The State Water Resources Control Board on Dec. 2 adopted the 2025 Safe Drinking Water Plan and authorized staff to transmit the plan to the legislature under Health and Safety Code section 116355.

Deputy Director Dan Plemmons and Lawrence Sanchez summarized the plan’s recommendations and progress made since 2020. The plan contains more than 70 recommendations for legislative and program actions that cut across technical, managerial and financial capacity building, technology and data investments, and emergency preparedness. Staff cited recent program milestones including adoption of federal PFAS MCLs and California hexavalent chromium standards, expansion of consolidation and administrator projects, and major grant investments explained in the plan’s appendices.

Staff said the plan is intended as an encyclopedic resource for legislators and stakeholders and includes a sortable appendix to help reviewers prioritize recommendations. The presentation noted improvements in program tools and transparency: new portals, improved electronic annual reporting, a GIS boundary tool, and a SAFER clearinghouse. The division highlighted consolidated accomplishments such as about $73 million in technical assistance and roughly $1 billion in financial assistance since 2023 (figures cited in the presentation).

The board approved the resolution by unanimous roll call. Staff will post the final plan and comments and responses on the board website and pursue outreach to support plan implementation.

Board members and commenters during the hearing emphasized the continuing implementation challenge and the need to focus on small systems and communities served by systems with fewer than 500 connections, which account for most violations and where most capacity work remains concentrated.