(a) The Legislature finds and declares that the delta is endowed with many invaluable and unique resources and that these resources are of major statewide significance.
(b) The Legislature further finds and declares that the delta’s uniqueness is particularly characterized by its hundreds of miles of meandering waterways and the many islands adjacent thereto; that, in order to preserve the delta’s invaluable resources, which include highly productive agriculture, recreational assets, fisheries, and wildlife environment, the physical characteristics of the delta should be preserved essentially in their present form; and that the key to preserving the delta’s physical characteristics is the system of levees defining the waterways and producing the adjacent islands. However, the Legislature recognizes that it may not be economically justifiable to maintain all delta islands.
(c) The Legislature further finds and declares that funds necessary to maintain and improve the delta’s levees to protect the delta’s physical characteristics should be used to fund levee work that would promote agricultural and habitat uses in the delta consistent with the purpose of preserving the delta’s invaluable resources.
(Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 601, Sec. 11. Effective January 1, 1997.)