[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6197142,"mediaKeyId","3853798-d969c1eeb6dc41d99a00053be98d8884","parentId",3853798,"title","State Water Board adopts limited amendments to Cross Connection Control Policy Handbook, delays some deadlines","audioSeconds",993,"startMs",1920000,"endMs",2913000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3853798-d969c1eeb6dc41d99a00053be98d8884&start=1920&end=2913","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3853798-d969c1eeb6dc41d99a00053be98d8884/thumbnail_1920000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6197142/California/State-Water-Board-adopts-limited-amendments-to-Cross-Connection-Control-Policy-Handbook-delays-some-deadlines","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6197142-a6defa798cb1730a686eb266c1a7ad12/orig.mp4?Expires=1770497799&Signature=b7dbwiLS-kTkDtMPWL3FcLFSg93ReRZhrVZDSiCbf5VLL0vd02-CCDjZ~hJ3Vaxbpj4LIujnPiZjxr~9rAIHE-~YBWLEXmm-QUq9HB2tO1VlHw6hH38fqhv4joMzHO0KhhzLrCx-HM0Qipg4g2P~1bFMn0CcndxoAxaHziQMNc0mqO5Lb3B3OdiyLx6tqSxpbrXff~DD21120sqd1TXpd7rcX~tQkyl1AdainHNqxIj9~T9dgpRIgQGlIpgmHa2odPOQiMXdbxJuErGDXrVp8hDjTYziYUgsUKPJYSKmL5-ROaAu-~6La6o14SxD0Vf042KWz1i5URtR89NGD4MZ3Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","State Water Resources Control Board","date","2025-06-18T07:31:18Z","article","The State Water Resources Control Board on June 17 adopted a resolution approving targeted amendments to the Cross Connection Control Policy Handbook, the Division of Drinking Water said, while committing to further outreach this year on more substantive issues such as fire-sprinkler protection and auxiliary-water-source alternatives.

The handbook changes approved by the board include deadline adjustments and clarifications the division described as narrowly tailored. \"For noncommunity systems, we propose extending the initial hazard assessment deadline to 07/01/2027 and postponing certification requirements for testers and specialists to 07/01/2026,\" Division of Drinking Water presenter Zach Rounds told the board. Staff also proposed aligning handbook language for air‑gap distances and reduced-pressure (RP) assembly requirements with the California Plumbing Code.

Why it matters: the CCPH guides member water systems and certified backflow testers on preventing contamination of public drinking-water systems. Adjusting deadlines and matching plumbing-code language reduces near-term compliance pressure on systems that have struggled to locate certified specialists while keeping protections consistent with state plumbing rules.

Public process and comments: staff held a public comment period from April 25 to May 8 and a public hearing May 8. Rounds said staff received 11 public comments overall; 10 supported the deadline extensions and one objected to the changes related to backflow prevention assembly installation. Many comments were outside the narrow scope of these proposed edits, particularly requests for changes to fire-sprinkler backflow protection and auxiliary-water-source rules. Rounds said staff recorded those out-of-scope comments for consideration at a planned fall workshop and for a forthcoming guidance document on fire-sprinkler protection.

Stakeholders urged additional work. Megan Murphy of the California Municipal Utilities Association supported the adopted changes and asked the board to allocate staff resources for a more comprehensive handbook revision. \"We respectfully request that the board allocate the necessary resources and staffing to revisit sections of the handbook that require clarification and amendments for public water utilities to successfully implement,\" Murphy said during public comment.

Tom Enslow of the California State Pipe Trades Council supported the deadline extensions but raised a procedural concern about certification-body recognition. Enslow said the ASSE certification — commonly used by union training programs — had submitted an application to be considered equivalent for state recognition and that the review process had been slow. Division staff responded that recognition under the process was expected imminently.

