“Regional projects or programs” means projects or programs identified in an integrated regional water management plan that accomplish any of the following:
(a) Reduce water demand through agricultural and urban water use efficiency.
(b) Increase water supplies for any beneficial use through the use of any of the following, or other, means:
(1) Groundwater storage and conjunctive water management.
(2) Desalination.
(3) Precipitation enhancement.
(4) Water recycling.
(5) Regional and local surface storage.
(6) Water-use efficiency.
(7) Stormwater management.
(c) Improve operational efficiency and water supply reliability, including conveyance facilities, system reoperation, and water transfers.
(d) Improve water quality, including drinking water treatment and distribution, groundwater and aquifer remediation, matching water quality to water use, wastewater treatment, water pollution prevention, and management of urban and agricultural runoff.
(e) Improve resource stewardship, including agricultural lands stewardship, ecosystem restoration, flood plain management, recharge area protection, urban land use management, groundwater management, water-dependent recreation, fishery restoration, including fish passage improvement, and watershed management.
(f) Improve flood management through structural and nonstructural means, or by any other means.
(Repealed and added by Stats. 2008, 2nd Ex. Sess., Ch. 1, Sec. 5. Effective March 1, 2009.)