BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 964
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 11, 2011

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                   AB 964 (Huffman) - As Amended:  April 13, 2011 

          Policy Committee:                              Environmental 
          Safety and Toxic Materials                    Vote: 8-0
                        Local Government                      9-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill conditions financial assistance for onsite sewer 
          improvements.  Specifically, this bill:
           
          1)Limits financial assistance provided by the State Water 
            Resources Control Board from the State Water Pollution Control 
            Revolving Fund for onsite sewer improvements to only those 
            projects for which a public agency has adopted a sewer system 
            management plan that, in addition to other applicable 
            requirements, includes a 10-year plan for sewer upgrades.

          2)Requires, commencing January 1, 2013, a public agency 
            receiving financial assistance from the fund for onsite sewer 
            improvements to report annually to the board on progress 
            developing and implementing the 10-year plan for sewer 
            upgrades.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)Minor ongoing costs, if any, to the State Water Resources 
            Control Board to receive reports from public agencies and 
            review 10-year plans for sewer upgrades.

          2)Potential marginal shift in the public agencies to which the 
            board awards State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund 
            monies.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  .  The author intends to to encourage public agencies 








                                                                  AB 964
                                                                  Page  2

            to adopt and implement 10-year plans for sewer upgrades, 
            which, the author contends, will help protect surface water 
            and groundwater through prevention of sewage spills caused by 
            stormwater intrusion into sewer collection systems.

           2)Background.   The Clean Water State Revolving Fund is a federal 
            financial assistance program that implements the federal Clean 
            Water Act and various state water quality laws.  The federal 
            program provides financial assistance for construction or 
            implementation of projects that address water quality and 
            prevent water pollution.  California implements the federal 
            program through establishment of the State Water Pollution 
            Control Revolving Fund, which receives capitalization from 
            federal funds and state bond funds and from which the board 
            makes financial awards. 

           3)Support.   This bill is supported by the California Association 
            of Realtors, the California Association of Sanitation 
            Agencies, the Sierra Club California and others.

           4)Opposition.   The bill is opposed by the Association of 
            California Water Agencies (ACWA), whose members would be 
            unable to receive awards from the State Water Pollution 
            Control Revolving Fund if they had not adopted a sewer system 
            management plan that, in addition to other applicable 
            requirements, includes a 10-year plan for sewer upgrades.

           Analysis Prepared by :    Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081