(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) The New River poses an imminent and severe threat to the public health of residents of Calexico, California, and adjacent communities in Imperial County. Since the 1940s, the New River has been recognized as a significant pollution and human health problem, primarily because of extremely high concentrations of fecal coliform bacteria. (2) While there have been recent measurable water quality improvements as a result of sewage infrastructure projects implemented and completed during the last 10 years in Mexicali, Mexico, the residual and projected pollution in the New River coming from Mexico remains a significant threat to public health and the environment. (3) Current bacteria levels in the New River are several orders of magnitude above the state standards for bacteria. Based on these levels and the historic levels of pollution, the waterway is believed to carry pathogens that cause tuberculosis, encephalitis, polio, cholera, hepatitis, and typhoid. The waterway also carries other contaminants in concentrations that are in violation of federal, state, and Mexican water quality standards by several hundredfold. (4) The New River is listed as an impaired river by the United States Environmental Protection Agency due to low dissolved oxygen (DO) and the presence of chlordane, chlorpyrifos, copper, dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), diazinon, dieldrin, mercury, nutrients, pathogens, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), sediment, selenium, toxaphene, toxicity, trash, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). (5) The New River is a major contributor of pollution to the Salton Sea, and failure to address water quality problems in the New River is impeding the ability of the state to implement laws and programs designed to restore and protect this important environmental and wildlife habitat resource. (6) The New River condition in the border area is also an aesthetic nuisance for Calexico residents and has historically inhibited the cityâs socioeconomic well-being and growth. (7) A coordinated and comprehensive state strategy is needed to deal with the residual and projected pollution so that the New River and associated river channel can be enhanced to a condition that will allow the residents of Calexico and Imperial County to utilize them as recreational and natural assets as contemplated in the California River Parkways Act of 2004 (Chapter 3.8 (commencing with Section 5750) of Division 5). (8) In the Budget Act of 2009, as amended by Chapter 1 of the Statutes of 2009 Fourth Extraordinary Session, eight hundred thousand dollars ($800,000) was appropriated to the City of Calexico for various planning needs necessary to develop a river parkway plan and river improvement project for the New River. The moneys were appropriated in order to secure and serve as matching funds for the four million dollars ($4,000,000) allocated pursuant to the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (Public Law 109-59) to the City of Calexico for the development of bicycle paths and public park space adjacent to the New River. (9) The City of Calexico, as the recipient of funding pursuant to the California River Parkways Act of 2004, has agreed to provide necessary financial support to the council for the development of the councilâs strategic plan. (b) As used in this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) âAgencyâ means the California Environmental Protection Agency. (2) âCityâ means the City of Calexico, California. (3) âCouncilâ means the California-Mexico Border Relations Council established pursuant to Section 99522 of the Government Code. (4) âCountyâ means the County of Imperial, California. (5) âIBWCâ means the International Boundary and Water Commission, United States Section. (6) âNew River Improvement Projectâ or âprojectâ means a project to study, monitor, remediate, and enhanc
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