SB 845

Bill Subjects

Abstract

(1) Existing law, the California Safe Drinking Water Act, requires the State Water Resources Control Board to administer provisions relating to the regulation of drinking water to protect public health. Existing law declares it to be the established policy of the state that every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes. This bill would establish the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund in the State Treasury and would provide that moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated to the board. By creating a new continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require the board to administer the fund to secure access to safe drinking water for all Californians, while also ensuring the long-term sustainability of drinking water service and infrastructure. The bill would authorize the board to provide for the deposit into the fund of federal contributions, voluntary contributions, gifts, grants, and bequests. The bill would require the board to expend moneys in the fund for grants, loans, contracts, or services to assist eligible applicants with projects relating to the provision of safe and affordable drinking water and, beginning January 1, 2020, would require the expenditure to be consistent with a fund implementation plan adopted by July 1 of each odd-numbered year by the board, as prescribed. The bill would require the board, working with a multistakeholder advisory group, to adopt by July 1 of each odd-numbered year a policy handbook with priorities and guidelines for expenditures of the fund. The bill would require the board annually to publish on its Internet Web site a report of expenditures from the fund and a summary of progress made with respect to the implementation of these provisions. The bill would require the board to adopt by July 1 of each odd-numbered year, an assessment of funding need that estimates the anticipated funding needed for the next two fiscal years to achieve the purposes of the fund. The bill would require, by January 1, 2020, the board, in consultation with local health officers and other relevant stakeholders, to make available a map of aquifers that are used or likely to be used as a source of drinking water that are at high risk of containing contaminants. For purposes of the map, the bill would require local health officers and other relevant local agencies to provide all results of, and data associated with, water quality testing performed by certified laboratories to the board, as specified. By imposing additional duties on local health officers and local agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill, beginning January 1, 2020, would require a community water system with 200 or more service connections to provide an opportunity for each customer of a community water system to provide a voluntary remittance either as part of the customer's regular water bill or by using a specified notification procedure, to advance the purposes of the fund. The bill would require the board to develop and maintain a list of voluntary best practices associated with bill presentation, accounting, and collection of voluntary remittances, as prescribed. The bill would authorize a customer of a community water system to remit nothing, an amount recommended by the community water system, as prescribed, or an alternative amount. The bill would prohibit a community water system from sanctioning, taking any enforcement or collection action against, imposing any late charge or penalty against, or otherwise holding liable, a customer in any manner for deducting the amount from the bill or otherwise paying or not paying a voluntary remittance. The bill would require a community water system to transfer to the board for deposit in the fund all voluntary remittances received from its customers, except for a specified amount of a community water system's administrative cost for collecting the fee, as specified. (2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. (3) This bill would make its operation contingent on the enactment of SB 844 of the 2017–18 Regular Session.