Article 3 - Operations

California Health and Safety Code — §§ 116350-116407

Sections (25)

Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 1996.

(a)The department shall administer the provisions of this chapter and all other provisions relating to the regulation of drinking water to protect public health.

(b)The department shall also have the following responsibilities:

(1)Conduct research, studies, and demonstration projects relating to the provision of a dependable, safe supply of drinking water, including, but not limited to, all of the

following:

(A)Improved methods to identify and measure the existence of contaminants in drinking water and to identify the source of the contaminants.

(B)Improved methods to identify, measure, and assess the potential adverse health effects of contaminants in drinking water.

(C)New methods of treating raw water to prepare it for drinking, so as to improve the efficiency of water treatment and to remove or reduce contaminants.

(D)Improved methods for providing a dependable, safe supply of drinking water, including improvements in water purification and distribution, and methods of assessing health-related hazards.

(E)Improved methods of protecting the water sources of public

water systems from contamination.

(F)Alternative disinfection technologies that minimize, reduce, or eliminate hazardous disinfection byproducts.

(2)Enforce provisions of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and regulations adopted pursuant thereto.

(3)Adopt regulations to implement this chapter.

(c)The department may conduct studies and investigations as it deems necessary to assess the quality of private domestic water wells.

§ 116355

Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 871, Sec. 1. (AB 2501) Effective January 1, 2019.

(a)Once every five years the state board shall submit to the Legislature a comprehensive Safe Drinking Water Plan for California.

(b)The Safe Drinking Water Plan shall include, but not be limited to, the following information:

(1)An analysis of the overall quality of California’s drinking water and the identification of specific water quality problems.

(2)Types and levels of contaminants found in public drinking water systems that have less than 10,000 service connections. The discussion of these water systems shall include the following:

(A)Estimated costs of requiring these systems to meet primary drinking water standards and public health goals.

(B)Recommendations for actions that could be taken by the Legislature, the department, and these systems to improve water quality.

(3)A discussion and analysis of the known and potential health risks that may be associated with drinking water contamination in California.

(4)An evaluation of how existing water quality information systems currently maintained by local or state agencies can be more effectively used to protect drinking water.

(5)An evaluation of the research needed to develop inexpensive methods and instruments to ensure better screening and detection of waterborne chemicals, and inexpensive detection methods

that could be used by small utilities and consumers to detect harmful microbial agents in drinking water.

(6)An analysis of the technical and economic viability and the health benefits of various treatment techniques that can be used to reduce levels of trihalomethanes, lead, nitrates, synthetic organic chemicals, micro-organisms, and other contaminants in drinking water.

(7)A discussion of alternative methods of financing the construction, installation, and operation of new treatment technologies, including, but not limited to user charges, state or local taxes, state planning and construction grants, loans, and loan guarantees.

(8)A discussion of sources of revenue presently available, and projected to be available, to public water systems to meet current and future expenses.

(9)An analysis of the current cost of drinking water paid by residential, business, and industrial consumers based on a statewide survey of large, medium, and small public water systems.

(10)Specific recommendations, including recommendations developed pursuant to paragraph (6), to improve the quality of drinking water in California and a detailed five-year implementation program.

(11)A review of the use of administrators pursuant to Section 116686 in the state, including, but not limited to, the number of communities that have achieved access to safe drinking water through use of an administrator, the costs and duties of the administrator and a comparison of costs, whether rate structures for communities served by an administrator have resulted in significantly higher rates and whether those rates are affordable,

and whether the administrator program should be modified to better serve communities.

(12)A review of the consolidations pursuant to Section 116682 in the state, including, but not limited to, the number of communities that have achieved access to safe drinking water through consolidation, whether rate structures for communities are affordable following consolidation, barriers to consolidation, and whether the consolidation program should be modified to better serve communities.

§ 116360

Amended by Stats. 2004, Ch. 193, Sec. 122. Effective January 1, 2005.

(a)The department shall take all reasonable measures it determines necessary to reduce the risk to public health from waterborne illnesses in drinking water caused by cryptosporidium and giardia, to the extent those micro-organisms are not yet able to be adequately controlled through existing drinking water treatment and other management practices.

(b)The department shall directly conduct, or order the state’s public water systems to conduct, comprehensive sanitary

surveys, as present resources permit, to identify risks to public health from cryptosporidium and giardia.

(c)To thoroughly address the public health risks currently posed by cryptosporidium, in particular, the department shall ensure that its initial cryptosporidium action plan, that has been circulated to public water systems serving more than 1,000 service connections, is comprehensively implemented and shall devise and implement necessary strategies for protecting the health of individuals served by smaller public water systems from cryptosporidium exposure.

§ 116361

Added by Stats. 2001, Ch. 604, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2002.

