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