BILL ANALYSIS ------------------------------------------------------------ |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2515| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |1020 N Street, Suite 524 | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ------------------------------------------------------------ THIRD READING Bill No: AB 2515 Author: V. Manuel Perez (D) Amended: 8/2/10 in Senate Vote: 27 - Urgency SENATE ENV. QUALITY COMMITTEE : 7-0, 6/28/10 AYES: Simitian, Runner, Corbett, Hancock, Lowenthal, Pavley, Strickland SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 11-0, 8/12/10 AYES: Kehoe, Ashburn, Alquist, Corbett, Emmerson, Leno, Price, Walters, Wolk, Wyland, Yee ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 77-0, 6/1/10 - See last page for vote SUBJECT : Public water systems: point-of-use treatment SOURCE : California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation Poder Popular of the Coachella Valley DIGEST : This bill requires the Department of Public Health (DPH) to adopt emergency regulations governing the use of point-of-entry and point-of-use water treatment systems, and authorizes DPH to award grants for the installation of point-of-entry and point-of-use water treatment systems. ANALYSIS : Existing law: Requires regulations adopted under the Act to include CONTINUED AB 2515 Page 2 requirements governing the use of point-of-entry and point-of-use treatment by public water systems in lieu of centralized treatment where it can be demonstrated that centralized treatment is not immediately economically feasible and is limited to: a) less than 200 service connections, b) use allowed under the Act's implementing regulations, and c) water systems that have submitted preapplications with the Department of Public Health (DPH) for funding to correct the violations for which the point-of-use treatment is provided. Prohibits DPH from issuing a permit to a public water system or amending a valid existing permit allowing the use of point-of-use treatment unless DPH determines, after conducting a public hearing in the community served by the public water system, that there is no substantial community opposition to installation of point-of-use treatment devices. Issuance of a permit allowing point-of-use treatment must be limited to not more than three years or until funding for centralized treatment is available, whichever occurs first. Existing law establishes the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, administered by DPH, and continuously appropriates the money in the fund to that department to provide grants or revolving fund loans for the design and construction of projects for public water systems that will enable suppliers to meet safe drinking water standards. This bill: 1.Requires DPH to adopt emergency regulations for the use of point-of-entry and point-of-use water treatment systems. The emergency regulations would not be subject to the Administrative Procedures Act and will remain in effect until January 1, 2014 or the effective date of the regular regulations under development. 2.Authorizes DPH to award grants for point-of-entry and point-of-use treatment systems, provided that the water system serves a severely disadvantaged community and that the grant meets other existing requirements. 3.Specifies that any systems purchased with grant funds AB 2515 Page 3 that have remaining useful life at the completion of the project shall be provided for use in other projects. 4.Sunsets on January 1, 2014. Comments According to the author's office, numerous mobilehome park residents in East Coachella Valley contacted his office regarding serious drinking water contamination and public health concerns, as well as issues relating to the cost of purchasing bottled water for drinking and cooking. The author notes that AB 1540 (Committee on Health) Chapter 298, Statutes of 2009, requires DPH regulations to include requirements governing the use of point-of-entry and point-of-use treatment by public water systems in lieu of centralized treatment, but that DPH indicates these regulations will take at least three years to complete. FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: Yes Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No According to the Senate Appropriations Committee: Fiscal Impact (in thousands) Major Provisions 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Fund Regulation development and Absorbable within existing resources General / grant making Federal Cost pressure for grants Unknown Federal SUPPORT : (Verified 8/17/10) California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (co-source) Poder Popular of the Coachella Valley (co-source) ASSEMBLY FLOOR : AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Bass, Beall, Bill Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield, Bradford, AB 2515 Page 4 Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, DeVore, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, Norby, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines, Yamada, John A. Perez NO VOTE RECORDED: Tom Berryhill, Audra Strickland, Vacancy TSM:nl 8/17/10 Senate Floor Analyses SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE **** END ****