(a) (1) The secretary, in consultation and coordination with the authority, shall lead the Salton Sea restoration efforts that shall include all of the following:

(A) Early start habitat demonstration projects.

(B) Biological investigations relating to the restoration of the Salton Sea.

(C) Investigations of water quality, sedimentation, and inflows relating to the restoration of the Salton Sea.

(D) Air quality investigations, in consultation and coordination with local and regional air quality agencies, relating to the restoration of the Salton Sea.

(E) Geotechnical investigations relating to the restoration of the Salton Sea.

(F) Financial assistance grant programs to support restoration activities of local stakeholders.

(2) Nothing in this article shall alter any state responsibility under the Quantification Settlement Agreement or the state’s authority to carry out any responsibility under the Quantification Settlement Agreement.

(3) (A) To the extent that funding is appropriated to the department for Salton Sea restoration activities, the Department of Water Resources, in coordination and under agreement with the department, may undertake restoration efforts identified in this subdivision.

(B) The department and the Department of Water Resources shall do all of the following for the Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Project:

(i) Immediately make available relevant information relating to the factors that influence the cost and size of the alternatives discussed in the environmental impact report or environmental impact statement for the species habitat conservation program.

(ii) Release all available detail on a final project design immediately, or upon final determination of a least environmentally damaging preferred alternative by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Details of a final project design shall include location, configuration, size, and cost.

(iii) Immediately make available project evaluation protocols that include the following principles of adaptive management:

(I) Goals and objectives of the project.

(II) The project design and an operations plan.

(III) A monitoring plan that will include metrics that identify benefits to the species.

(IV) A performance evaluation based on species population identified through monitoring.

(V) A decisionmaking framework to evaluate project performance and guide operations and management changes.

(b) (1) The authority may lead a feasibility study, in coordination and under contract with the secretary, to do the following:

(A) Investigate access and utility agreements that may contribute to the future funding of restoration activities at the Salton Sea.

(B) Analyze all feasible funding sources for restoration program components and activities.

(C) Analyze economic development opportunities, including, but not limited to, renewable energy, biofuels, mineral development, and algae production for the purposes of identifying new revenue sources for the Salton Sea restoration efforts.

(D) Identify state procurement and royalty sharing opportunities.

(E) Review existing long-term plans for restoration of the Salton Sea and recommend to the secretary changes to existing restoration plans. In any review pursuant to this subparagraph, the authority shall consider the impacts of the restoration plan on air quality, fish and wildlife habitat, water quality, and the technical and financial feasibility of the restoration plan and shall consider the impacts on other agencies responsible for air quality, endangered species, and other environmental mitigation requirements for implementation of the Quantification Settlement Agreement.

(2) No evaluation, study, review, or other activity pursuant to this article shall delay the planning and implementation of ongoing and planned restoration or mitigation projects, including, but not limited to, the Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Project or other measures pursuant to existing state and federal programs and agreements.

(c) Notwithstanding any other law, the Department of Water Resources is authorized to use design-build procurement authority for projects constructed at the Salton Sea in accordance with Article 6 (commencing with Section 10187) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code.

(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 340, Sec. 7. (SB 839) Effective September 13, 2016.)