CA AB2296

Authorizes the State Water Resources Control Board to delegate partial or primary responsibility for administering California's Safe Drinking Water Act to local health officers, and allows counties without prior delegation to apply for partial or primary responsibility if the state board determines it needs assistance.

Establishes a funding stabilization program effective for fiscal year 2022–23 and thereafter that allows local primacy agencies with insufficient fee revenue to participate in state funding, with public water systems paying fees directly to the state board rather than the local agency.

Eliminates the annual drinking water surveillance program grant previously provided to local primacy agencies and requires state board evaluation of local primacy agencies at least annually with deficiency reports made available on the state board's internet website.

Requires participating local primacy agencies to identify small water systems suitable for consolidation and maintain accurate accounting records of all costs incurred, with all fines, penalties, and cost reimbursements payable to the state board for deposit in the Safe Drinking Water Account.

Prohibits local primacy agencies participating in the funding stabilization program from charging designated public water systems any fees beyond those established by the state board.