Existing law, the California Safe Drinking Water Act, requires the State Water Resources Control Board to administer provisions relating to the regulation of drinking water to protect public health, including, but not limited to, conducting research, studies, and demonstration programs relating to the provision of a dependable, safe supply of drinking water, enforcing the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, and adopting implementing regulations. The implementing regulations are required to include, but are not limited to, the monitoring of contaminants, including the type of contaminant, the frequency and method of sampling and testing, and the reporting of results.
The act authorizes the state board to order a public water system to monitor for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in accordance with conditions set by the state board, and
requires a laboratory that has a specified accreditation or certification to perform the analysis of any material required by an order to monitor for those substances.
This bill would require the state board, on or before January 1, 2022, to certify a methodology or methodologies for testing drinking water, groundwater, and surface water for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, as provided, and to accredit qualified laboratories in California to analyze perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances pursuant to the adopted methodology or methodologies.