CWEA Wastewater Professional :: April 2014 March 2014 Volume 2 | Page 19
Feature Article | Transfer of drinking water program
Transfer of drinking water program from
Department of Public Health (DPH) to State
Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)
By Hugh Logan, Senior WEF Delegate Director
G
overnor Brown’s Administration has proposed moving the drinking water program
from the Department of Health to the State
Water Resources Control Board effective July 1, 2014.
A public hearing was held in Sacramento on Wednesday 1/15/2014, and the staff of CDPH and SWRCB
provided verbal reports about the proposal and
received comments from the public.
While there are efficiencies found by combining
the two programs under one management structure,
there are some significant culture differences that
will take time for the State to resolve. Numerous
folks from the Water Treatment community voiced
their concerns about how the Drinking Water Program will be implemented by the SWRCB. Specifically, since the DPH has a great track record for
public health, and the SWRCB has a primary focus
on environmental protection, how can the two missions be reconciled? The Staff of both organizations
indicated they were alert to this concern and they
are committed to maintain public health expertise,
maintain local primacy agreements, transition federal primacy, maintain emergency response capacity,
preserve successful permitting processes, and preserve collaborative relationships within the drinking
water community.
The proposed reorganization will cause significant
change in the way water treatment and distribution
operators interface with their certification program,
but the impact to wastewater operators is not yet
known. Some of the expected positive outcomes
include more streamlined water recycling regulations,
more effective policies for state revolving funds loans,
and other potential efficiencies (yet unnamed).
Hugh Logan represented CWEA at the public hearing and provided an update to the Board at January’s
meeting in San Diego. Some potential impacts that
CWEA Board will follow in the