California Assembly Bill AB2515 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 2515AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 8, 2010 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member V. Manuel Perez FEBRUARY 19, 2010 An act  to add Section 116336 to the Health and Safety Code,  relating to  local government   d   rinking water  . LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2515, as amended, V. Manuel Perez. Local government: environmental health departments. Existing law authorizes local government agencies, in conjunction with other public entities, to organize and operate local public health services within their jurisdictional areas. These services may include implementing projects and policies pertaining to water conservation and water quality. This bill would make  several  findings and declarations relating to the groundwater contamination in the Coachella Valley. The bill would  express the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that clarifies the authority of the local environmental health department in Riverside County with respect to water delivery   , until the department develops point-of-entry and point-of-use   regulations as specified, allow the local environmental health department of Riverside County to authorize the use of point-of-entry or point-of-use treatment for community water systems serving residents of that county that are experiencing arsenic contamination at a level that exceeds the level allowed by the department's primary drinking water standards  .  This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for Riverside County.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1.  (a)    The Legislature finds and declares both of the following:  (1)   (a)  The arsenic contamination  ground water   groundwater  problem in the southeastern Coachella Valley in Riverside County is largely naturally occurring and is getting progressively worse.  (2)   (b)  There are many limitations to providing the small, unincorporated communities in the Coachella Valley access to safe drinking water.  (b) It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that clarifies the authority of the local environmental health department in Riverside County in order to ensure potable water delivery to residents of community water systems contaminated with arsenic.   SEC. 2.   Section 116336 is added to the   Health and Safety Code   , to read:   116336. In addition to other actions allowed or required by this chapter and until the department develops point-of-entry and point-of-use regulations pursuant to Section 116380, the local environmental health department of Riverside County may authorize the use of point-of-entry or point-of-use treatment for community water systems serving residents of that county that are experiencing arsenic contamination at a level that exceeds the level allowed by the department's primary drinking water standards.   SEC. 3.   The Legislature finds and declares that a special law is necessary and that a general law cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique conditions affecting the safety of the drinking water in Riverside County.