(a)The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment shall place a priority on the development of a public health goal for arsenic in drinking water, pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 116365, sufficient to allow it to adopt the goal no later than December 31, 2002.

(b)Commencing January 1, 2002, the department shall commence the process for revising the existing primary drinking water standard for arsenic, and shall adopt a revised standard for arsenic not later

than June 30, 2004. In considering the technological and economic feasibility of compliance with the proposed standard pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 116365, the department shall consider emerging technologies that may cost-effectively reduce exposure to arsenic in drinking water.

(c)On or before December 31, 2002, the Secretary for Environmental Protection shall develop language regarding the health effects associated with the ingestion of arsenic in drinking water for inclusion in consumer confidence reports pursuant to Section 116470. On and after July 1, 2003, this language shall be included in the consumer confidence reports mailed or delivered to customers by each water system that measures arsenic in finished water at levels that exceed the applicable public health goal.

(d)The language developed by the Secretary for Environmental Protection

for use in consumer confidence reports to describe the health effects associated with the ingestion of arsenic in drinking water shall be developed in accordance with primacy requirements described in subdivision (e) of Section 141.151 and subsections (b), (c), and (d) of Section 142.12 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(e)Nothing in this section affects or changes the date for implementation of a revised arsenic standard by public water systems as required in Parts 9, 141, and 142 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

§ 116365

Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 51, Sec. 15. (SB 854) Effective June 27, 2018.

(a)The state board shall adopt primary drinking water standards for contaminants in drinking water that are based upon the criteria set forth in subdivision (b) and shall not be less stringent than the national primary drinking water standards adopted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. A primary drinking water standard adopted by the state board shall be set at a level that is as close as feasible to the corresponding public health goal placing primary emphasis on the protection of public health, and that, to the extent technologically and economically feasible, meets all of the following:

(1)With respect to acutely toxic substances, avoids any known or anticipated adverse effects on public health with an adequate margin of safety.

(2)With respect to carcinogens, or any substances that may cause chronic disease, avoids any significant risk to public health.

(b)The state board shall consider all of the following criteria when it adopts a primary drinking water standard:

(1)The public health goal for the contaminant published by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment pursuant to subdivision (c).

(2)The national primary drinking water standard for the contaminant, if any, adopted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

(3)The technological and economic feasibility of compliance with the proposed primary drinking water standard. For the purposes of determining economic feasibility pursuant

to this paragraph, the state board shall consider the costs of compliance to public water systems, customers, and other affected parties with the proposed primary drinking water standard, including the cost per customer and aggregate cost of compliance, using best available technology.

(c)(1) The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment shall prepare and publish an assessment of the risks to public health posed by each contaminant for which the state board proposes a primary drinking water standard. The risk assessment shall be prepared using the most current principles, practices, and methods used by public health professionals who are experienced practitioners in the fields of epidemiology, risk assessment, and toxicology. The risk assessment shall contain an estimate of the level of the contaminant in drinking water that is not anticipated to cause or contribute to adverse health effects, or that does not pose

any significant risk to health. This level shall be known as the public health goal for the contaminant. The public health goal shall be based exclusively on public health considerations and shall be set in accordance with all of the following:

(A) If the contaminant is an acutely toxic substance, the public health goal shall be set at the level at which no known or anticipated adverse effects on health occur, with an adequate margin of safety.

(B) If the contaminant is a carcinogen or other substance that may cause chronic disease, the public health goal shall be set at the level that, based upon currently available data, does not pose any significant risk to health.

(C) To the extent information is available, the public health goal shall take into account each of the following factors:

(i)Synergistic effects resulting from exposure to, or interaction between, the contaminant and one or more other substances or contaminants.

(ii) Adverse health effects the contaminant has on members of subgroups that comprise a meaningful portion of the general population, including, but not limited to, infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly, individuals with a history of serious illness, or other subgroups that are identifiable as being at greater risk of adverse health effects than the general population when exposed to the contaminant in drinking water.

(iii) The relationship between exposure to the contaminant and increased body burden and the degree to which increased body burden levels alter physiological function or structure in a manner that may significantly increase the risk of illness.

(iv) The additive effect of exposure to the contaminant in media other than drinking water, including, but not limited to, exposures to the contaminant in food, and in ambient and indoor air, and the degree to which these exposures may contribute to the overall body burden of the contaminant.

(D) If the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment finds that currently available scientific data are insufficient to determine the level of a contaminant at which no known or anticipated adverse effects on health will occur, with an adequate margin of safety, or the level that poses no significant risk to public health, the public health goal shall be set at a level that is protective of public health, with an adequate margin of safety. This level shall be based exclusively on health considerations and shall, to the extent scientific data is available, take into account the factors set

forth in clauses (i) to (iv), inclusive, of subparagraph (C), and shall be based on the most current principles, practices, and methods used by public health professionals who are experienced practitioners in the fields of epidemiology, risk assessment, and toxicology. However, if adequate scientific evidence demonstrates that a safe dose response threshold for a contaminant exists, then the public health goal should be set at that threshold. The state board may set the public health goal at zero if necessary to satisfy the requirements of this subparagraph.

