High and very high fire risk areas: community water systems: preparedness and resiliency.

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary does not specify the exact penalties for non-compliance with the requirements of this proposed law.

Water Systems Plan for Fire Risk Areas

This law would require community water systems serving more than 100 customers in high or very high fire risk areas to create emergency preparedness plans with annexes detailing system resilience during wildfires and other emergencies.

What This Bill Does

• Requires community water systems serving over 100 customers in high or very high fire hazard severity zones to establish an emergency preparedness plan for responding to red flag warnings, extreme weather events, and major power outages that threaten adequate water service.
• The plan must include an annex detailing system preparedness and resiliency during wildfires, including the minimum number of and type of water pumps necessary to maintain customer water supply while providing fire fighting activities.

Who It Names or Affects

• Community water systems serving more than 100 customers in high or very high fire hazard severity zones.

Terms To Know

Emergency Preparedness Plan

A plan that helps a community get ready for and respond to emergencies like wildfires, extreme weather events, and power outages.

Annex

An additional part of the emergency preparedness plan focusing on system resilience during wildfires and other disasters.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill did not pass, so it has no legal effect.
• It does not specify what happens if a community water system fails to comply with these requirements.

Official Summary Text

AB 2013, as amended, Bennett.
Fire
High and very high fire
risk areas:
water suppliers: emergency preparedness plan.
community water systems: preparedness and resiliency.
Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to identify areas in the state as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on consistent statewide criteria and based on the severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in those areas.
Existing law requires a local agency to designate, by ordinance, moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones in its jurisdiction within 120 days of receiving recommendations from the State Fire Marshal, as provided.
This bill would require a
water supplier
community water system
that
services more than 100 customers that are located in a
moderate, high,
high
or very high fire
hazard severity zone, as specified, to establish an emergency preparedness plan for response to red flag warnings, extreme weather events, and other major power outages or emergencies that pose a potential threat
to providing adequate water service.
risk area, as defined, to include an annex to its disaster preparedness plans, as provided, that includes information regarding system preparedness and resiliency during a wildfire.
The bill would require the
plan
annex
to contain several things, including, among others, an assessment that identifies the minimum number of and type of water pumps that are necessary to maintain
water service for customers while providing an adequate water supply for fire fighting activities.
average daily capacity, including,
but not limited to, the operation of fire hydrant systems at the rated capacity. The bill would require the community water system, beginning January 1, 2028, to review the annex at least once every 3 years and to update the annex as necessary.
The bill would prohibit anything contained in the annex from enlarging or diminishing any existing liability and would prohibit information provided in the annex from, on its own, demonstrating a substantial cause of any damages resulting from a wildfire.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF