We rarely agree with the Association of California Water Agencies about anything, but we’re with them in their opposition to AB 145, a piece of legislation that was approved by the Senate Health Committee last week. This legislation would move the state’s drinking water program from the Department of Public Health to the State Water Resources Control Board.
ACWA and other opponents, including the Health Officers Association of California, say more must be done to improve access to safe drinking water for disadvantaged communities, but moving the program to the State Water Board “would undermine the program’s public health focus, disrupt critical functions and force the program to compete with other critical priorities before the State Board.”
The Water Board has a dismal track record for protecting water quality in the Delta, and it has too much to do already. Making it responsible for safe drinking water in California looks to us like a big mistake.
The bill is now moving to the Senate Appropriations Committee.