BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 69
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 10, 2013

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                  AB 69 (Perea) - As Introduced:  January 10, 2013

          Policy Committee:                              Environmental  
          Safety and Toxic Materials                    Vote: 5-2

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY 

           This bill establishes the Nitrate at Risk Area Fund to be  
          administered by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)  
          and authorizes the SWRCB to expend funds for developing and  
          implementing sustainable and affordable solutions for  
          disadvantaged communities in areas designated by the Department  
          of Public Health (DPH).  Specifically, this bill requires DPH to  
          use existing public water system data to designate areas that  
          are reliant on nitrate-contaminated groundwater and do not have  
          access to safe, affordable drinking water.


           FISCAL EFFECT

           1) No direct costs associated with the creation of the unfunded  
            Nitrate at Risk Area Fund.
            Any expenditures to or from the fund would require a future  
            appropriation.

          2) Minor, absorbable costs to DPH for identifying disadvantaged  
            communities.

           COMMENTS

          1)Background  .  Nitrate pollution in groundwater is a widespread  
            water quality problem that can pose serious health risks if  
            consumed at specific concentrations.  According to a February  
            20, 2013 SWRCB report to Legislature, Recommendations  
            Addressing Nitrate in Groundwater, it is critical that a new  
            funding source be established to ensure that all Californians,  
            including those in disadvantaged communities, have access to  








                                                                  AB 69
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            safe drinking water.

            The Department of Public Health indicates that nitrate  
            contaminated groundwater is a particularly significant problem  
            in the Tulare Lake Basin and Salinas Valley areas, where about  
            2.6 million people, including many of the poorest communities  
            in California, rely on groundwater for their drinking water.  
            Many other areas of the state also have nitrate contaminated  
            groundwater.
          .
           2)Purpose  .  This bill creates a fund for future revenue sources  
            to address groundwater quality in disadvantaged communities  
            disproportionately impacted by nitrate contamination.  


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081