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
SB 1398 (Leyva) Page 1 of
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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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