of a flood control, channel clearance, or bank
stabilization project, the board, in consultation with the
Department of Fish and Game, shall prepare and adopt a mitigation
plan which shall be implemented as part of the project. A mitigation
plan shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(1) A description of the actions that the board proposes to take
to ensure that the project will meet all mitigation standards
required by law with the objective of ensuring that the project
causes no net loss of riparian, fishery, or wildlife habitat.
(2) A designation of the agency or agencies responsible for
implementing and maintaining each mitigation element of the plan.
(3) A schedule for implementation of the mitigation ensuring that
the mitigation measures will be accomplished prior to, or concurrent
with, construction of the project, unless the board determines that
to do so would be impracticable.
(4) A financing plan for the mitigation identifying the source or
sources of funds for the mitigation, the share of mitigation costs
attributable to each source, and a schedule of when the funds are to
be provided.
The plan may take into consideration the environmental benefits of
restoring, maintaining, or increasing the sustainable diversity of
native species and habitat which may result from the project, if
these benefits have been approved by the Department of Fish and Game.
The Department of Fish and Game may submit a review of the plan and
its recommendations to the board for inclusion in the plan.
(b) No mitigation plan is required when the board is responding to
an emergency where no mitigation is required.
(c) For any project authorized pursuant to Section 12668, the
agreement set forth in subdivision (a) shall provide for the
mitigation of the project with the objective of providing a net
long-term enhancement of the riparian habitat and fishery in the
project area. The degree of net enhancement required for each phase
or part of the project shall not be so great as to cause the project
to be infeasible.