The board adopted the resolution by roll-call vote. Staff told the board they plan a fall workshop to solicit public input on backflow protection for fire sprinkler systems, alternatives for premises with auxiliary water supplies, and equivalency of ANSI-recognized certifying organizations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","State Water Resources Control Board Meeting - June 17, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The State Water Resources Control Board adopted targeted amendments June 17 to the Cross Connection Control Policy Handbook that extend several compliance deadlines and align certain technical language with the California Plumbing Code.","taxTitle","State Water Resources Control Board, Agencies under Office of the Governor, Executive, California","taxId",16198,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6197151,"State Water Board holds workshop on 2025–26 Clean Water SRF intended use plan as funding picture shifts",5615,5465000,11080000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3853798-d969c1eeb6dc41d99a00053be98d8884&start=5465&end=11080","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3853798-d969c1eeb6dc41d99a00053be98d8884/thumbnail_5465000.jpg","/articles/6197151/California/State-Water-Board-holds-workshop-on-202526-Clean-Water-SRF-intended-use-plan-as-funding-picture-shifts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6197151-63a95bc8980bd5e674cb89ce7687a383/orig.mp4?Expires=1770497799&Signature=k9~fsO6QiSE988dW28FM7uj2mPE3H97TnAd9vx5ImK5cQN~YbiXMb3MAucjlmAUIbR-OzO0RNnG6bZBgTfjLT5bmjOopxN2~IFsTQD8im4TkDjBALSrRmXH27JMdJYPRA0mD6yPaqvzYERwa1mo0eaULfrWPuEgX2WU0YlvXIN5RK1QsUtN9eaY79RhA4SMMyzV8a8pH9qjOtcnVpzS8h0pFzw03vCZCN2pV4WD-5uRUQ3Fz5ZCmBvsRrEds5BcKuIRvYoPpUbP9kxghfDBSmkGYVpGeRGwjRzKWQWPeY6Xgc-6ROIPkk1EOieMNYeXG7onQrtRmnw6NTcSjzFGp4A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The State Water Resources Control Board held a public workshop on June 17 in Sacramento to review its draft 2025–26 Clean Water State Revolving Fund intended use plan, outlining loan capacity, grant targets and program priorities as federal and state funding levels remain uncertain.

The IUP guides how the Division of Financial Assistance will allocate Clean Water SRF loans and principal forgiveness, the small-community wastewater grant program, water recycling grants and the modest stormwater principal-forgiveness pilot for the 2025–26 fiscal year. \"The IUP will guide staff in implementing Clean Water SRF, small-community wastewater, and water recycling funding programs for the upcoming fiscal year,\" DFA deputy director Lisa Hong told the board.

Why it matters: the SRF is the state’s principal vehicle for financing municipal wastewater, stormwater and recycling projects. The workshop came as Congress had returned to a continuing resolution that restored the program’s baseline but left uncertainty about future federal appropriations; the administration’s 2026 proposal would reduce SRF baseline funds. That uncertainty affects both the loan program’s leveraging capacity and the availability of direct grants or principal forgiveness that depend on annual appropriations.

Board members and applicants focused on four program areas. On loans, staff recommended maintaining a near-term loan capacity target around $600 million and proposed a fundable list cutoff designed to meet federal “equivalency” requirements tied to the capitalization grant. Hong said the IUP’s recommended scenario adds new projects to meet those federal conditions and to satisfy Build America, Buy America requirements that are difficult to apply to projects already under construction.

On small-community wastewater grants — which provide principal forgiveness to disadvantaged and severely disadvantaged communities and are central to septic-to-sewer conversions — DFA proposed a larger pool than in recent years, reflecting Proposition 4 and other state funds. Hong said the draft IUP assumes about $456 million available for small-community wastewater programs in 2025–26, combining Prop 4, remaining Proposition 1 and other state and federal pots. \"We're proposing a higher grant amount per project and expanding eligibility so projects beyond septic-to-sewer and violation-remediation can be eligible for up to 50% grant,\" Hong said.

On water recycling, staff proposed restoring a $15 million per-project maximum construction grant (consistent with historical caps) and establishing treatment for large-scale projects — defined in the draft IUP as projects delivering at least 10,000 acre-feet per year — with eligible planning, design and construction phases. Program proponents urged the board to lock commitments early so recipients can proceed with final design and contracting.

On stormwater, DFA proposed a new, modest principal-forgiveness allocation — $20 million in SRF principal forgiveness plus other federal small-grant funding — to seed projects and help overcome the longstanding funding shortfall for stormwater infrastructure. Board Chair Joaquin Esquivel and several commenters praised the move as an important step to address what advocates call a fiscal orphan: stormwater.

Public commenters included municipal utilities, regional wastewater systems, water-reuse advocates, small-community technical-assistance providers and stormwater coalitions. Key requests included restoring the water recycling grant cap to $15 million, directing additional technical assistance for disadvantaged communities, faster review of private certification bodies for cross-connection tester recognition, and adding a ready-to-build project (Town of Windsor) to the loan fundable list. Lisa Hong and DFA staff said they will incorporate written comment and the final state budget into the final IUP before returning to the board for adoption.

Board members emphasized the need to get funds out quickly while protecting long-term capacity. Board member Laurel Firestone urged staff to identify wastewater projects eligible for emerging-contaminant funds that could be spent quickly. Board member Nicole Morgan highlighted the continuing unmet need for small-community wastewater projects and thanked DFA staff for outreach that helps incomplete applications move forward.

