(a) Of the funds authorized by Section 79730, two hundred eighty-five million dollars ($285,000,000) shall be available to the Department of Fish and Wildlife for watershed restoration projects statewide in accordance with this chapter.
(b) For the purposes of this section, watershed restoration includes activities to fund coastal wetland habitat, improve forest health, restore mountain meadows, modernize stream crossings, culverts, and bridges, reconnect historical flood plains, install or improve fish screens, provide fish passages, restore river channels, restore or enhance riparian, aquatic, and terrestrial habitat, improve ecological functions, acquire from willing sellers conservation easements for riparian buffer strips, improve local watershed management, and remove sediment or trash.
(c) For any funds available pursuant to this section that are used to provide grants under the Fisheries Restoration Grant Program, a priority shall be given to coastal waters.
(d) In allocating funds for projects pursuant to this section, the Department of Fish and Wildlife shall only make funds available for water quality, river, and watershed protection and restoration projects of statewide importance outside of the Delta.
(e) Funds provided by this section shall not be expended to pay the costs of the design, construction, operation, mitigation, or maintenance of Delta conveyance facilities.
(f) Funds provided by this section shall only be used for projects that will provide fisheries or ecosystem benefits or improvements that are greater than required applicable environmental mitigation measures or compliance obligations, except for any water transfers for the benefit of subsection (d) of Section 3406 of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (Title 34 of Public Law 102-575).
(g) In order to address the unique ecological, flood control, water quality, and hydrological conditions associated with urban creeks and watersheds on the California-Mexico border, the department shall consult with the California-Mexico Border Relations Council to establish criteria to fund projects that improve conditions for cross-border urban creeks and watersheds.
(Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 668, Sec. 10. (AB 965) Effective January 1, 2016. Note: This section was added by Stats. 2014, Ch. 188, and approved in Prop. 1 on Nov. 4, 2014.)