AB 2022: Advanced purified demonstration water.

Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to, on or before December 31, 2013, adopt uniform water recycling criteria for indirect potable reuse for groundwater recharge and to investigate and, on or before December 31, 2016, report to the Legislature on the feasibility of developing uniform water recycling criteria for direct potable reuse. Existing law transferred these powers and responsibilities to the State Water Resources Control Board on July 1, 2014.

Under existing law, the State Department of Public Health licenses and regulates water bottlers, distributors, and vendors. Existing law prescribes various quality and labeling standards for bottled water and limits the levels of certain contaminants that may be contained in those water products. Violation of these provisions is a crime.

This bill would authorize the operator of an advanced water purification facility to cause advanced purified demonstration water to be bottled and distributed as samples for educational purposes and to promote water recycling, as specified. The bill would prohibit the advanced purified demonstration water in each bottle from exceeding 8 ounces and would prohibit that water from being distributed unless the water, among other requirements, meets or exceeds all federal and state drinking water standards. The bill would authorize advanced purified demonstration water to be bottled at a licensed water-bottling plant in compliance with specified provisions. The bill would further establish bottling and labeling requirements for advanced purified demonstration water and would prohibit a facility from causing more than 1,000 gallons of the water to be bottled in a calendar year. The bill would require an operator of an advanced water purification facility seeking to bottle advanced purified demonstration water to establish a collection and recycling program for distributed bottles. The bill would require the operator to maintain a daily record of the number of individuals to whom the water is distributed, served, made available, or otherwise distributed and to submit a report based on those records, as specified and under penalty of perjury, to the state board. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

This bill would require a bottler of advanced purified demonstration water to submit sample labels and specified analyses of the advanced purified demonstration water to the department and to conduct a full sanitation of the bottling and filling equipment immediately after bottling advanced purified demonstration water.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.