BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1531
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Date of Hearing: May 6, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
AB
1531 (Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials) - As Amended
April 20, 2015
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|Policy |Environmental Safety and Toxic |Vote:|7 - 0 |
|Committee: |Materials | | |
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: YesReimbursable:
No
SUMMARY:
This omnibus committee bill provides minor and technical
corrections to the Safe Drinking Water (SDW) Act and the Clean
AB 1531
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Water Act carried out by the State Water Resources Control Board
(SWRCB). Specifically, this bill:
1)Consolidates provisions requiring state and local agencies
subject to regulation by SWRCB to pay water quality and/or
drinking water regulatory fees.
2)Conforms the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water State
Revolving Fund (SDWSRF) with the Clean Water State Revolving
Fund requirements by providing express authority to municipal
borrowers to take loans from the SDWSRF. Corrects outdated
references to the Department of Public Health that should
instead reference the SWRCB for the SDW program.
3)Authorizes SWRCB to adopt emergency regulations to conform
state regulations to federal requirements in order to maintain
program authority under the federal SDW Act. Clarifies the
procedures for appealing SDW regulatory actions. Allows the
SWRCB increased flexibility to set interest rates in the SDW
program.
4)Authorizes SWRCB to adopt regulations on the use of
point-of-entry and point-of-use treatment devices by public
water systems to provide statewide consistency on the
allowable uses of these devices.
5)Provides consistency between SWRCB's authority to require
documents and test results from water providers regulated
under the SDW Act with dischargers to waters of the state
under the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act.
6)Authorizes SWRCB to require public water systems to submit
drinking water test results, reports, and other information
that is deemed necessary to carry out its responsibilities
under the state SDW Act.
7)Corrects outdated references to the Department of Fish and
Wildlife.
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8)Establishes the "Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
Administration Fund" for SWRCB to deposit existing funds to
pay for administrative costs.
9)Provides technical modifications to the Clean Water State
Revolving Fund statute to be consistent with the
recently-enacted federal Water Resources Reform and
Development Act of 2014.
FISCAL EFFECT:
Minor, absorbable costs.
COMMENTS:
Purpose. According to author, this committee bill makes a
variety of technical changes to provisions in the Water Code and
Health and Safety Code, including eliminating outdated
provisions of law, correcting erroneous cross references, and
providing statutory and regulatory authority to conform state
drinking water and water quality requirements to federal
requirements.
Additionally, as follow up to recent legislation that
transferred the Safe Drinking Water Program from the Department
of Public Health to the State Water Resources Control Board,
this proposal would make several statutory changes to improve
the efficiency and effectiveness of the Safe Drinking Water
Regulatory Program.
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Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)
319-2081