The State Water Resources Control Board voted unanimously on Nov. 4 to adopt the fiscal‑year 2025‑26 Fund Expenditure Plan (FEP) for the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund (part of the SAFER program). Division of Financial Assistance staff summarized revisions made after public comment: updated tables through June 30, 2025; increased targets for technical assistance and operations & maintenance assistance; a modest reduction in the safe and affordable drinking water fund’s construction target (offset by other funding sources available within SAFER); and a new regional operator pilot alongside continued point‑of‑use/point‑of‑entry pilot work.

Staff emphasized changes prompted by public input. Most notably, the FEP clarifies that interim assistance (tanked or bottled water, hauled‑water services) is expected to be time‑limited (staff noted two years as a planning expectation) but that extensions may be considered in circumstances where a community is actively pursuing consolidation or a long‑term solution. Staff also added education and outreach in the domestic‑well/small‑system strategy section and committed to ongoing review of technical assistance delivery and milestone criteria with TA providers.

During public comment, several Perry Colony (Fresno County) residents described multi‑year private well failures and the stress of relying on hauled or bottled water. They detailed the difficulty of rationing limited deliveries during extreme heat and described impacts on daily life, laundry and cooling. Self Help Enterprises, which manages hauled/bottled water for many communities, told the board the program standard is roughly 50 gallons per person per day and encouraged customers to report missed or short deliveries so staff can follow up.

Board members praised staff for updating the FEP to reflect public input and for prioritizing small and domestic‑well communities; they noted that bottled/hauling services are not a long‑term solution and reiterated the need to accelerate permanent solutions. The board adopted the resolution by roll call vote. The board’s action implements the FEP for FY2025‑26 and provides direction to DFA staff to continue iterative revisions and outreach, including development of implementation detail for the domestic‑well strategy and continued coordination across state and local partners.