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HomeWater CodeDiv. 6Pt. 7§ 12952 Water Project Impact Areas

§ 12952 Water Project Impact Areas

Water Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 12952 Water Project Impact Areas

Key Takeaways

  • •The Governor can mark a 20-mile area around a big water project as an 'impact area' if asked by local leaders.
  • •This only happens if the project brings lots of new workers (more than 500) and causes big money problems for local towns.
  • •The area stays an 'impact area' only if the new workers make the population jump by at least 20%. If it drops below that, the special status ends.
  • •The state checks the numbers to decide when to start or stop the 'impact area' label.

Example

A big dam is being built in a small town, and suddenly 1,000 workers move in for the job.

If the town only had 4,000 people before, the new workers (1,000) make the population jump by 25%. The Governor can call this area an 'impact area' because the town now has big problems like needing more schools, roads, and police.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 12952 Water Project Impact Areas

The Governor may designate, from time to time, and may revoke previous designations of, the area within a 20-mile airline radius of the site of principal construction of any water construction project undertaken by the State as an impact area when: (a) He is requested to do so by the county board of supervisors or the city council of any county or city within the impact area; and (b) He finds that: (1) Such construction will cause a sudden influx of people into the impact area. (2) The construction will require more than 12 months to complete. (3) The construction will result in serious fiscal problems to the affected local governments. (4) Peak construction employment on the project within the impact area is estimated by the Department of Water Resources to total more than 500 employees. (5) The increase in population in the impact area, found by multiplying such peak construction employment as estimated by the Department of Water Resources by 4.5, equals at least 20 percent of the estimated population in the area on July 1st of the year prior to the date that construction was started. At any time that the increase in population falls below 20 percent of the estimated population of the area, the designation shall terminate as of the following June 30th. All population data are to be determined by the Department of Finance. (Added by Stats. 1963, Ch. 464.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

impact areawater construction projectsudden influx of peopleserious fiscal problemspeak construction employmentDepartment of Water ResourcesDepartment of Finance

Related Statutes

  • § 10007 Existing Water Applications Valid
  • § 12953 Water Project Site Designation
  • § 135 Water Resources Funding
  • § 137 Revolving Fund Expenditure Tracking
  • § 1480 Water Plan Application Priority

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Water Code. Section 12952.
View Official Source