(2)The determination of the toxicological endpoints of a contaminant and the publication of its public health goal in a risk assessment prepared by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment are not subject to the requirements of Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard

Assessment and the state board shall not impose any mandate on a public water system that requires the public water system to comply with a public health goal. The Legislature finds and declares that the addition of this paragraph by Chapter 777 of the Statutes of 1999 is declaratory of existing law.

(3)(A) The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment shall, at the time it commences preparation of a risk assessment for a contaminant as required by this subdivision, electronically post on its Internet Web site a notice that informs interested persons that it has initiated work on the risk assessment. The notice shall also include a brief description, or a bibliography, of the technical documents or other information the office has identified to date as relevant to the preparation of the risk assessment and inform persons who wish to submit information concerning the contaminant that is the subject of the risk

assessment of the name and address of the person in the office to whom the information may be sent, the date by which the information shall be received in order for the office to consider it in the preparation of the risk assessment, and that all information submitted will be made available to any member of the public who requests it.

(B)A draft risk assessment prepared by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment pursuant to this subdivision shall be made available to the public at least 45 calendar days before the date that public comment and discussion on the risk assessment are solicited at the public workshop required by Section 57003.

(C)At the time the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment publishes the final risk assessment for a contaminant, the office shall respond in writing to significant comments, data, studies, or other written information

submitted by interested persons to the office in connection with the preparation of the risk assessment. These comments, data, studies, or other written information submitted to the office shall be made available to any member of the public who requests it.

(D)After the public workshop on the draft risk assessment, as required by Section 57003, is completed, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment shall submit the draft risk assessment for external scientific peer review using the process set forth in Section 57004 and shall comply with paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 57004 before publication of the final public health goal.

(d)Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any maximum contaminant level in effect on August 22, 1995, may be amended by the state board to make the level more stringent pursuant to this section. However, the state board

may only amend a maximum contaminant level to make it less stringent if the state board shows clear and convincing evidence that the maximum contaminant level should be made less stringent and the amendment is made consistent with this section.

(e)(1) All public health goals published by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment shall be established in accordance with the requirements of subdivision (c). The office shall determine, at least once every five years, whether there has been a detection of the corresponding contaminant of each public health goal in the preceding five years in the testing required pursuant to this chapter. Each public health goal shall be reviewed at least once every five years unless the office determines, pursuant to this paragraph, that there has not been a detection of the corresponding contaminant in the preceding five years. Reviewed public health goals shall be revised,

pursuant to subdivision (c), as necessary based upon the availability of new scientific data.

(2)On or before January 1, 1998, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment shall publish a public health goal for at least 25 drinking water contaminants for which a primary drinking water standard has been adopted by the state board. The office shall publish a public health goal for 25 additional drinking water contaminants by January 1, 1999, and for all remaining drinking water contaminants for which a primary drinking water standard has been adopted by the state board by no later than December 31, 2001. A public health goal shall be published by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment at the same time the state board proposes the adoption of a primary drinking water standard for any newly regulated contaminant.

(f)The state board or Office of Environmental

Health Hazard Assessment may review, and adopt by reference, any information prepared by, or on behalf of, the United States Environmental Protection Agency for the purpose of adopting a national primary drinking water standard or maximum contaminant level goal when it establishes a California maximum contaminant level or publishes a public health goal.

(g)At least once every five years after adoption of a primary drinking water standard, the state board shall review the primary drinking water standard and shall, consistent with the criteria set forth in subdivisions (a) and (b), amend any standard if either of the following occur:

(1)Changes in technology or treatment techniques that permit a materially greater protection of public health or attainment of the public health goal.

(2)New scientific evidence that

indicates that the substance may present a materially different risk to public health than was previously determined.

(h)No later than March 1 of every year, the state board shall provide public notice of each primary drinking water standard it proposes to review in that year pursuant to this section. Thereafter, the state board shall solicit and consider public comment and hold one or more public hearings regarding its proposal to either amend or maintain an existing standard. With adequate public notice, the state board may review additional contaminants not covered by the March 1 notice.

(i)This section shall operate prospectively to govern the adoption of new or revised primary drinking water standards and does not require the repeal or readoption of primary drinking water standards in effect immediately preceding January 1, 1997.

(j)The state board may, by regulation, require the use of a specified treatment technique in lieu of establishing a maximum contaminant level for a contaminant if the state board determines that it is not economically or technologically feasible to ascertain the level of the contaminant.

