CA AB1066

Requires the California Water Quality Monitoring Council to establish a working group by July 1, 2022 to study water recreation hazards at priority water-contact recreation sites, co-chaired by representatives from the State Water Resources Control Board and Department of Public Health.

Working group must submit a report by July 1, 2023 including summaries of existing water-contact recreation data, potential equity-based criteria for identifying priority sites, water quality hazards, and recommendations for reducing risks such as monitoring programs and public education campaigns.

Council must propose to the State Water Resources Control Board by December 31, 2023 a definition of priority water-contact recreation sites and requirements for a monitoring program including sampling frequency, duration, microbiological standards, and data sharing protocols.

Defines priority water-contact recreation sites as fresh or estuarine surface waters used for organized recreational events, commercial purposes, or by overburdened communities, with emphasis on equity-based criteria in site identification.

Defines "overburdened community" as minority, low-income, tribal, or indigenous populations experiencing disproportionate environmental harms and risks from cumulative environmental and socio-economic stressors.