(a) Upon appropriation by the Legislature for that purpose, funds may be expended by the board, in consultation with the State Coastal Conservancy, the California Coastal Commission, and, as appropriate, the Department of Fish and Game, to award grants, not to exceed one million dollars ($1,000,000) per project, to local public agencies and nonprofit organizations for the purposes of this chapter.

(b) The projects funded to carry out this chapter shall demonstrate the capability of contributing to sustained, long-term water quality or environmental restoration or protection benefits for a period of 20 years, address the causes of degradation rather than the symptoms, and be consistent with water quality control plans and resource protection plans prepared, implemented, or adopted by the board, the applicable regional board, the Department of Fish and Game, and the State Coastal Conservancy.

(c) An applicant for funds to carry out this chapter shall be required to submit to the board a monitoring and reporting plan that does all of the following:

(1) Identifies the sources of pollution to be prevented or reduced by the project.

(2) Describes the baseline water quality or environmental quality to be addressed.

(3) Describes the manner in which the project will be effective in preventing or reducing pollution and in demonstrating the desired environmental results.

(4) Describes the monitoring program, including, but not limited to, the methodology, frequency, and duration of monitoring.

(d) Upon completion of the project, a recipient of funds to carry out this chapter shall submit a report to the board that summarizes the completed activities and indicates whether the purposes of the project have been met. The report shall include information collected by the recipient in accordance with the project monitoring and reporting plan, including a determination of the effectiveness of the project in preventing or reducing pollution, and the results of the monitoring program. The board shall make the report available to the public, watershed groups, and federal, state, and local agencies.

(e) The board may not award more than 25 percent of a grant to carry out this chapter in advance of the expenditure of funds by a grantee.

(f) An applicant for funds to carry out this chapter shall inform the board of any necessary public agency approvals, entitlements, and permits that may be necessary to implement the project. The applicant shall certify to the board, at the appropriate time, that those approvals, entitlements, and permits have been granted.

(g) Where recovery plans for coho salmon, steelhead trout, or other threatened or endangered coastal and marine aquatic species exist, projects funded to carry out this chapter shall be consistent with those plans and, to the extent feasible, shall seek to implement actions specified in those plans.

(h) The board, in consultation with the California Coastal Commission, shall appoint a marine managed areas water quality task force comprised of individuals representing the breadth and diversity of coastal communities, interested nonprofit groups, and marine resource users. All proposals for grant funding to carry out this chapter shall be reviewed by the task force. The task force may recommend projects to the board for funding consideration.

(i) The board shall provide opportunity for public review and comment in awarding funds to carry out this chapter.

(Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 714, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2005.)