§ 116365.01

Added by Stats. 2007, Ch. 725, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2008.

(a)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation, including Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2, and Part 3 (commencing with Section 13000) of the Government Code, and except as provided in subdivision (b), for any proposed regulation that relates to the maximum contaminant levels for primary or secondary drinking water standards, as defined in subdivisions (c) and (d) of Section 116275, that is submitted by the department to the Office of Administrative

Law for review, pursuant to Section 11349.1 of the Government Code, the Department of Finance shall take no longer than 90 days, commencing on the date that the department submits the rule or regulation to the Department of Finance, to do any of the following:

(A) Review any estimate pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 11357 of the Government Code.

(B) Provide a letter or documentation, if required, pursuant to Section 11349.1 of the Government Code.

(C) Complete any other function in connection with the adoption of proposed regulations that relates to the maximum contaminant levels for primary or secondary drinking water standards, as required pursuant to any provision of Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

(D) Return the proposed regulation if the department has not prepared the estimate required by paragraph (6) of subdivision (a) of Section 11346.5 of the Government Code, in accordance with Section 11357 of the Government Code.

(2)If the Department of Finance returns the proposed regulation pursuant to subparagraph (D) of paragraph (1), an additional 90 day time period under this section shall begin when the regulations are resubmitted by the department to the Department of Finance.

(3)If the Department of Finance takes longer than 90 days to complete any of the functions set forth in subparagraphs (A) to (D), inclusive, of paragraph (1), the proposed regulations shall be exempt from any provision of Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code that requires the

involvement of the Department of Finance, and the department and the Office of Administrative Law shall proceed with all other applicable procedures in connection with the adoption of proposed regulations.

(b)Subdivision (a) shall not apply to any regulation adopted by the department that reduces, weakens, lessens, or otherwise undermines any requirement established pursuant to this chapter for the protection of public health.

§ 116365.02

Added by Stats. 2007, Ch. 725, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2008.

(a)The department may adopt, pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 11346.2 of the Government Code, any rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 300f et seq.), other than those federal rules and regulations that establish maximum contaminant levels for primary and secondary drinking water standards.

(b)Rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this subdivision shall not be subject to subparagraphs (C) and (D) of

paragraph (3) of subdivision (d) of Section 11349.1 of the Government Code.

§ 116365.03

Added by Stats. 2015, Ch. 673, Sec. 5. (AB 1531) Effective January 1, 2016.

The state board may adopt as an emergency regulation, a regulation, except a regulation that establishes maximum contaminant levels for primary and secondary drinking water standards, that is not more stringent than, and is not materially different in substance and effect than, the requirements of a regulation promulgated pursuant to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 300f et seq.). The adoption of a regulation pursuant to this section is an emergency and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, and general welfare. Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the

Government Code, an emergency regulation adopted by the state board pursuant to this section is not subject to review by the Office of Administrative Law and shall remain in effect until revised by the state board.

§ 116365.2

Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 678, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2005.

(a)In conducting the periodic review and revision of public health goals pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (e) of Section 116365, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment may give special consideration to those contaminants that, on the basis of currently available data or scientific evidence, cause or contribute to adverse health effects in members of subgroups that comprise a meaningful portion of the general population, including, but not limited to, infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly, individuals with

a history of serious illness, or other subgroups that are identifiable as being at greater risk of adverse health effects than the general population when exposed to the contaminant in drinking water.

(b)In preparing and publishing risk assessments pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 116365 that involve infants and children, the office shall assess all of the following, to the extent information is available:

(1)Exposure patterns, including, but not limited to, patterns determined by relevant data, among bottle-fed infants and children that are likely to result in disproportionately high exposure to contaminants in comparison to the general population.

(2)Special susceptibility of infants and children to contaminants in comparison to the general population.

(3)The effects on infants and children of exposure to contaminants and other substances that have a common mechanism of toxicity.

(4)The interaction of multiple contaminants on infants and children.

§ 116365.5

Added by Stats. 2001, Ch. 602, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2002.

(a)The Department of Health Services shall commence the process for adopting a primary drinking water standard for hexavalent chromium that complies with the criteria established under Section 116365.

(b)The department shall report to the Legislature on its progress in developing a primary drinking standard for hexavalent chromium by January 1, 2003.

(c)The department shall establish a primary

drinking water standard for hexavalent chromium on or before January 1, 2004.

§ 116366

Added by Stats. 1997, Ch. 816, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 1998.

(a)No public water system, or its customers, shall be responsible for remediation or treatment costs associated with MTBE, or a product that contains MTBE, provided, however, that the public water system shall be permitted as necessary to incur MTBE remediation and treatment costs and to include those costs in its customer rates and charges, necessary to comply with drinking water standards or directives of the State Department of Health Services or other lawful authority. Any public water system that incurs MTBE remediation or

treatment costs may seek recovery of those costs from parties responsible for the MTBE contamination, or from other available alternative sources of funds.

