BILL ANALYSIS �
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Kevin de Le�n, Chair
SB 1345 (Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee) - Natural
Resources.
Amended: As introduced Policy Vote: NR&W 9-0
Urgency: No Mandate: Yes (see staff comment)
Hearing Date: May 5, 2014 Consultant: Marie Liu
This bill does not meet the criteria for referral to the
Suspense File.
Bill Summary: SB 1345 would extend the sunset date of the
Wholesale Regional Water System Security and Reliability Act
from 2015 until 2022 and would make technical amendments to the
Public Resources and Water Codes.
Fiscal Impact: Ongoing costs in the low to mid-tens of thousands
of dollars of reimbursed costs to the Department of Public
Health (DPH) and the Seismic Safety Commission (commission).
Background: The Wholesale Regional Water System Security and
Reliability Act (Act) (Water code �73500 et seq.), requires the
City and County of San Francisco to adopt a program of capital
improvement projects to restore and improve the Bay Area
regional water system that includes a schedule for completion of
the projects. The act requires that the program be completed by
2015. The program is referred to as the Water System Improvement
Program (WSIP). If there is to be a delay in completion dates,
the city is required to notify the public and specified parties.
DPH and the commission are required to submit written comments
to the proposed change as to the significance of that change on
public health and safety.
By September 1 of each year, the city is required to report to
the Legislature, the commission, and DPH on its progress made
the previous year on the WSIP.
By February 1 of each year, the San Francisco Public Utilities
Commission (SF PUC), as the regional wholesale water supplier,
is required to report to the Legislature and DPH on its progress
during the previous year on securing supplemental sources of
water during dry years.
SB 1345 (Senate Comm. on Natural Resources and Water)
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DPH is required to ensure that the Bay Area regional water
system is operated in compliance with the California Safe
Drinking Water Act and applicable federal law.
The SF PUC is required to reimburse the state for all costs
incurred by DPH and the commission in carrying out duties under
this act.
This act sunsets on January 1, 2015.
Proposed Law: This bill would extend the sunset of act until
January 1, 2022.
This bill would also make two technical and clarifying changes
in the Public Resources and Water Codes.
Related Legislation: AB 1823 (Papan) Chapter 841, Statutes of
2002 established the Act, which was set to sunset in 2010. AB
2437 (Ruskin) Chapter 99, Statutes of 2008 extended the Act
until 2015.
Staff Comments: San Francisco has recently amended the schedule
for completion of the WSIP so that the anticipated completion
date is now 2019. Stakeholders are interested in extending the
act until the program is completed to aid continued public
oversight.
Between 2006 and January 2012, the commission has invoiced, and
the SF PUC has paid, a total of about $63,000 for WSIP related
activities. These costs are associated with staff time to attend
meetings, review plans, and touring facilities. DPH has
indicated that it has also has received requested reimbursements
for its activities related to the WSIP, although the actual
amounts are unknown because these activities are billed as part
of DPH's general oversight of the SF PUC's program. Assuming
that DPH's costs are similar to the commission's, staff
estimates that the state incurs annual costs in the low to
mid-tens of thousands of dollars of reimbursed costs.
While this bill extends a state mandate on San Francisco and the
SF PUC, it is not reimbursable because both entities have the
ability to recover costs through fees on its users.
SB 1345 (Senate Comm. on Natural Resources and Water)
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