79530-79534
WATER CODE
SECTION 79530-79534
79530. (a) The sum of four hundred thirty-five million dollars ($435,000,000) shall be available for appropriation by the Legislature from the fund to the State Department of Health Services for grants and loans for infrastructure improvements and related actions to meet safe drinking water standards including, but not limited to, the following types of projects: (1) Grants to small community drinking water systems to upgrade monitoring, treatment, or distribution infrastructure. (2) Grants to finance development and demonstration of new technologies and related facilities for water contaminant removal and treatment. (3) Grants for community water quality monitoring facilities and equipment. (4) Grants for drinking water source protection. (5) Grants for treatment facilities necessary to meet disinfectant by-product safe drinking water standards. (6) Loans pursuant to the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Law of 1997 (Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 116760) of Part 12 of Division 104 of the Health and Safety Code). (b) Not less than 60 percent of the money appropriated pursuant to this section shall be available for grants to Southern California water agencies to assist in meeting the state's commitment to reduce Colorado River water use to 4.4 million acre feet per year. 79531. The Legislature may enact such legislation as is necessary to implement this chapter. 79532. (a) Funds made available pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 79530 shall be administered in accordance with this section. (b) (1) Grant funds appropriated for the purposes of subdivision (b) of Section 79530 shall be awarded on a competitive basis. (2) The department shall consolidate the application process required to implement the grant program described in this section. (c) For the purposes of this chapter, "southern California water agencies" means water agencies with service areas entirely or partly in one or more of the following counties: San Diego, Imperial, Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, or Ventura. (d) Grants may be awarded to southern California water agencies for eligible projects undertaken by one or more southern California water agencies and other entities. (e) A project funded by a grant made pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 79530 shall meet both of the following requirements: (1) The project will assist the grantee to meet safe drinking water standards. (2) The project will assist in meeting the state's commitment to reduce Colorado River water use to 4.4 million acre-feet per year. (f) In the development of criteria for the grants awarded pursuant to this section, the State Department of Health Services shall consult with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment for the purposes of developing a program that gives priority to projects that reduce public and environmental exposure to contaminants that pose the most significant health risks, and that will bring water systems into compliance with safe drinking water standards. These include, but are not limited to, projects that address public exposure to contaminants for which safe drinking water standards have been established, including arsenic, disinfection byproducts and uranium. Projects to address emerging contaminants, including perchlorate, chromium 6, and endocrine disrupters shall also be given priority. 79534. (a) Funds made available pursuant to paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4), or (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 79530, and not for the purposes of subdivision (b) of that section, shall be administered in accordance with this section. (b) (1) Grants shall be awarded in accordance with subdivision (a) of Section 79530 on a statewide competitive basis. (2) A project that is eligible for funding for the purposes of subdivision (b) of Section 79530 is not eligible for a grant subject to this section. (c) For the purposes of this chapter, "small community" means a municipality with a population of 3,300 persons or fewer, or 1,000 connections or fewer. (d) The State Department of Health Services shall consolidate the application process required to implement the grant program described in this section. (e) In the development of criteria for the grants awarded under this section, the State Department of Health Services shall consult with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment for the purpose of developing a program that gives priority to projects that pose the most significant health risks, and that will bring water systems into compliance with safe drinking water standards. These include, but are not limited to, projects that address public exposure to contaminants for which safe drinking water standards have been established, including arsenic, disinfection byproducts and uranium. Projects to address emerging contaminants, including perchlorate, chromium 6, and endocrine disrupters shall also be given priority. (f) Grants awarded pursuant to this section may not exceed ten million dollars ($10,000,000) for any one project.