(b)If the public water system has included the costs of MTBE treatment and remediation in its customer rates and charges, and subsequently recovers all or a portion of its MTBE treatment and remediation costs from responsible parties or other available alternative sources of funds, it shall make an adjustment to its schedule of rates and charges to reflect the amount of funding received from responsible parties or other available alternative sources of funds for MTBE treatment or remediation.

(c)Subdivision (a) shall not prevent the imposition of liability on any person for the discharge of MTBE if that liability is due to the conduct or status of that person independently of whether the person happens to be a customer of

the public water system.

§ 116367.5

Added by Stats. 1998, Ch. 997, Sec. 8. Effective January 1, 1999.

The department shall establish a Research Advisory Committee, which shall consist of 11 members. The department shall provide for the support staff and meeting facility needs of the committee. The committee shall meet as necessary to review requests for research projects pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (d) of Section 116367. The committee members shall be appointed by the director and shall consist of the following members:

(a)Four members representing public water systems.

(b)Four members representing entities paying into the Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Trust Fund created pursuant to Section 25299.50.

(c)One member representing environmental interest groups.

(d)One member representing consumer interest groups.

(e)One member representing the department.

§ 116370

Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 755, Sec. 10. Effective January 1, 1997.

On or before January 1, 1998, the department shall propose, hold a public hearing, and adopt a finding of the best available technology for each contaminant for which a primary drinking water standard has been adopted. Thereafter, the department shall adopt a finding of the best available technology for each contaminant for which a primary drinking water standard has been adopted at the time the standard is adopted. The finding of the department shall take into consideration the costs and benefits of best available treatment technology that has been proven

effective under full-scale field applications.

§ 116375

Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 529, Sec. 10. (SB 614) Effective January 1, 2026.

The department shall adopt regulations it determines to be necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter. The regulations shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(a)The monitoring of contaminants, including the type of contaminant, frequency and method of sampling and testing, and the reporting of results.

(b)The monitoring of unregulated contaminants for which drinking water standards have not been established by the department. The requirements shall be not less stringent than those adopted pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of Section 1445 of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. Sec. 300j-4 (a)(2)). Until the time that the department adopts regulations

regarding the monitoring of unregulated contaminants, the department may, by order, require any public water system that has been shown to contain detectable levels of any unregulated contaminants to conduct periodic water analyses in accordance with conditions specified by the department. The water analyses shall be reported on a quarterly basis unless the department finds that more or less frequent analysis is necessary.

(c)Requirements for the design, operation, and maintenance of public water systems, including, but not limited to, waterworks standards and the control of cross-connections, that the department determines are necessary to obtain, treat, and distribute a reliable and adequate supply of pure, wholesome, potable, and healthy water.

(d)Requirements for treatment, including disinfection of water supplies.

(e)Requirements for the filtration of surface water supplies at least as stringent as regulations promulgated pursuant to subparagraph (C) of paragraph (7) of subsection (b) of Section 1412 of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. Sec. 300g-1 (b)(7)(C)).

(f)Requirements for notifying the public of the quality of the water delivered to consumers.

(g)Minimum acceptable financial assurances that a public water system shall be required to submit as a demonstration of its capability to provide for the ongoing operation, maintenance, and upgrading of the system, including compliance with monitoring and treatment requirements and contingencies. For privately owned systems not regulated by the Public Utilities Commission, the financial assurance may be in the form of a trust fund, surety bond, letter of credit, insurance, or other equivalent

financial arrangement acceptable to the department.

(h)Program requirements for the conduct of the public water system program by a local health officer under a primacy delegation from the department as set forth in this chapter. The requirements shall include, but not be limited to, the issuance of permits, surveillance and inspections, reporting of monitoring and compliance data, and the taking of enforcement actions.

(i)Methods for determination of the number of persons served by a public water system for drinking water regulatory purposes.

(j)The adoption by the State Department of Health Services, in consultation with the State Water Resources Control Board and representatives from operators of public water systems, of emergency regulations for the uniform, scientific sampling, and analytical testing

protocols for oxygenates as defined in subdivision (l) of Section 51010.5 of the Government Code.

§ 116376

Added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 902, Sec. 1. (SB 1422) Effective January 1, 2019.

(a)The state board, on or before July 1, 2020, shall adopt a definition of microplastics in drinking water.

(b)The state board, on or before July 1, 2021, shall do all of the following:

(1)Adopt a standard methodology to be used in the testing of drinking water for microplastics.

(2)Adopt requirements for four years of testing and reporting of microplastics in drinking water, including public disclosure of those results.