The board treated the session as a workshop; no adoption vote was taken. Public comments on the draft IUP were due June 30; DFA expects to return with a final IUP for board adoption after the Legislature’s final budget actions and after incorporating written input.

Looking ahead: DFA will reconcile the IUP with the final state budget and federal appropriations when they are finalized, and the board will consider a final IUP for adoption.","The State Water Resources Control Board held a public workshop on June 17 in Sacramento to review its draft 2025–26 Clean Water State Revolving Fund intended use plan, outlining loan capacity, grant targets and program priorities as federal and state funding levels remain uncertain.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6197137,"Public commenter and chief counsel clash over ex parte rules and SB 965 during State Water Board public forum",870,1076000,1946000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3853798-d969c1eeb6dc41d99a00053be98d8884&start=1076&end=1946","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3853798-d969c1eeb6dc41d99a00053be98d8884/thumbnail_1076000.jpg","/articles/6197137/California/Public-commenter-and-chief-counsel-clash-over-ex-parte-rules-and-SB-965-during-State-Water-Board-public-forum","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6197137-abd75e9972485ac08387ca3fc85d8424/orig.mp4?Expires=1770497799&Signature=bqT8fFalhXWW4RcyX9e2HBweHR5feXOieOX~R49c1ipDe8DWi5ksR6xIVgJTnRycU~sC1oLzL1g2wVBRoCzP1dxDmrUJCP6uhY7K7ScgFot9cO3EDbydmXeoTJjh7xCLGFjqZOVvOJ1j2WeCgTNJD063kAvQE5aVinT6E4sE1OgkisHpfmPukQiWxo3XkvTK6nRGZtAdMacyKU3wmFLv9EECm1fMb-TO6J-l-telsQO1b1QI1I6enuXyIQCDwyevuB6sFyBxhWabwUyzosG28SzuAqAyXcASIxWyJVwmzCZuysC76cVIWFvBEzF6ZnySnb5E1F0OnRK8O3j53buy~w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A public forum commenter and the State Water Board’s chief counsel disputed the board’s rules for ex parte communications on June 17, highlighting confusion about the effect of Senate Bill 965 and administrative-procedure rules on communications about pending matters.

Public commenter Ray Tahir told the board he believes that the legislature intended SB 965 to permit disclosure-based ex parte communications in many permitting contexts and that staff’s guidance was inconsistent with that reading. \"My position has been that ex parte communication is permitted as well as communication disclosed to other board members,\" Tahir said during public comment, arguing that disclosure (rather than a blanket prohibition) was the legislative intent.

Chief Counsel Michael Laufer disagreed, saying the board’s current guidance reflects the statute and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), and that SB 965 created a narrow disclosure model that applies where the order does not identify named parties. \"Senate Bill 965 applies in a very narrow context… that is where a water board, regional or state, is issuing waste discharge requirements or water quality certifications that do not name the parties involved,\" Laufer said. He told Tahir that if the disclosure model were already the default, there would have been no need for SB 965.

Tensions arose over statutory citations and scope. Tahir referenced what he described as public-law section 13287 and other provisions; Laufer replied that some citations (for example, Bagley-Keene and the APA section on prohibited ex parte communications) remain in effect and that words and context matter when applying SB 965. Vice Chair Doreen D'Adamo suggested Tahir review legislative history and advised that changing the statute would require legislative action.

Board Chair Joaquin Esquivel acknowledged the disagreement and suggested Tahir meet with Chief Counsel to pursue the matter in more detail; Laufer said he had offered meetings previously. The exchange did not result in any change to board guidance; the matter was a public comment and not an agenda item for action.

