Bill Text: CA AB1671 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Assembly Bill 1671 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Backflow protection and cross-connection controls: standards.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2017-10-06 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 533, Statutes of 2017. [AB1671 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AB1671-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1671

Introduced by Assembly Member Caballero

February 17, 2017

An act to amend Section 116810 of, and to add Section 116801 to, the Health and Safety Code, relating to drinking water.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1671, as introduced, Caballero. Backflow prevention devices.

Existing law, the California Safe Drinking Water Act, requires the State Water Resources Control Board to administer provisions relating to the regulation of drinking water to protect public health, including, but not limited to, conducting research, studies, and demonstration projects relating to the provision of a dependable, safe supply of drinking water, enforcing the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, adopting regulations, and conducting studies and investigations to assess the quality of private domestic water wells.

Existing law requires any person who owns a public water system to ensure that the system does certain things, including, but not limited to, that it will not be subject to backflow under normal operating conditions. Existing law, to ensure that testing and maintenance of backflow prevention devices are performed by persons qualified to do testing and maintenance, authorizes local health officers to maintain programs for certification of backflow prevention device testers and requires the certification program to be consistent with backflow protection regulations adopted by the state board. A violation of these provisions, or an order by a local health officer pursuant to these provisions, is a misdemeanor.

Existing regulations establish standards for a backflow prevention device.

This bill, on or before January 1, 2020, would require the state board to update its backflow protection regulations and to adopt regulations establishing the minimum standards for a backflow prevention device tester for purposes of certification by a local health official.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 116801 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:

116801.

On or before January 1, 2020, the state board shall updates its backflow protection regulations.

SEC. 2.

Section 116810 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:

116810.

(a) (1) To ~~assure~~ ensure that testing and maintenance of backflow prevention devices are performed by persons qualified to do testing and maintenance, local health officers may maintain programs for certification of backflow prevention device testers. The local health officer may suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew the certificate of a tester, if, after a hearing before the local health officer or his or her designee, the local health officer or his or her designee finds that the tester has practiced fraud or deception or has displayed gross negligence or misconduct in the performance of his or her duties as a certified backflow prevention device tester. The local health officer may collect fees from certified testers to offset the cost of the certification program provided pursuant to this section. The certification standards shall be consistent with the backflow protection regulations adopted by the ~~department.~~ state board.

(2) A backflow prevention device testers certification program shall be consistent with the regulations adopted pursuant to subdivision (b).
(b) On or before January 1, 2020, the state board shall adopt regulations establishing the minimum standards for a backflow prevention device tester for purposes of certification by a local health official under this article.