(3)If appropriate, consider issuing a notification level or other guidance to aid consumer interpretations of the results of the testing required pursuant to this section.

(4)Accredit qualified laboratories in California to analyze microplastics.

(c)The state board may implement this section

through the adoption of a policy handbook that is not subject to the requirements of Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

§ 116376.2

Added by Stats. 2024, Ch. 881, Sec. 1. (SB 1147) Effective January 1, 2025.

(a)The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment shall study the health effects of microplastics, consistent with Section 116365, in drinking and bottled water to evaluate toxicity characteristics and levels of microplastics in water that are not anticipated to cause or contribute to adverse health effects, or to identify data gaps that would need to be addressed to establish those levels. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment shall provide

biennial status updates that may contain the compilation of findings from the study into a report and post the final report on its internet website.

(b)After taking into consideration the findings published pursuant to subdivision (a), the State Water Resources Control Board may request that the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment prepare and publish a public health goal, pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 116365, for microplastics in drinking water.

§ 116377

Added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 197, Sec. 8. Effective July 22, 1996.

The department may adopt emergency regulations in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, to implement amendments to this chapter. The initial adoption of emergency regulations and one readoption of the initial regulations shall be deemed to be an emergency and necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, or general welfare. Initial emergency regulations and the first readoption of those regulations shall be exempt from review by the Office of

Administrative Law. The emergency regulations authorized by this section shall be submitted to the Office of Administrative Law for filing with the Secretary of State and publication in the California Code of Regulations and shall remain in effect for not more than 180 days.

§ 116378

Amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 370, Sec. 209. (SB 1371) Effective January 1, 2021.

(a)The state board may order a public water system to monitor for perfluoroalkyl substances and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in accordance with conditions set by the state board. A laboratory that has accreditation or certification pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 100825) of Chapter 4 of Part 1 of Division 101 shall perform the analysis of any material required by an order to monitor for these substances. The order shall identify the analytical test methods to be used by laboratories and provide for the electronic submission of monitoring results to the state board.

(b)An order issued pursuant to subdivision (a) may apply to an individual public water system, specific groups of public water systems, or to all public water systems. Chapter 3.5

(commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code does not apply to an order issued pursuant to subdivision (a) to specific groups of public water systems or to all public water systems. All monitoring results shall be submitted to the state board electronically as directed by the state board in its order.

(c)(1) If any monitoring undertaken pursuant to an order issued under subdivision (a) results in a confirmed detection, a community water system or a nontransient noncommunity water system shall report that detection in the water system’s annual consumer confidence report. Unless the water source is taken out of use or new data becomes available to show that the response level is no longer being exceeded, the community water system or nontransient noncommunity water system will provide notice of the exceedance of the response level in the water system’s annual consumer confidence

report.

(2)In addition to the notification pursuant to paragraph (1), for perfluoroalkyl substances and polyfluoroalkyl substances with notification levels, a community water system or a nontransient noncommunity water system shall report the detection if the level exceeds the notification level as required by Section 116455.

(3)For perfluoroalkyl substances and polyfluoroalkyl substances with response levels where detected levels of a substance exceed the response level, a community water system or a nontransient noncommunity public water system shall take a water source where detected levels exceed the response level out of use or provide public notification within 30 days of the confirmed detection. For the purposes of this paragraph, notice shall be provided as follows:

(A)A community water system shall do the

following:

(i)Mail or directly deliver notice to each customer receiving a bill, including those that provide drinking water to others, and to other service connections to which water is delivered by the water system.

(ii) Email notice to each customer of the water system with an email address known by the water system.

(iii) Post the notice on the internet website of the water system.

(iv) Use one or more of the following methods to reach persons not likely to be reached by the notice provided in clause (i):

(I) Publish notice in a local newspaper for at least seven days.

(II) Post notice in conspicuous public places served

by the water system for at least seven days.

(III) Post notice on an appropriate social media site for at least seven days.

(IV) Deliver notice to community organizations.

(B) A nontransient noncommunity water system shall do both of the following:

(i)Post notice in conspicuous locations throughout the area served by the water system.

(ii) Use one or more of the following methods to reach persons not likely to be reached by the notice provided in clause (i):

(I) Publish notice in a local newspaper for at least seven days.

(II) Publish notice in a newsletter

distributed to customers.

(III) Send notice by email to employees or students.

(IV) Post notice on the internet website of the water system and an appropriate social media site for at least seven days.

(V) Deliver notice directly to each customer.

(i)A statement that there was a confirmed detection above the response level, the numeric level of the applicable response level, and the level of the confirmed detection.

(ii) A description of the potential adverse health effects as identified by the state board in establishing the notification level or response

level.

(iii) The population at risk, including subpopulations particularly vulnerable from exposure.

(iv) The name, business address, and phone number of the water system owner, operator, or designee, as a source of additional information concerning the notice.

