Draft Proposition 68 Groundwater Drinking Water Treatment

State Water Resources Control Board Notice of opportunity for

-Public comments

- Public workshops

- Board consideration

of Draft Proposition 68 Groundwater Drinking Water Treatment Operations and Maintenance Funding Program Guidelines

Prop 68 Groundwater Treatment and Remediation Grant Program | California State Water Resources Control Board *

Opportunity for Public Comments on Draft Guidelines
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) will accept written comments on the Draft Proposition 68 Groundwater - Drinking Water Treatment Operations and Maintenance Funding Program (Program) Guidelines (Draft Guidelines). 

Written comments must be submitted no later than
12:00 noon on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Written comments must be submitted per the
procedures in the “Submission of Comments” section of this public notice.

Proposition 68 Groundwater-Drinking Water Treatment Operations and Maintenance Funding Program Workshop

NOTICE IS ADDITIONALLY HEREBY GIVEN that State Water Board staff will conduct
three public workshops on the Draft Guidelines. The workshops will be held on:

The workshops will include a presentation about the Draft Guidelines as well as the opportunity for participants to provide oral comments. Any interested person may ask questions or provide input. However, formal written comments should not be submitted during the workshops. A quorum of the State Water Board may be present, but the State Water Board will take no action.

WORKSHOP LOGISTICS
The Central Valley and Southern California workshops will be conducted in-person only.
The Northern California workshop will be conducted in-person, with an option for the
public to participate from a remote location. You can join the Northern California
workshop online using Zoom or by phone:
· To join online, use the following link: https://waterboards.zoom.us/j/95449908607
· To join by phone, call (669) 900-9128 and use meeting ID # 954 4990 8607

LANGUAGE SERVICES
To request language interpretation or sign language services, please submit your
request at least ten business days before the meeting (by May 10, 2022) by
contacting Marina Pérez at (916) 322-4265.

SERVICIO DE INTERPRETACIÓN DE IDIOMAS
Para solicitar el servicio de interpretación de idiomas o en el lenguaje de señas,
comuníquese a más tardar el 10 de mayo con Marina Pérez al número telefónico
(916) 322-4265.

Chapter 11.1 of the California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access for All Act of 2018 (commonly referred to as Proposition 68 [Prop 68]) gave the State Water Board the authority to administer $74 million in grant funds for treatment and remediation activities that prevent or reduce the contamination of groundwater that serves as a source of drinking water. $16 million of the total amount is set-aside for projects serving severely disadvantaged communities (SDACs). The State Water Board adopted the Prop 68 Groundwater Treatment and Remediation Grant Program Guidelines (Prop 68 GW Guidelines) on August 20, 2019, to serve as the required project solicitation and evaluation guidelines for the State Water Board’s Groundwater Treatment and Remediation Grant Program.

Projects that have been funded under this program can be found in the List of Preliminary Awards. This program is closed to new applications, and the State Water Board currently has no plans for further project solicitations. For additional funding opportunities, please visit the next tab.

After funding two rounds of projects solicited under the Proposition 68 Groundwater Treatment and Remediation Grant Program Guidelines (Prop 68 GW Guidelines), approximately $29.5 million remains uncommitted, of which approximately $8.5 million is reserved for severely disadvantaged communities (SDACs). To utilize these remaining funds and to help meet the significant needs of disadvantaged communities (DACs) across California, the State Water Board adopted Resolution No. 2020-0028 (Resolution) on August 18, 2020. The Resolution delegates authority to the Deputy Director of the Division of Financial Assistance (DFA) to award these remaining funds to assist DAC drinking water systems that treat groundwater for direct potable use, without necessarily remediating the aquifer, and waives the Prop 68 GW Guidelines for these projects.

DFA is proposing to implement new Proposition 68 Groundwater – Drinking Water Treatment Operations and Maintenance Funding Program Draft Guidelines (Draft Guidelines) to distribute the uncommitted $29.5 million to small DAC drinking water systems. By implementing the Draft Guidelines, DFA can distribute Prop 68 funding to benefit small DACs and SDACs statewide. The Draft Guidelines establish the process and criteria for the administration of the uncommitted Prop 68 Chapter 11.1 funding. If Prop 68 funds are uncommitted at the end of 2022, Resolution 2020-0028 authorizes the Deputy Director of DFA to utilize any funds remaining unencumbered to extend executed funding agreements for the O&M projects funded according to the Prop 68 GW Guidelines, contingent upon budget authority.

The Draft Guidelines are available for review during the public comment period that lasts from April 22, 2022 through 12:00 noon on May 31, 2022. The State Water Board will also conduct three public workshops on the Draft Guidelines. Additional information can be found by visiting the State Water Board’s Public Notices webpage and reading the Notice for the Draft Guidelines.

Board Consideration of Draft Guidelines

NOTICE IS ADDITIONALLY HEREBY GIVEN that the State Water Board will consider
adoption of the Draft Guidelines on July 6, 2022, at the State Water Board Meeting
(Board Meeting). The anticipated date, time, and location of the Board Meeting are
provided below:
STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD  - BOARD MEETING
Tuesday, July 6, 2022 – 9:30 a.m.
Coastal Hearing Room, Second Floor
Joe Serna Jr. – CalEPA Building
1001 I Street, Sacramento
And via Video and Teleconference
(For public commenters.)

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