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Committee advances bill clarifying that certain removable‑board weirs are not treated as dams for inspection and fee rules
Summary
AB 639 narrows the statutory definition of "dam" so specified removable‑board weirs used for water deliveries are not subject to the same inspection, maintenance and fee requirements as larger dams. Supporters, including the Kings River Conservation District and agricultural groups, said the change removes an inadvertent regulatory burden.
Assemblymember Soria presented AB 639, a narrowly drawn bill that would amend the Water Code definition of ‘‘dam’’ to exclude certain weirs that use removable flashboards and do not span entire channels, so they are not regulated under the Division of Safety of Dams’ more stringent inspection, maintenance and fee requirements.
Charlotte Gallick, chief engineer for the Kings River Conservation District, described the proposal as a correction to an unintended consequence of current code language that captured small, low‑risk water delivery structures and imposed dam‑level requirements. Representatives of the California Association of Wine Grape Growers, Valley Ag Water Coalition, California Farm Bureau, Tulare Lake Water Storage District and Western Growers spoke in support.
No opposition testimony was recorded. Supporters argued the change would allow the Division of Safety of Dams to focus on larger structures while reducing regulatory costs for agricultural water users and helping maintain irrigation infrastructure for small operations.
Action: The committee moved AB 639 ‘‘do pass as amended, to appropriations.’’ The motion carried and the bill was placed on call and later reported out to appropriations.
Background: The bill amends the statutory definition of dam to exclude certain removable flashboard weirs that are designed for temporary raising of water levels and that do not create comparable failure risk to engineered dams.
Next steps: AB 639 advanced to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
