Public water systems: point-of-use treatment.

Existing law, the California Safe Drinking Water Act, provides for the operation of public water systems, and requires the State Department of Public Health to adopt regulations for these purposes. Under existing law, regulations adopted by the department are required to include requirements governing the use of point-of-entry and point-of-use treatment by public water systems in lieu of centralized treatment, where feasible. Existing law requires the department to 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 and requires that these emergency regulations remain in effect until the earlier of January 1, 2014, or the effective date of the required nonemergency regulations. Existing law limits these regulations to public water systems with less than 200 service connections. This bill would, instead, limit these regulations to public water systems with less than 500 service connections, and would require the emergency regulations to remain in effect until the earlier of January 1, 2016, or the effective date of the required nonemergency regulations. Existing law prohibits the department from issuing a permit to a public water system to allow the use of point-of-use treatment, unless the department makes specified determinations. This bill would additionally prohibit the department from issuing a permit to a public water system to allow the use of point-of-entry treatment, unless the department makes specified determinations. The bill would require that prior to the approval of a permit allowing installation of point-of-use or point-of-entry treatment devices, that a water system submit a capital outlay plan outlining the plan for construction of centralized treatment, as specified. The bill also would require the department to conduct a full audit of the water system's finances. The bill would require the department to charge a fee to a public water system that is seeking a permit or an amendment to a permit for purposes of conducting these administrative and regulatory activities.