Administration asks $25 million to start Healthy Rivers program; LAO questions timing and funding totals

The administration told the Senate Budget Subcommittee it is proposing $25 million one-time to support the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes programmoney intended for scientific monitoring and to begin program implementation when the State Water Resources Control Board finalizes its Bay-Delta plan update.

Secretary Wade Trofut described the program as an implementation pathway that combines enforceable numeric commitments for restored flows with habitat creation. He said the program uses a mix of flow purchases, habitat restoration and audits by the Water Board, and that a regulatory backstop would apply if parties fail to meet commitments.

Andrew March (Department of Finance) and Secretary Trofut told members the state has already invested significant sums in early implementation and habitat projects; Finance estimated about $560 million was appropriated previously and that the state has counted roughly $1.1 billion committed or spent toward program goals. The Legislative Analyst's Office cited a different accounting in the program's funding plan, saying roughly $1.49 billion had been secured and that overall program costs were estimated at about $2.9 billion over the program term.

LAO witness Sonia Pedic recommended the Legislature seek greater clarity, warning that appropriating more general fund for the program now may be premature until the Water Board formally adopts its update. Finance staff said the $25 million is intended to get the program's year-one scientific monitoring in place by Jan. 1, 2027; waiting until next year would delay critical monitoring and set the program back six months.

Committee members pressed the administration for a detailed roll-up of past appropriations and what additional amounts would be needed over the eight-year horizon. Trofut said future funding will be needed but characterized the $25 million as modest and critical to demonstrate commitment to the program's accountability framework.

The subcommittee requested follow-up details to reconcile differing accounting of what the state has already spent and what remains to be funded.