AB 2693 Summary

• Establishes the Shasta, Trinity, and Oroville Watershed Restoration Administration (STOWRA) under the State Water Resources Control Board to coordinate restoration and conservation of watersheds supplying the Oroville, Shasta, and Trinity Reservoirs.

• Requires the Natural Resources Agency and California Environmental Protection Agency to jointly develop and submit a spatially explicit plan for forest and watershed restoration investments in these three reservoir drainages.

• Creates a five-member steering committee for STOWRA with three voting members from the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Department of Fish and Wildlife, and State Water Resources Control Board, plus two nonvoting members from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and Wildlife Conservation Board.

• Establishes the Headwaters Restoration Special Subaccount within the Headwaters Restoration Account with continuous appropriation of non-General Fund moneys to STOWRA for watershed restoration grant funding.

• Requires STOWRA to develop an implementation plan by January 1, 2022, for completing priority restoration and conservation projects within 15 years, prioritizing projects that benefit watershed function, native fish and wildlife habitat, water reliability and quality, and climate resilience.