(a) The sum of twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) of the money in the fund shall be deposited in the Water Reclamation Account and is appropriated for loans to municipalities for eligible water reclamation projects which will provide water for beneficial uses.

The board may loan a municipality up to 100 percent of the total eligible costs of design and construction of a reclamation project.

(b) Any contract for an eligible water reclamation project entered into pursuant to this section may include such provisions as determined by the board and shall include both of the following provisions:

(1) An estimate of the reasonable cost of the eligible water reclamation project.

(2) An agreement by the municipality to proceed expeditiously with, and complete, the eligible water reclamation project; commence operation of the project in accordance with applicable provisions of law; provide for payment of the municipality’s share of the cost of the project, including principal and interest on any state loan made pursuant to this section; and, if appropriate, apply for and make reasonable efforts to secure federal assistance, other than that available pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act, for the state-assisted project.

(c) Loan contracts may not provide for a moratorium on payments of principal or interest.

(d) (1) Any loans made from the Water Reclamation Account shall be for a period of up to 25 years . The interest rate for the loans shall be set at a rate equal to 50 percent of the interest rate paid by the state on the most recent sale of state general obligation bonds, with that rate to be computed according to the true interest cost method. When the interest rate so determined is not a multiple of one-tenth of 1 percent, the interest rate shall be set at the next higher multiple of one-tenth of 1 percent.

(2) All principal and interest from loans shall be returned to the Water Reclamation Account for new loans.

(e) Funds available under this section may be used for loans pursuant to subdivisions (f), (g), and (h) of Section 13999.8 if the Clean Water Construction Grant Account is depleted. All principal and interest on any such loans shall be repaid to the Water Reclamation Account.

(f) No single project may receive more than ten million dollars ($10,000,000) from the board.

(Amended by Stats. 1988, Ch. 47, Sec. 6. Amendment approved in Proposition 83 at the November 8, 1988, election. Note: This section was added by Stats. 1984, Ch. 377, and approved in Prop. 25 on Nov. 6, 1984.)