BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



          SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                             Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
                            2015 - 2016  Regular  Session

          SB 1398 (Leyva) - Public water systems:  lead pipes
          
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          |Version: March 28, 2016         |Policy Vote: E.Q. 6 - 1         |
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          |Urgency: No                     |Mandate: No                     |
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          |Hearing Date: May 9, 2016       |Consultant: Narisha Bonakdar    |
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          This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.

          Bill Summary:  SB 1398 requires public water  
          systems, by July 1, 2018, to compile an inventory of lead pipes  
          in use and, after completing the inventory to provide a timeline  
          for replacement of lead pipes in the system to the State Water  
          Resources Control Board (SWRCB).   The bill also requires SWRCB  
          to establish best practices to ensure that chemicals introduced  
          into public water systems do not create corrosion or  
          contamination within the system.

          Fiscal  
          Impact:  Unknown, but likely significant costs to SWRCB to  
          develop best practices to prevent corrosion or contamination  
          within public water systems.

          Background:  Lead is a common additive in plumbing materials  
          such as lead solder, brass, bronze, and other alloys. Any  
          plumbing product containing lead that is in contact with water  
          is a potential source of drinking water contamination. 
          Beginning January 1, 2010, California law prohibited the  
          introduction into commerce of any pipe, pipe or plumbing  
          fitting, or fixture intended to convey or dispense water for  
          human consumption through drinking or cooking that is not "lead  







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          free" as defined in statute. This includes kitchen faucets,  
          bathroom faucets, and any other end-use devices intended to  
          convey or dispense water for human consumption through drinking  
          or cooking. However, service saddles, backflow preventers for  
          non-potable services such as irrigation and industrial, and  
          water distribution main gate valves that are two inches in  
          diameter and above are excluded. 


          An Associated Press article published April 6, 2016, by Scott  
          Smith outlined an analysis done by the Associated Press (AP) on  
          United State Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) data that  
          found that nearly 1,400 water systems nationwide, including  
          dozens in California, reported lead levels exceeding the  
          government's allowable level of 15 parts per billion at least  
          once between January 1, 2013, and September 30, 2015.  


          The AP article states that in California, the federal data show  
          that roughly 57 water systems, including schools, parks, prisons  
          and neighborhoods, reported being over the allowable lead  
          content within the last three years.


          However, the article notes that some of the readings were  
          recorded in error when the state manually input data collected  
          from local water systems, said Cindy Forbes, Deputy Director of  
          the State Water Resources Control Board's Division of Drinking  
          Water.  State water officials said they are closely monitoring  
          19 water systems. Some are included in the analysis of the  
          federal data as exceeding the allowable limits for lead.   




          Proposed Law:  
            This bill:  
          1) Requires a public water system to compile an inventory of  
             lead pipes in use by July 1, 2018. 
          2) Requires the public water systems, after completing the  
             inventory, to provide a timeline for replacement of lead  
             pipes in the system to the SWRCB. 
          3) Requires the SWRCB to establish best practices to ensure that  
             chemicals introduced into public water systems do not create  








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             corrosion or contamination within the system.


          Related  
          Legislation:  SB 334 (Leyva, 2015) would have prohibited  
          drinking water that does not meet the US EPA drinking water  
          standards for lead from being provided at a school facility,  
          required schools that have lead-containing plumbing components  
          to flush all drinking water sources at the beginning of each  
          school day, and deleted the authority for school district  
          governing boards to adopt a resolution stating that it is unable  
          to comply with the requirement to provide access to free, fresh  
          drinking water during meal times in the food service areas.   
          Vetoed by the Governor.  


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