(v)A statement to encourage the notice recipient to distribute the notice to other persons served, using the following standard language: “Please share this information with all of the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this public notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.”

(vi) Information in Spanish

regarding the importance of the notice or a telephone number or address where Spanish-speaking residents may contact the water system to obtain a translated copy of the notice or assistance in Spanish.

(vii) If a non-English speaking group other than a Spanish-speaking group exceeds 1,000 residents or 10 percent of the residents served by the water system, either of the following:

(I) Information in the appropriate language regarding the importance of the notice.

(II) A telephone number or address where a resident may contact the water system to obtain a translated copy of the notice or assistance in the appropriate language.

(D) The following requirements apply to a notice provided by a water system:

(i)The notice shall be displayed so that it catches people’s attention when printed or posted.

(ii) The message in the notice should be understandable at the eighth grade reading level.

(iii) The notice shall not contain technical language beyond an eighth grade reading level or print smaller than 12-point type.

(iv) The notice shall not contain language that minimizes or contradicts the information provided in the notice.

(d)This section is not a substitute for compliance with any requirements of Chapter 17.5 (commencing with Section 7290) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code that apply to a community water system or nontransient noncommunity water system.

§ 116380

Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 663, Sec. 1. (AB 434) Effective October 9, 2015.

(a)The State Water Resources Control Board shall adopt regulations 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, limited to the following:

(1)Water systems with less than 200 service connections.

(2)Usage

not prohibited by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and its implementing regulations and guidance.

(3)Water systems that have submitted applications for funding to correct the violations for which the point-of-entry and point-of-use treatment is provided.

(b)The State Water Resources Control Board shall adopt emergency regulations governing the permitted use of point-of-entry and

point-of-use treatment by public water systems in lieu of centralized treatment.

(1)The emergency regulations shall comply with Section 116552, and shall comply with all of the requirements set forth in subdivision (a) applicable to nonemergency regulations, but shall not be subject to the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). The emergency regulations shall take effect when filed with the Secretary of State, and shall be published in the California Code of Regulations.

(2)The emergency regulations adopted pursuant to this subdivision shall remain in effect until the earlier of January 1,

2018, or the effective date of regulations adopted pursuant to subdivision (a).

§ 116385

Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 187, Sec. 3. (SB 776) Effective January 1, 2022.

(a)Any person operating a public water system shall obtain and provide at that person’s expense an analysis of the water to the state board, in the form, covering those matters, and at intervals as the state board by regulation may prescribe. The analysis shall be performed by a laboratory duly certified by the state board.

(b)The adoption of regulations under this section relating to the form or format of, and intervals at which, the analysis shall be provided and any amendments to that regulation is an emergency and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, and general welfare.

Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, an emergency regulation or amendments to that regulation adopted by the state board pursuant to this section is not subject to review by the Office of Administrative Law and shall remain in effect until revised by the state board. The state board shall hold a public hearing before adopting the regulations.

§ 116390

Amended by Stats. 1997, Ch. 734, Sec. 8. Effective October 7, 1997.

(a)No laboratory, other than a laboratory operated by the department, shall perform tests required pursuant to this chapter for any public water system without first obtaining a certificate issued by the department pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 100825) of Chapter 4 of Part 1 of Division 101.

(b)No person or public entity of the state shall contract with a laboratory for environmental analyses for which the state department requires certification

pursuant to this section, unless the laboratory holds a valid certificate.

§ 116395

Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 1996.

(a)The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1)The large water system testing program has discovered chemical contamination of the state’s drinking water with increasing frequency.

(2)A significant number of California residents rely on the state’s small water systems to provide their water.

(3)The small systems, because

they tend to be located in outlying rural areas where pesticide use is prevalent, and because they draw their water from shallow aquifers, face a serious threat of contamination.

(4)Unchecked water sources that may be contaminated pose a potentially serious threat to the health of the citizens of California, particularly those living in outlying rural areas.

(5)It is in the interest of all Californians that a testing program for small public water systems be implemented and carried out as expeditiously as possible.

(b)For purposes of this section, “small public water system” means a system with 200 connections or less, and is one of the following:

(1)A community water system that serves at least 15 service connections used by yearlong

residents or regularly serves at least 25 yearlong residents.

(2)A state small water system.

(3)A noncommunity water system such as a school, labor camp, institution, or place of employment, as designated by the department.

(c)The department shall conduct training workshops to assist health officers in evaluation of small public water systems for organic chemical contamination, and in sampling and testing procedures. The department shall, at a minimum, provide health officers with guidelines for evaluating systems and instructions for sampling.

