CA SB845

Establishes the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund in the State Treasury, continuously appropriated to the State Water Resources Control Board to provide grants, loans, and services for safe drinking water access in disadvantaged communities and low-income households.

Beginning January 1, 2020, community water systems with 200 or more service connections must offer customers the opportunity to make voluntary monthly remittances ($1-$10 depending on meter size) through bill deductions or written notices, with systems retaining up to 4 percent of collections for administrative costs until July 1, 2021, then 2 percent thereafter.

Requires the board to adopt funding assessments and implementation plans by July 1 of each odd-numbered year identifying systems needing assistance, analyzing funding needs, and establishing expenditure priorities, with annual public reports on fund spending and progress.

By January 1, 2020, the board must create and annually update a publicly accessible map of high-risk aquifers for contamination used by domestic wells and small water systems, requiring local health officers to provide water quality testing data to the board.

Mandates the board conduct public reviews assessing fund effectiveness by January 1, 2025, and again by January 1, 2031, with recommendations to the Legislature on addressing remaining drinking water access needs and funding strategies.