Public water systems.

(1) 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, including, but 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, adoption of enforcement regulations, and conducting studies and investigations to assess the quality of water in domestic water supplies. Existing law establishes the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund that is continuously appropriated to the department for the provision of grants and revolving fund loans to provide for the design and construction of projects for public water systems that will enable suppliers to meet safe drinking water standards. Under existing law, the funding for grants for planning, engineering studies, environmental documentation, and design of a single project is set at a maximum of $500,000. Existing law requires total funding for planning, engineering studies, project design, and construction costs of a single project, whether in the form of a grant, a loan, or both, to be determined by an assessment of affordability using criteria established by the department. This bill would add environmental documentation to the costs of a single project that the department is required to determine by an assessment of affordability. (2) Existing law requires that various notices be made by a public water system and others regarding compliance with safe drinking water requirements. This bill would require, commencing July 1, 2012, that written public notice given by a public water system pursuant to these provisions be in English, Spanish, and in the language spoken by prescribed numbers of residents of the community served, and that the notice contain prescribed public water system contact information. The bill would establish specified presumptions of compliance if the public water system takes prescribed actions relating to the notice. The bill would also authorize and encourage nonwritten notice to be provided through foreign language media outlets. The bill would specify that the department is not required to review or approve notices in any language other than English.