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State Water Board adopts emergency electronic-reporting rule to align drinking-water data submissions
Summary
The State Water Resources Control Board unanimously adopted an emergency regulation requiring public water systems to submit drinking-water quality data in the California Laboratory Intake Portal (CLIP) format used by accredited laboratories; staff said the rule aligns form and format but removed a planned CLIP bacteriological module pending further development.
The State Water Resources Control Board voted unanimously on June 2 to adopt an emergency regulation ordering public water systems to submit drinking-water quality data in the California Laboratory Intake Portal, or CLIP, format already used by accredited laboratories.
Dan Wong, supervisor of the Drinking Water Needs Analysis Unit, told the board the regulation "is a companion requirement for the public water system" and is intended to align public-supplier reporting with laboratory submissions so data arrive in a standard, machine-readable form. He said the change is about format, not new analytical duties: "This regulation does not change that practice."
The board said it was using an expedited emergency process to ensure the state receives timely, defensible monitoring data needed for regulatory and public-health decisions. Staff emphasized the regulation clarifies that accredited laboratories will continue their current CLIP submissions and that language referencing an anticipated CLIP bacteriological module was removed after public comment because the module is not yet developed.
Commenters at the meeting offered mixed reactions. Adam Wtel, a water-system operator and former county LPA employee, supported electronic upload but urged the board to do more on enforcement and sample integrity, saying the total-coliform sampling regime "has been woefully and very poorly enforced" and raising concerns about chain-of-custody, sample holding times and operators collecting unrepresentative samples. The Association of California Water Agencies, represented by Nick Blair, thanked staff for clarifying scope and for removing the bacteriological-module requirement and said ACWA looks forward to working with the division as any future bacteriological reporting effort is developed.
After discussion the board member moved to adopt the item, the motion was seconded and the clerk called roll; the vote was recorded as unanimous.
Next steps: staff said the regulation will be transmitted for the Office of Administrative Law review under expedited authority and that the board will continue coordinating with the Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) and laboratories as the state's electronic reporting infrastructure evolves.
Authorities cited at the hearing included California Code of Regulations Title 22 §64814 (ELAP CLIP requirement for laboratories) and California Health and Safety Code §116385A (statutory basis for public-system reporting format). The board and staff said they will provide additional guidance as laboratory and CLIP modules develop.
