SOURCE: ACWA
SACRAMENTO, CA, May 27, 2016 -- The State Water Resources Control Board Thursday announced it has successfully completed a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency corrective action plan to bring the state’s Drinking Water Program and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund back into compliance with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
EPA issued a notice of non-compliance to the Drinking Water Program in 2013 -- when the program was still housed under the California Department of Public Health -- for failing to meet requirements including carrying balance of $455 million in unspent federal capitalization grant funds. Following the non-compliance order, CDPH developed the corrective action plan and about half of the required action items before the Drinking Water Program was transferred to the State Water Board in July 2014.
According to the State Water Board, since the program’s transfer it has upgraded its financial management practices to meet EPA’s unliquidated obligation reduction strategy and reduced the program’s obligations balance to less than $102 million as of May 10.
In a May 17 letter to the State Water Board, the EPA states that the corrective action plan will be closed because California "… has adequately addressed the obstacles and inefficiencies in its disbursement process."
Additionally, the State Water Board has released the draft 2016 Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plans (IUPs).
The 2016 IUPs outline the State Water Board’s business plan for the SRF Programs during federal FY 2016 and state FY 2016-’17 and also include revised final guidelines for Proposition 1’s drinking water and wastewater funds.
The deadline for comments on the draft IUPs is 12 p.m. on June 16.
About ACWA
The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) is the largest statewide coalition of public water agencies in the country. Its 430 public agency members collectively are responsible for 90% of the water delivered to cities, farms and businesses in California.
