CA AB2238

Eliminates the requirement that the department develop a definition of "emergency" and instead provides a statutory definition of "public health emergency" as a sudden or unexpected event requiring immediate action to protect public health due to inability to provide safe drinking water.

Authorizes the State Department of Public Health to expend funds from the Emergency Clean Water Grant Fund for emergency actions including bottled water, water system improvements, system hookups, water treatment technologies, and interim water treatment, with a $50,000 per public water system per emergency limit for alternative water supplies.

Expands the definition of public health emergency to include public water systems serving severely disadvantaged communities lacking technical or financial capacity to meet drinking water standards, and disruptions from natural disasters such as fire, flood, earthquake, or drought.

Requires the State Department of Public Health to post on its Internet website funding commitments made in the previous two years for small systems (under 200 connections), disadvantaged communities, and water system consolidation projects, as well as identify health-based priority projects bypassed for at least two years.

Declares the bill an urgency statute to take effect immediately to ensure access to safe drinking water supplies, particularly during public health emergencies.