Bill Text: CA AB2013 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: High and very high fire risk areas: community water systems: preparedness and resiliency.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9)
Status: (Failed) 2026-05-07 - From committee: Without further action pursuant to Joint Rule 62(a). [AB2013 Detail]
Download: California-2025-AB2013-Amended.html
|
Amended
IN
Assembly
April 06, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 2013
| Introduced by Assembly Member Bennett (Coauthors: Assembly Members Ahrens, Alvarez, Bauer-Kahan, Connolly, Harabedian, and Hart) |
February 17, 2026 |
An act to add Part 2.25 (commencing with Section 10555) to Division 6 of the Water Code, relating to water resources.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2013, as amended, Bennett.
Fire High and very high fire risk areas: water suppliers: emergency preparedness plan. community water systems: preparedness and resiliency.
Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to identify areas in the state as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on consistent statewide criteria and based on the severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in those areas. Existing law requires a local agency to designate, by ordinance, moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones in its jurisdiction within 120 days of receiving recommendations from the State Fire Marshal, as provided.
This bill would require a water supplier community water system that
services more than 100 customers that are located in a moderate, high, high or very high fire hazard severity zone, as specified, to establish an emergency preparedness plan for response to red flag warnings, extreme weather events, and other major power outages or emergencies that pose a potential threat
to providing adequate water service. risk area, as defined, to include an annex to its disaster preparedness plans, as provided, that includes information regarding system preparedness and resiliency during a wildfire. The bill would require the plan annex to contain several things, including, among others, an assessment that identifies the minimum number of and type of water pumps that are necessary to maintain water service for customers while providing an adequate water supply for fire fighting activities. average daily capacity, including,
but not limited to, the operation of fire hydrant systems at the rated capacity. The bill would require the community water system, beginning January 1, 2028, to review the annex at least once every 3 years and to update the annex as necessary.
The bill would prohibit anything contained in the annex from enlarging or diminishing any existing liability and would prohibit information provided in the annex from, on its own, demonstrating a substantial cause of any damages resulting from a wildfire.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Part 2.25 (commencing with Section 10555) is added to Division 6 of the Water Code, to read:PART 2.25. Emergency Preparedness Planning
10555.
(a) For purposes of this part,(1) “Annex” means the annex required by subdivision (b).
(2) “Community water system” has the same meaning as in Section 116275 of the
Health and Safety Code.
(3) “High or very high fire risk area” means a high or very high fire hazard severity zone as designated by the State Fire Marshal pursuant to Section 51178 of the Government Code.
(b) A water supplier community water system that services more than 100 customers that are located in a moderate, high, or very high fire hazard severity zone as designated by the State Fire Marshal pursuant to Section 51178 of the Government Code, or a local agency pursuant to Section 51179 of the Government Code, shall establish an emergency preparedness plan for response to red flag warnings, extreme weather events, and other major power outages or emergencies that pose a potential threat to providing adequate water service to the moderate, high, or very high fire hazard severity zone.
high or very high fire risk area shall include an annex to its disaster preparedness plans with information regarding system preparedness and resiliency during a wildfire, including any applicable emergency response plan required by Section 1433(b) of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 300i-2).
(c) A water supplier community water system is encouraged to develop a plan the annex in coordination with the county board of supervisors, or a county agency or department if one is designated an authority to coordinate with the water supplier by the county board of supervisors.
any local office of emergency services and fire department with jurisdiction in the area served by the community water system.
(d) A plan The annex shall be submitted to the county board of supervisors or a county agency or department designated by the county board of supervisors pursuant to subdivision (c). supervisors.
(e) (1) A water supplier Beginning
January 1, 2028, a community water system shall review the plan annex at least once every three years and shall update the plan annex as necessary.
(2) Updates to the plan annex shall be submitted to the county board of supervisors or a county agency or department designated by the county board of supervisors pursuant to subdivision (c).
supervisors.
10556.
(a) The(a)(1)
(1) (A) An assessment of the minimum water tank levels necessary to maintain water service for customers while providing an adequate water supply for fire fighting activities during an extreme weather event or red flag warning. average daily system capacity during a fire.
(2)
(B) The assessment shall take into consideration water quality standards and actions necessary to
maintain water quality.
(b)(1)
(2) (A) An assessment that identifies the minimum number of and type of water pumps that are necessary to maintain water service for customers while providing an adequate water supply
for fire fighting activities. average daily capacity, including, but not limited to, the operation of fire hydrant systems at the rated capacity.
(2)
(B) The assessment shall identify the number of water pumps servicing the high or very high fire risk area that are equipped with emergency backup energy sources
and identify
the number of water pumps servicing the high or very high fire risk area that require the installation of do not have emergency backup energy sources. sources or other redundancy measures to maintain average daily capacity.
(c)
(3) An identification of alternative water sources that can be used during an extreme weather event or loss of power, if any. assessment of system resiliency in the event of a loss of power, including, but not limited to, an accounting of backup energy generation, alternative water sources, or any other method that maintains average daily capacity.
(d)A detailed accounting of the pipelines, water pumps, water tanks, backup power generation facilities, and related infrastructure needs that are necessary to maintain water service for customers and provide adequate water supply for fire fighting activities during an extreme weather event and a designation for which of these pipelines, water pumps, water tanks, and backup power generation facilities are, or are required to be, fire
hardened.
(4) (A) An assessment of the fire risk status and fire hardening measures for each water pump, any backup electrical generation equipment, applicable pipelines, and any other infrastructure elements that the community water system deems to be a critical point of failure, located in a high or very high fire risk area.
(B) This section does not change the confidentiality level for any information provided pursuant to paragraph (1).
(b) No information provided in the annex shall enlarge or diminish any existing liability, nor demonstrate, on its own, a substantial cause of any damages resulting from a wildfire.
