BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2515|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2515
Author: V. Manuel Perez (D)
Amended: 8/2/10 in Senate
Vote: 27 - Urgency
SENATE ENV. QUALITY COMMITTEE : 7-0, 6/28/10
AYES: Simitian, Runner, Corbett, Hancock, Lowenthal,
Pavley, Strickland
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 11-0, 8/12/10
AYES: Kehoe, Ashburn, Alquist, Corbett, Emmerson, Leno,
Price, Walters, Wolk, Wyland, Yee
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 77-0, 6/1/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Public water systems: point-of-use treatment
SOURCE : California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation
Poder Popular of the Coachella Valley
DIGEST : This bill requires the Department of Public
Health (DPH) to adopt emergency regulations governing the
use of point-of-entry and point-of-use water treatment
systems, and authorizes DPH to award grants for the
installation of point-of-entry and point-of-use water
treatment systems.
ANALYSIS : Existing law:
Requires regulations adopted under the Act to include
CONTINUED
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requirements governing the use of point-of-entry and
point-of-use treatment by public water systems in lieu of
centralized treatment where it can be demonstrated that
centralized treatment is not immediately economically
feasible and is limited to: a) less than 200 service
connections, b) use allowed under the Act's implementing
regulations, and c) water systems that have submitted
preapplications with the Department of Public Health (DPH)
for funding to correct the violations for which the
point-of-use treatment is provided.
Prohibits DPH from issuing a permit to a public water
system or amending a valid existing permit allowing the use
of point-of-use treatment unless DPH determines, after
conducting a public hearing in the community served by the
public water system, that there is no substantial community
opposition to installation of point-of-use treatment
devices. Issuance of a permit allowing point-of-use
treatment must be limited to not more than three years or
until funding for centralized treatment is available,
whichever occurs first.
Existing law establishes the Safe Drinking Water State
Revolving Fund, administered by DPH, and continuously
appropriates the money in the fund to that department to
provide grants or revolving fund loans for the design and
construction of projects for public water systems that will
enable suppliers to meet safe drinking water standards.
This bill:
1.Requires DPH to adopt emergency regulations for the use
of point-of-entry and point-of-use water treatment
systems. The emergency regulations would not be subject
to the Administrative Procedures Act and will remain in
effect until January 1, 2014 or the effective date of the
regular regulations under development.
2.Authorizes DPH to award grants for point-of-entry and
point-of-use treatment systems, provided that the water
system serves a severely disadvantaged community and that
the grant meets other existing requirements.
3.Specifies that any systems purchased with grant funds
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that have remaining useful life at the completion of the
project shall be provided for use in other projects.
4.Sunsets on January 1, 2014.
Comments
According to the author's office, numerous mobilehome park
residents in East Coachella Valley contacted his office
regarding serious drinking water contamination and public
health concerns, as well as issues relating to the cost of
purchasing bottled water for drinking and cooking. The
author notes that AB 1540 (Committee on Health) Chapter
298, Statutes of 2009, requires DPH regulations to include
requirements governing the use of point-of-entry and
point-of-use treatment by public water systems in lieu of
centralized treatment, but that DPH indicates these
regulations will take at least three years to complete.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: Yes Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2010-11 2011-12
2012-13 Fund
Regulation development and
Absorbable within existing resources
General /
grant making
Federal
Cost pressure for grants Unknown Federal
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/17/10)
California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (co-source)
Poder Popular of the Coachella Valley (co-source)
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Bass, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield, Bradford,
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Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,
Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon,
DeVore, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong,
Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick,
Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill,
Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lieu, Logue,
Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava,
Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, Norby, V. Manuel Perez,
Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva, Skinner,
Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico,
Tran, Villines, Yamada, John A. Perez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Tom Berryhill, Audra Strickland, Vacancy
TSM:nl 8/17/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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