The California Safe Drinking Water Act provides for the operation of public water systems and imposes on the State Water Resources Control Board various responsibilities and duties relating to the regulation of drinking water to protect public health. Existing law establishes the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund in the State Treasury to help water systems provide an adequate and affordable supply of safe drinking water in both the near and long terms. Existing law requires the state board to annually adopt a fund expenditure plan, as provided, and requires expenditures from the fund to be consistent with the fund expenditure plan. Existing law requires the state board to base the fund expenditure plan on data and analysis drawn from a specified drinking water needs assessment.

This bill would require the board to, on or before May 1, 2027, and on or before May 1 of each year thereafter, develop a drinking water needs assessment, as specified. The bill would require the assessment to include an analysis of the funds necessary to make water service affordable for customers of community water systems with fewer than 3,000 service connections and would require this analysis to be updated at least every 3 years.