State Water Board staff outline new Cross Connection Control Handbook requirements for public water systems

Staff from the State Water Resources Control Board's Division of Drinking Water presented an overview of the Cross Connection Control Policy Handbook (CCCPH), describing new requirements public water systems must implement, the items required in a cross connection control plan, and key compliance timelines.

The handbook replaces prior cross-connection rules in California Code of Regulations Title 17 and expands the required program from six elements to 10, adding mandatory tester and specialist certification standards, backflow incident investigation and reporting, public education and outreach, and local entity coordination. The presentation stressed that the handbook’s objective is to protect public health by preventing contamination of potable water systems through elimination or control of cross connections.

Under the handbook, public water systems must document an administrative and technical cross connection control program in a written cross connection control plan (CCCP). The plan must describe how the system will meet the handbook’s program elements and must be submitted to the local Division of Drinking Water district office or Local Primacy Agency by the deadline specified in the handbook; the presentation stated that plans are due one year after the handbook’s effective date (07/01/2025) and that systems may request extensions. The plan must include: the system’s compliance statement; the method and schedule for hazard assessments; a copy of the legal authority for program enforcement (ordinance, code, contract or other); inspection and…