Governor Jerry Brown proposes to transfer The Drinking Water Program administration from the Dept. of Public Health to the State Water Board. The transfer of power would be organized into a new Division of Drinking Water within the State Water Board. The Division would be responsible for implementing all Drinking water Program functions, including the issuance of permits and enforcement orders. Management of the Drinking Water Operator Certification Program would be consolidated with the Wastewater Operator Certification Program.
The goal of this transfer is to realize management efficiencies and better monitor water quality issues as water moves through the hydrologic cycle, is utilized for anthropogenic (manmade) uses and discharged into bodies of water of the state.
"Executive Summary
State policy declares that every human being has the right to clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes [AB 685 (Eng, Chapter 524, Statutes of 2012)].
The Administration has evaluated the current governance structure of the state’s drinking water and water quality activities and concluded that aligning the state’s drinking water and water quality programs in an integrated organizational structure would best position the state to both effectively protect water quality and the public health as it relates to water quality, while meeting current needs and future demands on water supplies. With the Legislature’s approval and appropriate legislation, this alignment will be achieved by moving the Drinking Water Program from the Department of Public Health to the State Water Board on July 1, 2014.
The Administration’s goal in transferring the Drinking Water Program is to align the state’s water quality programs in an organizational structure that:
1) Consolidates all water quality regulation throughout the hydrologic cycle to protect public health and promote comprehensive water quality protection for drinking water, irrigation, industrial, and other beneficial uses;
2) Maximizes the efficiency and effectiveness of drinking water, groundwater, and water quality programs by organizing them in a single agency whose primary mission is to protect water quality for beneficial uses including the protection and preservation of public and environmental health;
3) Continues focused attention on providing technical and financial assistance to small, disadvantaged communities to address their drinking water needs;
4) Consolidates financial assistance programs into a single state agency that is focused on protecting and restoring California water quality, protecting public health, and supporting communities in meeting their water infrastructure needs;
5) Establishes a one-stop agency for financing water quality and supply infrastructure projects;
6) Enhances water recycling, a state goal, through integrated water quality management; and
7) Promotes a comprehensive approach to communities’ strategies for drinking water, wastewater, water recycling, pollution prevention, desalination, and storm water."