(a) No later than July 1, 2023, and updated every five years thereafter, a small water supplier serving 1,000 to 2,999 service connections, inclusive, and a nontransient noncommunity water system that is a school shall each develop and maintain, onsite, an abridged Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP) that includes, at a minimum, all of the following drought-planning elements:

(1) Drought-planning contacts, including all of the following:

(A) At least one contact at the water system for water shortage planning and response and the development of the plan.

(B) Contacts for local public safety partners and potential vendors that can provide repairs or alternative water sources, including, but not limited to, local community-based organizations that work with the population in and around areas served by the water system, contractors for drilling wells, vended water suppliers, and emergency shower vendors.

(C) State and local agency contacts who should be informed when a drought or water shortage emergency is emerging or has occurred.

(D) Regional water planning groups or mutual aid networks, to the extent they exist.

(2) Triggering mechanisms and levels for action, including both of the following:

(A) Standard water shortage levels corresponding to progressive ranges based on the water supply conditions. Water shortage levels shall also apply to catastrophic interruption of water supplies, including, but not limited to, a regional power outage, an earthquake, a fire, and other potential emergency events.

(B) Water shortage mitigation, response, customer communications, enforcement, and relief actions that align with the water shortage levels required by subparagraph (A).

(b) A small water supplier serving 1,000 to 2,999 service connections, inclusive, and a nontransient noncommunity water system that is a school shall each make the abridged Water Shortage Contingency Plan available on their individual internet websites, if any. A small water supplier serving 1,000 to 2,999 service connections, inclusive, or a nontransient noncommunity water system that is a school that does not have an internet website shall make the abridged Water Shortage Contingency Plan available to persons upon request. The abridged Water Shortage Contingency Plan shall be provided to the state board’s Division of Drinking Water for inspection upon demand.

(c) A small water supplier serving fewer than 1,000 service connections shall add drought planning elements, including, but not limited to, those listed in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) and subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), to its emergency notification or response plan and submit the plan to the state board. The plan shall be updated every five years, or when significant changes occur.

(d) No later than December 31, 2022, the department and the state board shall create an abridged Water Shortage Contingency Plan template for small water suppliers serving 1,000 to 2,999 service connections, inclusive, and nontransient noncommunity water systems that are schools to facilitate implementation of this section.

(e) To the extent that funding is made available, the state board shall offer technical assistance to small water suppliers serving fewer than 1,000 service connections and nontransient noncommunity water systems that are schools to improve drought and water shortage resiliency, including requirements related to the emergency notification or response plan.

(Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 245, Sec. 1. (SB 552) Effective January 1, 2022.)