SECTIONS 116762.60 - California Statutes

HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE

SECTION 116762.60

116762.60. (a) The department shall, contingent upon receiving
federal capitalization grant funds, develop and implement a program
to protect sources of drinking water. In carrying out this program,
the department shall coordinate with local, state, and federal
agencies that have public health and environmental management
programs to ensure an effective implementation of the program while
avoiding duplication of effort and reducing program costs. The
program shall include the following:
(1) A source water assessment program to delineate and assess the
drinking water supplies of public drinking water systems pursuant to
Section 1453 of the federal act.
(2) A wellhead protection program to protect drinking water wells
from contamination pursuant to Section 1428 of the federal act.
(3) Pursuant to Section 1452(k) of the federal act, the department
shall set aside federal capitalization grant funds sufficient to
carry out paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (a).
(b) The department shall set aside federal capitalization grant
funds to provide assistance to water systems pursuant to Section 1452
(k) of the federal act for the following source water protection
activities, to the extent that those activities are proposed:
(1) To acquire land or a conservation easement if the purpose of
the acquisition is to protect the source water of the system from
contamination and to ensure compliance with primary drinking water
regulations.
(2) To implement local, voluntary source water protection measures
to protect source water in areas delineated pursuant to Section 1453
of the federal act, in order to facilitate compliance with primary
drinking water regulations applicable to the water system under
Section 1412 of the federal act or otherwise significantly further
the health protection objectives of the federal and state acts.
(3) To carry out a voluntary, incentive-based source water quality
protection partnership pursuant to Section 1454 of the federal act.
(c) The department shall conduct duly noticed public hearings,
public workshops, focus groups, or meetings around the state to
encourage the involvement and active input of public and affected
parties in the development and periodic updating of the source water
protection program adopted pursuant to this article. The notices
shall contain basic information about the program in an
understandable format and shall notify widely representative groups,
including, but not limited to, federal, state, and local governmental
agencies, water utilities, public interest, environmental, and
consumer groups, public health groups, land conservation groups,
health care providers, groups representing vulnerable populations,
groups representing business and agricultural interests, and members
of the general public. In addition, the department shall convene a
technical advisory committee and a citizens' advisory committee made
up of those representative groups to provide advice and direction on
program development and implementation.
(d) The department shall submit a report to the Legislature every
two years on its activities under this section. The report shall
contain a description of each program for which funds have been set
aside under this section, the effectiveness of each program in
carrying out the intent of the federal and state acts, and an
accounting of the amount of set aside funds used.