SB 1292, as introduced, Hueso. Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
Existing law, the California Safe Drinking Water Act, requires the State Department of Public Health to administer provisions relating to the regulation of drinking water to protect public health. The department’s duties include, but are not limited to, conducting research, studies, and demonstration programs relating to the provision of a dependable, safe supply of drinking water, enforcing the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, and adopting and enforcing regulations.
Existing law, the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Law of 1997, establishes the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which is continuously appropriated to the department for grants and revolving fund loans for the design and construction of projects for public water systems that will enable suppliers to meet safe drinking water standards. Existing law sets the maximum grant to each participating public water system for its share of the costs of the construction at $3,000,000, except as provided.
This bill would increase the maximum amount of a construction grant award to $5,000,000 for a water system serving severely disadvantaged communities. By authorizing the increased expenditure of moneys in a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 116761.23 of the Health and Safety Code
2 is amended to read:
(a) The maximum amount of a planning grant
4permitted under this chapter for each participating public water
5system’s share of the costs of the planning, engineering studies,
6environmental documentation, and design of a single project shall
7be no more than five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000).
8(b) Unless the department approves an increase pursuant to this
9subdivision, the maximum amount of a construction grant award
10authorized under this chapter to each participating public water
11system for its share of the cost of the construction of a single
12project shall be no more than three million dollars ($3,000,000)begin insert,
13or no more than five million dollars ($5,000,000) for a water
14system
serving a severely disadvantaged communityend insert. The
15department may approve an increase in the maximum amount for
16a construction grant award authorized under this chapter so that
17the maximum amount of the construction grant award does not
18exceed ten million dollars ($10,000,000) only if the department
19makes all of the following findings:
20(1) begin insert(A)end insertbegin insert end insertA public water system that serves a disadvantaged
21community has a defined project need that exceeds the maximum
22grant amount of three million dollars ($3,000,000).
23(B) A public water system that serves a severely disadvantaged
24community has a defined project need that exceeds the maximum
25grant amount of five
million dollars ($5,000,000).
26(2) The defined project has been bypassed in at least one funding
27cycle due to a lack of funds.
28(3) The defined project is eligible for funding pursuant to the
29program regulations.
30(4) The defined project represents the highest public health risk
31among unfunded projects, as determined by the department
32according to its standard criteria.
33(c) Total funding under this article for planning, engineering
34studies, environmental documentation, project design, and
35construction costs of a single project, whether in the form of a loan
36or a grant, or both, shall be determined by an assessment of
37affordability using criteria established by the department.
P3 1(d) Subject to all other limitations of this chapter, a small
2community water system or nontransient noncommunity water
3system, owned by a public agency or private not-for-profit water
4company, serving severely disadvantaged communities shall be
5eligible to receive up to 100 percent of eligible project costs in the
6form of a grant, to the extent the system cannot afford a loan as
7determined by the department pursuant to Section 116761.20.
8(e) Subject to the availability of funds and the applicant’s ability
9to repay, an applicant may receive up to the full cost of the project
10in the form of a loan bearing interest at the rate established pursuant
11to subdivision (a) of Section 116761.65.
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