AB 2454: Drinking water: rental property: domestic well testing.

The California Safe Drinking Water Act provides for the operation of public water systems and imposes on the State Water Resources Control Board various duties and responsibilities for the regulation and control of drinking water in the State of California. The act requires the state board to adopt primary drinking water standards for contaminants in drinking water based upon specified criteria. Existing law makes certain violations of the act a crime.

This bill would require an owner of a domestic well that serves a rental property within the boundaries of a testing program, as defined, to participate in the testing program, as specified. The bill would require the state board to post certain information regarding applicable testing programs on its internet website. The bill would require the owner of a domestic well that serves a rental property to ensure that the test results, and information on how to read and understand the test results, are provided to current residents of the rental property within 10 days of receiving the test results. If the test results demonstrate an exceedance of any primary drinking water standard, and the owner of the domestic well or a resident served by the domestic well is eligible for a program for the provision of safe drinking water, the bill would require the domestic well owner to provide safe drinking water to the residents. The bill would prohibit an owner of a domestic well from imposing any charge, or increasing any fee, rent, or other charge imposed, on any resident solely as a result of the requirements of these provisions.

To the extent that an owner of the rental property, when providing notice of the results of domestic well testing to residents pursuant to these provisions, would make any false statement or representation, this bill would expand the scope of a crime and impose a state-mandated local program.

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.