Governor Signs Legislation on Drinking Water
ACWA-supported legislation to secure federal funding for drinking water improvements has been signed by Gov. Jerry Brown.
AB 1292, authored by Assembly Member Roger Hernández, authorizes the state to issue revenue bonds for deposit in the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SDWSRF) to capture matching funds from the federal government. The bonds will be issued through the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank to provide the 20% state match required by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
The SDWSRF is used to help fund critically needed drinking water infrastructure improvements throughout California. Because every $1 of state money deposited in the SDWSRF results in a $4 match from the federal government, the program is a very cost-effective way of improving California’s drinking-water infrastructure.
ACWA worked with the California Department of Public Health, the sponsor of the bill, to educate members of the Legislature on the importance of funding the SDWSRF.
The governor also announced signing six other bills related to drinking water. The bills include AB 54 (Solorio), AB 938 (Pérez), AB 983 (Perea), AB 1194 (Block), AB 1221 (Alejo) and SB 244 (Wolk).
The governor has until Oct. 9 to sign or veto bills. See the Oct. 21 issue of ACWA News for a recap of water-related bills. ACWA’s annual Summary of Legislation will also be available later this year.
