Assembly Passes Suite of Clean Water Bills

It might sound like a far-off problem of the developing world to be dealt with by humanitarian missions, but right here in California, an estimated 2 million people live in communities with unsafe drinking water. 

Leaky petroleum storage tanks, nitrates from dairies and fertilizers, and arsenic  are among the contaminants that leave many Californians reliant on bottled water. 

The state Legislature is considering a host of bills that would help streamline the bureaucracy and free up funding for small, rural communities to get interim water supplies and rebuild failing water infrastructure. 

The state Assembly passed three water cleanup bills authored by Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville, and one by Assemblyman Mark Stone, D-Scotts Valley, on Tuesday.

Alejo's AB 21 would establish the Small Community Emergency Grant Fund to provide up to $50 million in immediate aid to disadvantaged communities to build drinking water projects.  

AB 118 would streamline the California Department of Public Health's process for approving revolving fund grants to repair small water systems, intended to speed up funding. 

AB 120 would free up nearly $14 million in state funds allocated to toxic cleanup to schools with leaking petroleum tanks.

“I am especially pleased to see unanimous bipartisan support for these bills,” Alejo said in a statement. “These votes show that all Californians believe safe drinking water is a right.”

Stone's AB 467 would establish the Freshwater Protection Fund, which would provide assistance to communities with nitrate-contaminated water supplies, both to fund new infrastructure as well as supplemental education.

All four bills passed with bipartisan support on the Assembly floor, and now move on to the state Senate.