The record indicates a continuing difference of legal interpretation between a member of the public and board counsel on how SB 965 interacts with APA prohibitions on ex parte communications and the Bagley-Keene public meeting provisions. Board staff and counsel said they would continue to rely on the existing guidance and invited further private consultation to discuss statutory interpretation.","During public forum on June 17, public commenter Ray Tahir challenged the board’s ex parte communications guidance and interpretation of Senate Bill 965; Chief Counsel Michael Laufer and board members disagreed, saying SB 965 applies narrowly and that the general APA prohibition on ex parte communications remains.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6197146,"Advisory committee finds no extensions needed yet for California once-through cooling policy, but flags grid risks",1805,3041000,4846000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3853798-d969c1eeb6dc41d99a00053be98d8884&start=3041&end=4846","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3853798-d969c1eeb6dc41d99a00053be98d8884/thumbnail_3041000.jpg","/articles/6197146/California/Advisory-committee-finds-no-extensions-needed-yet-for-California-once-through-cooling-policy-but-flags-grid-risks","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6197146-b92b5ae32b0bf0d188ca873c95a2179b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770497799&Signature=QA7zIPwK-oZ4Ef2ZjiqLkUvU7Y~UZw1iJCCB5pv2KWNktnMILfaKRsiWm8Hl-y1naDVCAdQvAyFvO37Kn~qE7oKxYx6tteNNLUqxOvgvb7WHK7QYd6B-cejqyKeoF5IukWjx3PGKBuHUUfFGK9arnrt2hMp1paBqaK--zD2gQPFRPAlvp6MWpOGviX69F6LZNqvHheroEhXYg1uaccf75qHqADf8Z~oWApyw69PoIhy7NdrifGWeDlh1nzOE2fz8eDo2JIzlR7j8QDOdTzztz25wMB-Dm3-Fk4PEGZvO5FFAmJ5-5prP132-mrcZbf2MvBMdN~IPkHQAu487jbtTAQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The State Water Resources Control Board received an informational presentation June 17 on the 2025 report of the Statewide Advisory Committee on Cooling Water Intake Structures (SACWIS), which monitors compliance with the OTC policy and the implications for grid reliability as coastal power plants retire or convert cooling systems.

SACWIS members told the board the committee is not recommending extensions of OTC compliance deadlines at this time. \"The final SACWIS report does not recommend any compliance state extensions,\" said Jonathan Dolan, environmental scientist in the Ocean Standards Unit, summarizing the advisory panel’s March 21 work.

Why it matters: the OTC policy requires coastal power plants to stop using once-through cooling to protect marine life. As plants retire or retrofit, grid planners and operators have tracked reliability risk and contingency needs. SACWIS’s 2025 report found 12 of the original 19 OTC plants are now fully compliant; the other seven are on track to meet their schedules.

Key findings presented by interagency members:

- Water use and compliance: historic and projected daily water use at OTC plants has declined as units have complied or retired. SACWIS’s projection through 2031 showed fleetwide daily flows below policy-design flow rates.

- Air permitting and operational constraints: Lan Ma of the California Air Resources Board said operating OTC units must meet Title V permitting requirements; some units qualify for limited exemptions under South Coast AQMD rules but exemptions do not apply if an OTC system is removed while the fossil-fuel unit remains in operation.

- Grid reliability and procurement: Christine Root of the California Public Utilities Commission said net qualifying capacity procurement has been strong through 2024, with record additions of storage and solar. Neil Miller of the California ISO described using some OTC units sparingly during 2024 heat events as part of the Strategic Reliability Reserve. \"We instructed the once-through cooling units in our footprint to start up on three separate occasions last summer,\" Miller said, noting in each instance units were held at minimum load and were not needed beyond that duty.

- Contingency planning: Alicia Gutierrez of the California Energy Commission summarized the joint SBA 46 reliability assessment and said the system shows surplus capacity under average peak conditions in 2025, but under extreme multi-region heat events and import reductions there could be shortfalls — in downside scenarios as large as several hundred to thousands of megawatts depending on assumptions about delayed procurement and import availability.

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) representatives described progress toward replacing or retrofitting their OTC units. LADWP said environmental analyses and permitting are underway at Scattergood and other sites, pipeline work is in construction, and voluntary environmental-benefit payments to the Coastal Conservancy have begun.

Board Chair Joaquin Esquivel thanked SACWIS and other agencies for interagency coordination. No board action was requested; SACWIS continues to meet at least annually and the interagency working group will track compliance, procurement and permitting developments.

The committee’s bottom-line recommendation: continue monitoring and coordination but do not seek system-wide OTC compliance deadline extensions at this time; the committee will reconvene if grid conditions or procurement delays indicate a need for contingency relief.","The State Water Board’s SACWIS reported June 17 that 12 of 19 coastal power plants are in full compliance with the once-through cooling (OTC) policy, with seven on track; SACWIS recommended no compliance extensions but warned of risks from extreme weather, import reductions and project delays.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

State Water Board adopts limited amendments to Cross Connection Control Policy Handbook, delays some deadlines

State Water Board holds workshop on 2025–26 Clean Water SRF intended use plan as funding picture shifts

Public commenter and chief counsel clash over ex parte rules and SB 965 during State Water Board public forum

Advisory committee finds no extensions needed yet for California once-through cooling policy, but flags grid risks