(a) A flood management project that receives financial assistance under this chapter and Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 12800) shall meet all of the following requirements prior to state authorization:

(1) The project shall qualify for federal financial assistance under the requirements applicable to federal water resource development projects and shall be federally authorized. Projects may be authorized pursuant to a Chief Engineers’ report, but shall not be eligible for state financial assistance until authorized by Congress.

(2) The total annual benefit of providing protection from flood damages shall exceed the annual cost of the project allocable to flood management. The project shall be designed to produce the greatest feasible reduction in flood damages in the most efficient manner practicable, with due regard for environmental and recreational considerations, and local economic conditions.

(3) The project’s nonfederal sponsor, or other appropriate local agency, shall be in compliance with Section 701b-12 of Title 33 of the United States Code, which requires the preparation, adoption, and implementation of a floodplain management plan designed to reduce the impacts of future floods. All local communities benefiting from the project shall have an ordinance consistent with the National Flood Insurance Program’s model floodplain management ordinance.

(4) The project shall avoid, minimize, or mitigate impacts to environmental and recreational values.

(5) Project planning documents shall include an evaluation of opportunities to include multipurpose objectives. The nonfederal sponsor shall accommodate other partners that provide the costs of including multipurpose objectives that the nonfederal sponsor determines are compatible with the project’s schedule and primary flood management purpose.

(b) (1) The Reclamation Board or department, in its advisory role, shall provide sufficient review and oversight in the initial scoping process, feasibility evaluation, environmental review, and project approval processes for flood management projects to determine whether the requirements set forth in subdivision (a) are met. The department or the Reclamation Board shall inform the nonfederal sponsor and any local sponsor whether the project meets the requirements set forth in subdivision (a) during the feasibility evaluation and environmental review process. Prior to state authorization, the department or the Reclamation Board shall submit a report to the Legislature that indicates whether the project meets the requirements set forth in subdivision (a).

(2) The implementation of paragraph (1) in any fiscal year is contingent upon the appropriation of sufficient funds, as determined by the department, for the purposes of carrying out that paragraph.

(c) Notwithstanding paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), the department or the Reclamation Board may recommend, and the Legislature may authorize, flood control projects for which the total annual benefit of providing protection from flood damages does not exceed the annual cost of the project allocable to flood management if the project increases the level of flood protection for state transportation facilities or state water supply facilities.

(Added by Stats. 2000, Ch. 1071, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2001.)