(d)The department shall develop a schedule for conduct of the programs by the local health officers. The schedule shall establish a program to address first those systems with the most serious

potential for contamination. The department shall enter into agreements with the local health agencies to conduct the necessary work to be performed pursuant to the schedule. The department shall begin the program no later than three months after September 19, 1985. All local health officers shall complete the evaluation, sampling, testing, review of sampling results, and notification to the public water systems within their jurisdiction in accordance with the agreements entered into with the department and within the schedule established by the department. All work required by this section shall be completed within three years after September 19, 1985.

(e)In consultation with the department, the local health officer shall conduct an evaluation of all small public water systems under their jurisdictions to determine the potential for contamination of groundwater sources by organic chemicals. The evaluation shall include, but not be limited

to:

(1)A review of the historical water quality data of each system to determine possible evidence of degradation.

(2)A review, to be coordinated with the State Water Resources Control Board, and the California regional water quality control boards, of past and present waste disposal practices that may potentially affect the respective well water supply.

(3)A review of other organic chemicals used in the water supply area that have potential health risks and that may have the potential for contaminating drinking water supplies because of environmental persistence or resistance to natural degradation under conditions existing in California.

(f)Based upon the evaluation of each system, the local health officers shall develop a sampling plan

for each system within their jurisdiction. The health officer shall collect samples in accordance with the plan and shall submit the samples for analysis to a certified laboratory designated by the department. When applicable, the laboratory shall test water samples using the Environmental Protection Agency’s 13 approved analytical techniques established under subdivision (h) of Section 304 of the Clean Water Act to qualitatively identify the complete range of contaminants in the same class as the specific contaminant or class of contaminants being analyzed.

(g)Within 10 days of the receipt from the laboratory of the testing results, the local health officer shall notify the small public water system, the department and the California regional water quality control board for that region of the results.

(h)Following a review of the testing results, the local health officer

may order the public water system to conduct a periodic water sampling and analysis program in accordance with conditions specified by the local health officer. The department shall provide ongoing advice and assistance to local health officers in interpreting test results and determining appropriate notification and followup activities in those instances where contaminants are found.

(i)This section shall be operative during any fiscal year only if the Legislature appropriates sufficient funds to pay for all state-mandated costs to be incurred by local agencies pursuant to this section during that year.

§ 116400

Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 1996.

If the department determines that a public water system is subject to potential contamination, the department may, by order, require the public water system to conduct a periodic water analysis in accordance with conditions specified by the department. The water analysis shall be reported on a quarterly basis, unless the department finds that reasonable action requires either more or less frequent analysis.

§ 116405

Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 1996.

(a)In counties with a population not exceeding 500,000 persons as shown by the 1970 federal decennial census, any public water system supplying both domestic and untreated irrigation water in separate pressurized systems that were in existence prior to January 1, 1990, and that is operated by an incorporated or unincorporated association of users, shall not require protection against backflow into the domestic water system from premises receiving both the water services and having available no other source of water, except where

interconnection between the systems has taken place. It shall be a misdemeanor for any person to knowingly interconnect the water services on a user’s premises without installing a backflow protection device approved by the state department.

(b)Regulations of the state department requiring the installation of backflow protection shall not be continued to require the installation of the protection in any public water system described in subdivision (a), except as provided in that subdivision.

§ 116407

Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 455, Sec. 2. (AB 1180) Effective January 1, 2020.

(a)On or before January 1, 2020, the state board shall adopt standards for backflow protection and cross-connection control.

(b)(1) The state board may implement subdivision (a) through the adoption of a policy handbook that is not subject to the requirements of Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. The policy handbook shall include standards for backflow protection and cross-connection control. In developing the standards and any amendments to those standards, the state board shall consult with state and local agencies and other persons whom the state board has identified as having expertise in

the subject of backflow protection and cross-connection control. The state board shall hold at least two public hearings before adopting the policy handbook. The policy handbook shall be posted on the board’s internet website.

(2)(A) The policy handbook described in this subdivision shall include provisions for the use of a swivel or changeover device to supply potable water to a dual-plumbed system during an interruption in recycled water service.

(B)The use of a swivel or changeover device shall be consistent with any notification and backflow protection provisions contained in the policy handbook.

(c)(1) Upon the effective date of a policy handbook adopted by the

state board pursuant to subdivision (b), the regulations set forth in Article 1 (commencing with Section 7583) and Article 2 (commencing with Section 7601) of Group 4 of Subchapter 1 of Chapter 5 of Division 1 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations shall become inoperative, and, 90 days thereafter, are repealed, unless the state board makes a determination not to repeal a specific regulation.

(2)If the state board determines not to repeal a specific regulation pursuant to paragraph (1), the state board shall provide to the Office of Administrative Law and the Secretary of State written notice of its determination, including identification of the specific regulation that is not repealed. That regulation, upon the provision of that written notice to the Office of Administrative Law and the Secretary of State, shall become

operative.