BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 2022 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 20, 2016 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Lorena Gonzalez, Chair AB 2022 (Gordon) - As Amended March 31, 2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Environmental Safety and Toxic |Vote:|7 - 0 | |Committee: |Materials | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No SUMMARY: This bill authorizes the distribution of advanced purified demonstration water for educational purposes and the promotion of recycled water. Specifically, this bill: 1) Authorizes the operator of an advanced water purification facility (facility) to bottle (up to eight ounces) and distribute the water if it meets or exceeds all AB 2022 Page 2 federal and state drinking water standards and goals. 2) Establishes bottling and labeling requirements. 3) Prohibits a facility from bottling more than 1,000 gallons of water per calendar year. 4) Requires the facility operator to establish a collection and recycling program for distributed bottles. 5) Specifies that a violation of these provisions does not constitute a crime, but clarifies that the bill does not exempt a facility from any federal standard for bottling water. FISCAL EFFECT: Minor, if any, additional state costs. COMMENTS: 1)Purpose. According to the author, with the use of advanced water purification technology, billions of gallons of water that would otherwise be wasted and sent to the ocean can be reused as a safe and reliable source of new precipitation-independent water to help fulfill California's ever-growing demand. Currently, only someone visiting a facility may sample the water. This bill allows the bottling of small amounts of advanced purified water to expand educational opportunities to AB 2022 Page 3 Californians who don't have the opportunity or means to visit facilities. According to the author, this water will not be sold; instead, it will be used to demonstrate to a broader audience the cutting-edge technology used to purify wastewater to near-distilled water quality. 2)Background. In California, the State Water Resources Control Board's (SWRCB) Division of Drinking Water (DDW), in conjunction with the appropriate Regional Water Quality Control Boards, is responsible for evaluating the treatment, production, distribution, and use of recycled water. The Division does not regulate the public consumption of treated recycled water from projects that do not meet the definition of a public water system. The SWRCB has not approved the use of any recycled water, including advanced purified demonstration water, for direct potable reuse. While the SWRCB does regulate recycled water, it does not regulate bottled water or vended water -- these are regulated as food by the Department of Public Health's (DPH) Food and Drug Branch of the Department of Public Health. State law requires SWRCB to convene and administer an expert panel to advise it the investigation of the feasibility of developing uniform water recycling criteria for direct potable reuse. SWRCB has convened the expert panel, and expects to release the required report on direct potable reuse of recycled water by December 31, 2016. There is some concern about allowing the bottling and direct drinking of treated recycled water prior to the release of the report on the safety of the direct potable reuse of recycled water. AB 2022 Page 4 Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916) 319-2081