Water recycling.

(1) Existing law establishes the State Water Resources Control Board and the California regional water quality control boards as the principal state agencies with authority over matters relating to water quality. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to establish uniform statewide recycling criteria for each varying type of use for recycled water where the use involves the protection of public health. This bill would require the State Department of Public Health to adopt uniform water recycling criteria for indirect potable water reuse for groundwater recharge, as defined, by December 31, 2013. The bill would require the department to develop and adopt uniform water recycling criteria for surface water augmentation, as defined, by December 31, 2016, if a specified expert panel convened pursuant to the bill finds that the criteria would adequately protect public health. The bill would require the department to investigate the feasibility of developing uniform water recycling criteria for direct potable reuse, as defined, and to provide a final report on that investigation to the Legislature by December 31, 2016. The bill would require the department, in consultation with the State Water Resources Control Board, to report to the Legislature from 2011 to 2016, inclusive, as part of the annual budget process, on the progress towards developing and adopting the water recycling criteria for surface water augmentation and its investigation of the feasibility of developing water recycling criteria for direct potable reuse. The bill would require the State Water Resources Control Board to enter into an agreement with the department to assist in implementing the water recycling criteria provisions. (2) Existing law imposes specified civil liabilities for violations of water quality requirements, and requires all funds generated by the imposition of those liabilities to be deposited in the Waste Discharge Permit Fund. Existing law requires these moneys to be expended by the State Water Resources Control Board, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to assist California regional water quality control boards and other public agencies in cleaning up or abating the effects of waste on waters of the state. This bill would require those funds to additionally be made available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the state board for purposes of assisting with the development and adoption of the water recycling criteria.